He had no intentions of being a fool again.
So he needed to not care about Caley. About the fact she lived in an isolated cabin, that winter approached and she didn’t have a good supply of food, a decent truck or enough firewood.
Nope, he wasn’t going to care.
He moved to the bedroom to grab his phone.
He wondered if there were any firewood suppliers who could deliver in the next week.
7
Caley stared at the blank page on her laptop screen. That rarely ever happened. She might not know what to say to actual people, but the characters in her head always spoke to her. She never had blank pages. Sure, they might take her on journeys she didn’t realize they were going on, but they always spoke to her. Where were they?
She groaned. This is what she got for stopping in the middle of a scene. No, this is what she got for answering her phone.
One of the few punishment spankings she’d received had been when she left the house without her phone. Dave had been a pretty indulgent Daddy. Most of her punishments included time-out and chores, both of which she detested. More than once she’d have thought she’d prefer a good paddling.
Not that she’d earned many punishments. She’d usually done everything he’d asked. She’d been young when they’d gotten together, and she’d looked to him a lot for guidance. She wondered what he’d think of her now. What he’d say if he knew she’d brought home two strange men?
She sighed. Let’s face it, the real reason she couldn’t concentrate was due to the two men on the other side of the door. She hadn’t really been upset about the comments regarding her food choices. Hell, if she hadn’t taken umbrage over Dr. Cranky’s grumbling about her lack of a jacket, her truck or the fact that he’d tidied up her house, then she wasn’t going to be that annoyed over remarks about her cooking.
But she’d needed a break.
And now that she was in here…she kind of wished she was out there.
Plus, her tummy was grumbling.
She glanced around, her eyes settling on her train set. Maybe a bit of play would settle her. But what if they walked in and saw her?
Not worth the risk. Even though a lot of adults had train sets, it wasn’t just the train she enjoyed playing with. No, she didn’t want them discovering her secret.
She knew all too well how cruel people could be when faced with something different, something they didn’t understand.
Stretching, she slumped back in her chair. She had a small headache that she knew was due to lack of sleep and food. She tilted her neck from one side to the other. God, what she would give for a massage. She rubbed her hands, which almost constantly ached. Probably she should rest them more. Or learn how to use dictation. Except she’d tried that before and it had annoyed her so much, she’d actually thrown her one and only tantrum.
Thankfully, no one had been around to see it.
She needed to stop thinking about Dave. It was just making her sad and she couldn’t function if she was sad. After his death, she’d gone into a deep depression. If it hadn’t been for Murray and his partner, Geoff…
That was part of the reason she’d gone to help these guys. Because she owed Murray and Geoff so much.
A knock on the door made her frown.
She stood and moved to the door, opening it. “What do you want?”
That’s a little rude, Caley.
From the way Archer narrowed his eyes, a slight chill filling them, he agreed.
Yikes. She’d sensed some Dom vibes from Isaac, although she wasn’t certain if that was just his personality, but until now Archer had been nothing but polite and warm.
But those eyes were filled with disapproval.
She took a breath, let it out slowly. “Sorry, I’m not used to visitors. I seem to have forgotten my manners.”
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s an infliction that appears to be going around.” He looked over at his brother. “I’m sorry to bother you while you’re working. I know it’s an imposition to have us here.”
Now she just felt awful. She really wasn’t good at this.