A Safe Surrender: A Donnelley Brother's Novel (Donnelley Brothers Book 2) (7 page)

“I’m so embarrassed.” I peeked through my fingers to find him watching me even though he should be watching the barely visible road. “I can’t believe you let me continue talking about you for so long.”

He shrugged. “It was entertaining.”

“I’m sure it was.” I scoffed, feeling like an ass. “You probably think I’m a gossip queen never to be trusted.”

“Quite the opposite, actually.”

“How do you mean?” I asked hopefully, dropping my hands from my face.

“I trust you immeasurably.” He announced through that deep voice of his. “I’ve saved your life, you owe me.”

I felt my brow crinkle with a frown. “A debt, huh?” I raised a brow. “Don’t you think that would make you trust me less?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

His lips curled again. “You seem like a pretty good girl, Kami. Good people want to repay their debts rather than running from them or pretending they don’t exist. I think working with you will go well for me in the event that I come to a near death experience. I know you’ll be there to run for help,” he peered at me. “Because I don’t think you’ll be able to carry me like I carried you.”

I laughed, before wincing at the pain in my chest. “I don’t think I’d be able to carry you either.”

His eyes darkened again. “Are you sure your chest is alright?”

I nodded. “It’ll be fine, thanks.”

His lips tensed. “Alright, well, we’re here. I’ll bring in your groceries and everything.”

“We’re here?” I gasped, looking through the windshield, I found I was able to make out the faint silhouette of my little cabin. “Holy! I would have driven right through the cabin.”

He chuckled, placing the truck in park. “Then it’s a good thing I’m the one driving.”

“I’ll say.” I snorted. Shifting forward, I reached for the door handle.

Kyle commanded. “Wait.” I stiffened at the order in his tone and he quickly explained. “I’ve got a pretty good lift in this truck. You’d have to jump down and I don’t want you to hurt yourself anymore than you already are.” He opened his door. “Just wait for me.”

Before I had time to reply, Kyle had already jumped down from the truck and slammed his door closed. At first, his command had sent ice through my veins and then the reason for the bark of his tone warmed me. He was worried about me hurting myself any more than I already was. I wasn’t exactly used to men worrying about me.

Kyle opened my door for me, his hands instantly finding my hips. As he pulled me from the truck, I placed my hands on his shoulders to keep my body steady in his grip. Placing me gently on my feet, he grunted. “There we go,” he stood back up to his full height which I was betting was around six foot four. “How are you feeling?”

I smiled. “You mean now that I’m standing?”

He nodded nervously. “Yeah.”

“The same as when I was sitting. Only my chest hurts.” I answered honestly. “I’m much more worried about my car.”

He frowned. “Why?”

I rubbed my forehead. “I can’t afford another car right now,” I sighed, silently cursing Rhett for neglecting to pay any of the bills and forcing me to clean out most of my savings. “And working here, I kind of need one.”

“It’ll work out.” Kyle assured confidently and when I continued to eye him skeptically, he added. “I promise.”

I snorted. “Men,” shaking my head, I focused on the snowy ground. “Always making promises you can’t keep.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Kyle stiffen. “I don’t know what kind of men you know, Kami, but I’m not the kind of man who makes a promise I can’t keep. I told you it’ll work out and it will.” Blinking, I looked up to see his eyes were trained on me. A muscle in his jaw was twitching and I wondered, for a moment, if I had made him mad.

A surge of panic tore through my system before I remembered Kyle wasn’t Rhett and even thought I’d made him mad, I didn’t think he’d hurt me the way Rhett had so many times. The thought induced a salty tear to prick my eyes and I blinked again. “Sorry.” I croaked.

Kyle frowned, his hands fisting at his sides. “Hey,” he crooked his neck, bowing his head down to look into my face. “I’m sorry for the tone, Kami.” He sighed heavily. “You go on inside and I’ll bring in the groceries.”

“The keys are in my purse.”

“Oh,” he turned to open the back door before pulling my purse from the cab. “Here, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Thanks.”

Turning my back to Kyle, I started walking toward the little cabin. As I climbed the steps, I heard the snow crunching behind me and I knew Kyle was close. Plucking my keys from the depth of my purse, I unlocked the door and pushed my way inside. Flicking on the lights, the cabin was illuminated in a soft amber glow. Kyle kicked off his cowboy boots on the mat before moving through my little space to place the groceries on the kitchen counter. By the time he looked up at me, I was still in my jacket, but I’d taken off my boots.

