Lisette Belisle - The Wedding Bargain

He waited while Olivia tucked a few candy bars in her pocket, then reached for her purse and her umbrella. Juggling all three, she wrapped the wool blanket around her, then opened her umbrella. A strong gust of wind tore it out of her hand. It took off, twisting and twirling down the road, round and round, like a spinning top.

“Oh!” She tripped in her attempt to retrieve it.

“Leave it.” Drew took her hand, surprised at how it fit.

They walked.

At least he was on familiar ground. There was a lake nearby, more cabins. Logging roads crisscrossed the area. He was familiar with those. Squinting into the darkness, he looked around for a landmark. His gaze fell on a break in the solid line of pine trees edging the road.

Locating a road overgrown with leafy ferns, he ducked under a branch, Olivia at his heels. Within the forest, tall pines provided some shelter from the rain. Everything smelled damp.

And fresh.

Washed new.

“This looks right,” he said to assure her.

“It does?” Olivia peered into the dark gloomy woods.

He murmured back, “Mmm.”

The wind carried a bite.

Left with little choice but to go where Drew led, Olivia plodded on through the thick brush. He obviously knew his way—as if he had an inner compass. Olivia stumbled, catching her breath when he caught her waist and righted her on the path. She didn’t find her voice until he released her.

“Thanks,” she murmured huskily.

“Watch your step.” With that instruction, he moved on, obviously expecting her to follow in his wake.

“Me Tarzan, you Jane,” she muttered under her breath.

She might have laughed, except that she didn’t think he’d appreciate the joke. So far, she hadn’t found any evidence of his having a sense of humor. He was outdoorsy and rugged—a handy man to have around under the circumstances. Trying to imagine some of her artsy friends back in San Francisco coping in a similar situation, she smiled.

He caught her expression and frowned. “What’s so funny?”

Olivia gulped. “Nothing at all.”

Clearly he didn’t see any humor in their situation. When he looked at her like that, all dark-browed and glowering, she didn’t, either. He turned back to the path, and she released a frustrated sigh. Make that outdoorsy, rugged and moody. She plodded on, pushing aside a branch.

It snapped.

The sound echoed through the night.

Olivia shivered.

The road was full of deep ruts. It went nowhere, except deeper into the woods. With each step, images of lurid newspaper headlines filled her imagination. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, it was just that…well, she wasn’t a complete idiot.

She laughed nervously. “I should warn you my father was a cop in San Francisco. He taught me how to defend myself.”

Drew grunted something unintelligible.

Despite the lack of response, she persisted. “He taught me how to use a gun.”

“So you’re armed and dangerous?”

Olivia stiffened at the challenge in his voice. “I don’t carry a gun with me. But I do have a can of mace in my purse. And I have a black belt in karate. So don’t try anything.”

At that deliberate challenge, he stopped and turned to glance at her. “Is that supposed to frighten me?”

Olivia caught the cynical twist in his smile and regretted that she’d put it there. “Well, I wouldn’t want to hurt you.” She laughed, realizing he could probably recognize the fake note.

Unfortunately Drew didn’t feel like laughing back. “You are really something.” There was dry irony in his voice. He should have known Olivia DeAngelis was too good to be true.

All that sweet innocence and trust had disappeared at the first sign of trouble. He supposed he had to get used to that now that he had a prison record. As if matters couldn’t get worse, her stepfather had been a cop!

He turned back to the path.

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said at his back after a moment of strained silence.

“You didn’t.” He smiled tightly. “In fact, it’s a relief to know that if there’s any trouble, you can defend yourself against all threats, even bears.”

Her voice wavered, suddenly unsure.

“What bears?”

Drew laughed. “You never know. One might come along.”

“You’re just trying to frighten me.” Despite the bravado, she picked up the pace, walking close to his back where the road narrowed into a single overgrown track. “There aren’t really any bears, are there?”

“They rummage around these woods for food, both day and night. It doesn’t help that the tourists feed them.”

“Oh.” Clearly alarmed, she pressed a hand to the candy bars in her pocket; she was a walking target.

“You needn’t worry.” He waited to hear her faint sigh of relief before he added, “Just stay close.”

Olivia bit back a retort. If that was meant to be reassuring, it wasn’t. In fact, given a choice, she didn’t know who posed the biggest threat to her safety and peace of mind—Drew Pierce or a ravenous bear, who might or might not have an appetite for her.

Drew stopped suddenly.

With her head down, Olivia walked right into his back. It felt solid, warm. She looked around his shoulder.

A cabin was visible in a clearing. At first glance, it looked abandoned. Built out of logs, it was rustic, long and low, and surprisingly large. There were No Trespassing signs posted all over the place.

Olivia frowned. “It’s private property. We can’t just break into the place.”

Ignoring her, Drew found a key under the mat, then opened the door and entered. “I know the owners. They won’t mind.” At the evidence of recent use, he added, “Looks like someone’s been using it as a hunting camp.”

Once inside, Olivia took note of the sparse furnishings—a lopsided oak table and chairs, a sofa, plus two cots, one on each wall. She didn’t dwell on the sleeping arrangements. A door to the left probably led to a kitchen. She hoped there was a bathroom.

Drew found an oil lamp and lit a match to it. The small light wavered, throwing the corners of the room in shadow.

Olivia asked, “Do you hunt?”

“I used to.” Drew didn’t explain that he’d stopped hunting years ago after he accidentally shot a neighbor’s dog. The Carlisles had never forgiven him for that…and other things too numerous to mention.

The sight of Olivia still wrapped in her wool blanket brought him back to the present. She looked frozen. He raked out some leaves, then set some tinder and a few logs on the fireplace grate. He lit it with a match from a box that sat on the mantel, and soon had a fire blazing.

A neatly piled stack of wood stood beside the fire-place.

“That should see you through the next few hours,” he said with satisfaction. “There’s a generator housed in a shed out back, but I don’t think you’ll need it.”

Olivia latched on to the one small detail he’d failed to explain. “Where are you going?”

“To see if I can dig up a mechanic. Stillwater’s only a few miles back the way we came.”

“But it’s raining,” she objected.

He headed for the door. “It’s either that, or spend the night here.”

Olivia’s gaze skittered over the narrow cots. She backed away, wrapping the blanket tighter. “I’ll be fine.”

Nevertheless, she followed him out to the covered porch.

Since first setting eyes on Drew Pierce, she’d felt threatened; now she felt more alarmed by his imminent departure.

Perhaps sensing her unease, Drew looked back. “Don’t go wandering around on your own in the dark. There’s a lake nearby and some ledges.”

“I won’t.” She didn’t want to fall. Warning taken.

He smiled. “Then there are the bears.”