Jamie and her Jaguar

3

“What do you usually do when it rains like this here? Read? Solitaire?” I asked spotting some cards.

“Sometimes. Sometimes I take the time to relax and sleep. I have a few projects to work on which is why I have wood and you might hear me working with power tool.”

“What do you make?”

“Anything really. I did all the bed frames for the B&B if you’ve been there?” He asked and I nodded. “I’ve done some roof repairs, I help the town with small fixes and my friend is getting married soon so I am making them a swing to hang on their back porch.” He told me and I thought that was nice. Sweet of him.

“The town seemed really nice and close. Like all those small town books and movies and shows make it seem.”

“Yeah. We’re a nice bunch but most of the time they’re set in their ways.” He told me and I nodded slowly.

“So, your friend? Did he finally propose to his high school sweetheart or something?” I asked wondering why someone his age might take so long to get married.

“She… she and I were sort of pushed together by our parents. They thought since I was single and she was single we should just “give it a try” with a lot more pushing actually. I helped her by lying to her parents for a while but she ended up finding her … husband. Soon to be husband.”

“They wanted you marry her? Like an arranged marriage?” They do those here? I knew it was a small town but damn! Anyone around here could spot him and want him. Whoever this chick was probably only saw him as a friend and that’s why she couldn’t bring herself to marry him.

“Any other girls being pushed on you now?” I asked and he laughed and shook his head.

“I’m the loner in the woods these days hoping to avoid the mothers in town hoping I just fall at the feet of their daughters.” Luke laughed and I smiled at the idea of him on his knees but that didn’t stay innocent in my head for long. What is wrong with me?

“Sooo… what are you doing hiking in the great north all alone?” He asked me this time and I bit my lip.

“Just a sad little story of me trying to relive my childhood after working for a few years without a vacation. I remember camping and hiking and being at one with nature being so fun with my mom. We would sit and listen to birds and use a tent for a week…” I shook my head as I thought about the early morning and the fireside nights and I could so clearly see my mom and dad enjoying it all.

“Why Montana?” He asked and I took a shallow shaky breath.

“My mom… she came here alone once. The town I guess. She told me she wanted to move here, give me a more normal life.” I shrugged and realized I had admitted I wasn’t normal.

“Normal how?” He asked and I shrugged.

“My dad… he’s a millionaire. He owns hotels mostly, which is what I’ve been taking over since he all of a sudden wanted to retire and leave it all to me.” I shrugged hard and I thought about my mom and dad again. “When my mom died… it wasn’t fast and she never really brought me here. She showed me all these pictures and it was so beautiful.”

“So you’ve come up here to see what she saw.” He surmised and I nodded slowly. “And it hasn’t been what you wanted it to be?” He poked at his own forehead and I laughed and shook my head.

“It has not. Bum leg, no food, huge cats, and a face full of mud. At least I heal quickly. This will be nothing more than a scar in a few days.” I told him and he seemed surprised.

“You heal quickly?” He asked as I raised my soup spoon and I nodded. “Interesting. We should make sure you don’t catch a fever or it gets infected as it heals then.” He told me and I nodded knowing I’ve been sick before from an infected wound.

“Can you tell me more about your work? Do you cut down the wood yourself? Like a tree? Or do you go out and find what you’re looking for?” I asked as I focused more on the stew.

“It’s a bit of both. I make lots of things like tables and coasters and stuff. My friends in town sell them at the B&B. I’ve done some bunk beds for certain kids in town and I try and help when we get too much snow. Lots of things to do around a small town.” He was getting shy or nervous and I couldn’t tell which.

“So you never plan on leaving. Here is home?“ I asked me Luke nodded slowly as he watched me. “That’s nice. I can’t count how many houses and homes I’ve been in. I don’t really like to move now that I’m older.” I told him and he nodded slowly. “Who taught you all the handyman stuff? Your dad?” I asked and ripped some bread to soak in the stew.

“My mothers brother, an uncle. He got into it when he made his wife a crib, and he kept up with it. I loved seeing the way pieces come together to make something sturdy and useful.”

“Not to mention pretty.” I added and he smiled. “I stayed at the B&B one night before coming out to camp and make my own way.” I told him and he nodded slowly like he liked that.

“When the storm passes we can see about getting you to the B&B to check in before I take you to the hospital to see about that leg. I don’t know if anything is broken but it’s swollen like it could be.” He nodded down to it and I nodded slowly.

“How long do you think it will really last?” I asked just before thunder made me jump, again. It sounded so much louder than anything I’ve ever experienced before and I hated that I was jumpy.

“Usually it’s true to forecast. A week or so.” Luke said and then he tipped his bowl up to drain and I shamelessly watched his throat swallow and let my eyes wander down his chest and to his thick arms.

The sight brought back fantasy memories from dreams and late lonely nights. It had been 4 years since a man gave me an orgasm and it wasn’t for my lack or trying. Though for the last year I haven’t dated at all.

“Are you gay?” He was well groomed, didn’t want a wife, was he hiding out up here?

“No. Not gay.” He laughed lightly as he turned back and let me see all of him. “Just not willing to settle just because I’m single.”

I nodded, clenching my teeth before I asked what he did want. I could dig my own hole, break my own heart by finding out if this man could be my fantasy come to life

“Soo, your friend getting married, is she the one at the B&B?” I asked and he shook his head.

“No. Yasmin is married already and so is Lyla. Kids and all that for them. The one getting married is Darcy. She found her husband in her best friends husbands family. Fate I guess.” He shrugged and I giggled at the notion of fate.

Fate sucked, if everything was fated then my life was meant to be shity and upsetting. I bit my lip as I looked down at my empty bowl.

“Don’t like fate?” He asked and I tried not to wince since he seemed to have seen the look on my face already.

“If fate has a hand in my life, I must have been a killer in a past life, it hasn’t been kind to me.” I told him quickly and I laughed. “Just look where I am right now. I could have been eaten by a big cat, skidded down a hill, hurt myself, and this was all my idea.” I laughed it off and looked down at my leg.

“But it brought you to a place where your mom has been and have maybe explored places she wanted to take you.” Luke stated and I felt that , she was with me in spirit even if I could never see her, she wants me here, well, wanted me here. “I wonder if some of the older people in town would know what your moms plans were.”

“How would they know? It’s not like she needed permission to move here.” I saw something flash across Luke’s face like he wanted to correct me and then he shrugged.

“That true, but when you see the town you’ll notice there’s not really homes for sale. If she wanted to move here, she would have to have a place built or sold to her and people around here would remember someone wanting to move here if they needed to ask around. Might come as a shock, but we get tourist, not people trying to move here.” Luke told me with a slight laugh and I smiled hoping he was right.

“I can’t wait to find out some more about this place.”

“There’s these sort of groups in town, I’ll take you to the oldest person they have to see if they have any idea who she was going to buy land or a house from.” He seemed to be wording something carefully but I just realized he might be trying to explain the town dynamic to me, I wrote it off and agreed.

Now we just had to get through the storm before I can get some answers and some clarity. And maybe I shouldn’t think about Luke naked and next to me in bed and caging me in, and filling me up, and sucking my neck, making out with me, his hands all over my body.

Yeah.

Should stop thinking about that before I ruin my non existent panties.