“It’s pretty cold in here.” He announced, glancing around the cabin. “You, uh, want me to make you a fire?”

“Um,” I shrugged. “If you want to you can, I suppose.”

“I will.” He nodded, marching decidedly from the kitchen. “Who set you up in here?”

“Reese and Logan.” I answered as I shrugged from my jacket. “Why?”

“I’ll have to talk to Logan. He should have brought some wood in for you.” At the wide-eyed stare I gave him, Kyle shook his head. “He didn’t even show you where the wood is, did he?”

“Um,” I frowned. “I’m sure I could have found it.”

Kyle’s jaw clenched. “He should have shown you.”

“It’s fine, really.”

“It isn’t.”

“Please don’t say anything to Logan.” I asked sincerely. “I really don’t want to cause any tension. I just don’t need it in my life right now.”

I don’t know if it was the pleading in my eyes or the words themselves, but Kyle’s clenched jaw softened and the tension in his eyes eased. “Alright, but if you need anything, you’ve got to ask me.”

“Thanks.” There was no way I’d go running to Kyle for anything. I’d manage on my own and if I couldn’t, then this wasn’t the place for me. It was that simple.

I could see by the way Kyle watched me turn to my bags of groceries that he didn’t believe I would come to him, but that was just fine with me. I didn’t need to rely on a man. I’d already been proven once how devastating the consequences of relying on someone else could be. I was smart enough to learn from my mistakes.

I heard Kyle open and close the front door of the cabin, but I didn’t look up from the groceries. By the time I’d put away all my food, I was starting to wonder if Kyle was still planning on making me a fire, or if he’d went home. It was pretty chilly in the cabin and I could hear the howling of the winter wind outside the walls. The thought of replacing the chilling howl with the sound of crackling coals was more than enticing.

Padding across the living room floor, I was just about to open the door to peek outside when it opened and Kyle stepped inside with an armful of wood. His cheeks were red and the tip of his nose was pink from the bite of the cold.

He kicked off his boots. “Holy shit.” His eyes flickered to mine as though to apologize for his language. “It’s cold out there.”

I nodded, hugging my sweater tighter around my body. “It’s winter.”

“It’s the wind more than anything.” He knelt down to the fireplace, setting the logs inside. “Damn storms.”

I lowered myself onto the couch, curling into the corner as I watched Kyle work. He really was a beautiful man, in a very manly way. Where Rhett was pretty with his blond shaggy hair, blue eyes, and tall thin body, Kyle was dark and masculine. Kyle was all hard edges, dark features, and muscles, but he emitted an air of integrity that made me feel trusting of him. His every move was so precise and thought out, I felt confident that Kyle wouldn’t be one to ‘lose control’ the way Rhett had so often. Powering my phone on, I glanced down at the time. It was late. It was almost eleven o’clock and a man I had just met was making a fire for me.

What was the etiquette for this situation?

Kyle turned around as I placed my phone on the coffee table, forgetting to turn it off. I watched his lips part and I suddenly feared the possibility of being left alone. Beating him to it, I hurried to speak. “Can I make you a cup of tea?” I blushed, at the sight of his eyes widening. “Do you even drink tea?”

Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I drink tea.”

Standing, I awkwardly folded my arms over my chest. I stuttered, “Um, if you have to get home to, um, someone, or something, I understand.”

Kyle grinned as his eyes watched my face get redder and redder by the second. “I’ve got no one to get home to, Kami. Just surprised at the invite, is all.” He explained. “I’d like a cup though, if the offers still on the table.”

Smiling shyly, I nodded. “Yeah, it’s still on.”

With a racing heart, I moved into the kitchen to search the pantry for the kettle I’d found earlier. Pouring water from the tap, I plugged it in and waited for it to boil.

Kyle’s voice sounded. “There’s a
Rhett
calling you.”

I felt the blush in my cheeks pale and every muscle in my body tense at Kyle’s words. Without thinking, I rushed to my phone, turning it off. Setting it back down on the coffee table, I realized I was still in Kyle’s presence and he was watching me through dark, all seeing eyes.

“Sorry about that.” I forced a smile and I had a pretty good feeling Kyle knew it wasn’t real.

“Who’s Rhett?”

“He’s my ex.” I stated bluntly. My tone was closed to further questions, but that didn’t seem to matter to Kyle.

“He still call you a lot?”

I turned my back on him to walk into the kitchen. I suddenly regretted asking Kyle to stay for tea, but no matter my regret, I still didn’t want to be alone. The truth of the matter was that I had
never
been alone. Since I was eleven, I hadn’t had a bedroom to myself. I didn’t want him to stay the night, but for just a little while longer, knowing someone was around was a security I felt I needed.

“What kind of tea do you want?” I asked over my shoulder. “I have green, chamomile, and earl gray.”

“Gray, please.” Kyle said before he added. “I don’t want to overstep my bounds,”

“Then don’t.” I said simply, handing him a mug.

“If you change your mind and you want to talk, I’m here.”

“Okay.” I spoke the word sharper than I’d intended, but Kyle didn’t even flinch. Instead, he just watched me and unlike Rhett, who I could fool any time of day or night, I had a feeling Kyle couldn’t be so easily fooled. For some reason, Kyle, with his dark eyes, could see right through my walls of protection.

He took a sip of the tea, “It’s good tea, Kami.”

Rubbing my brow, I sighed. “I’m sorry I was so sharp, Kyle, I just,”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me.” He assured. “My feelings aren’t that touchy.”

Looking down into the steaming tea, I nodded. “Thank you.”

Kyle moved into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. Not wanting to sit so close beside him, I took the chair beside the fireplace. Even though I wasn’t looking at Kyle to verify that his eyes were on me, I knew they were. I could feel them. The weight of them on my body was a weight I doubted I would ever forget.

“So, what made you decide to come all the way out here for a job?”

That was a safe enough question, but it made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Clearing my throat, I replied. “I like the country, but I’ve never really had the pleasure of being out here. I figured it was time for a change and this just seemed like the perfect one at the perfect time.”

“Why did you choose mountain climbing?” He asked, adding. “I know we were hiring for white water rafting and horse back riding as well.”

I shrugged. “I guess, that out of the three, mountain climbing just seems like something I want to learn. It just seems like it would be rewarding.”

“It is.” He nodded. “I’ve always loved mountain climbing.”

“Why?”

“Probably because I’m pretty bad at conversation and when you’re climbing, there isn’t really a lot of time for conversation.”

I cocked my head. “You seem pretty good at conversation to me.”

“Yeah,” his eyes pinned on me and I felt my blood warm. “It’s just something about you.”

My breath caught. “Oh,”

He set his empty mug down on the coffee table. “Thanks for the tea, Kami.” He tipped his hat. “I’d better be going.”

“I guess it’s late,” I stood, clutching my mug tight between my hands. “Thanks for everything, Kyle.”

“I had a good time.” He offered a smile. “I’ll see you around.”

“Okay, bye.”

I watched as Kyle pulled on his boots before walking out the door, leaving me alone in the little cabin that felt so much cozier with him here.

Chapter 7

I stepped out of the shower before wrapping a pale green towel around my body. The mirror was fogged over from the steam of my shower, so I was unable to see myself as I placed some toothpaste on my toothbrush. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get my car today, but I had to get myself ready first. As soon as I was clothed and dry, I’d call Reese, and like a puppy with its tail between its legs, I’d admit to her that I’d hit the ditch.

I was
so
not looking forward to that conversation and I could only hope that Reese wasn’t one of those ‘I told you so’ people.

Rinsing my mouth of my toothpaste, I turned off the water and jumped at the sound of banging on my front door. Who in the world would be here this early? It was only eight in the morning.

Then I thought of Reese. If that woman thought she could come over here for her morning shot of caffeine, than she was delusional. There was no way I was giving her coffee if there was any potential possibility of me having to face her growly fiancé. The man kinda scared me. I mean, he was nice and all, but his intensity was just off the charts.

Another loud knock sounded through the space, bringing me back to the here and now. Tightening my towel around my body, I raced through the hallway to the front door. Without checking to see who stood on the other side, I pulled it open and gasped, slamming it closed in Kyle’s shocked face.