Page 17 of Coveted By the Bear

His eyes narrowed, as if I was crazy. “What fish?”

“Oh. Never mind.” Embarrassed, I dropped my gaze to his work boots until he went back to cleaning and released me from his impossibly blue gaze.

I rifled through a plastic bag, vowing to take the first thing that was edible and leave him to his work. A box of mixed berry granola bars caught my attention, and I opened it as fast as I could. My hands trembled, and my legs felt wobbly enough to knock my knees together.

“You want one?” I hadn’t meant to whisper, but it was all that came out.

He stopped what he was doing and swiveled his head to me. “What’s wrong?” he asked through a look of confusion.

I wouldn’t risk speaking, so I shook my head and stared at the box of treasures I held clutched to my chest. Nothing was wrong—except that Caleb was marred because of me, and now he was in my kitchen paying back some stupid debt he didn’t owe, and now I’d somehow pissed him off again. And he felt so big in my tiny home that it was hard to breathe. Strong and in control, he worked without trying to be quiet, and his strength seeped out of him when he shut drawers, set cans down, or closed the fridge. He was overwhelming. And beautiful. But mostly overwhelming.

I skittered back into my room, but I could feel his gaze follow me until the door clicked closed behind me. How could I explain what was wrong with me when my feelings were just a mass of confusion not even I was equipped to interpret?

One granola bar package sat on the bed beside me, and I guiltily ate a second. I wished I could eat up every single thing Caleb had brought, but I wasn’t a dog. I knew about rationing. If I was careful, this food could last me two months. I peeked out the door to watch Caleb. He was putting cold things into the fridge with swift and confident accuracy. I shut the door again and sat on my bed like a coward, clutching onto the box of leftover granola bars as if it would get the wise idea to try and run away.

I didn’t know this Caleb. He was strong, quick, overpowering and intimidating. He was a tornado, as beautiful as he was terrifying. This house had only known the weak and ravaged Caleb born of injury and pain.

A light knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. Caleb opened it slowly and peered in. “Can we talk?”

He sat on the bed beside me before I figured out my answer. He was so close I was breathless, as if a bowling ball sat on top my chest. I stood and scurried into the small bathroom. He could talk all he wanted to, but I didn’t have to listen from three inches away.

Caleb seemed undeterred. “I need your permission to widen a gate so I can get my truck up here. It’s going to be the only way I can get the supplies I need up to the house.”

“Like what supplies?” I asked around the foam created by my toothbrush.

“Like, lumber for one. Half this place is rotted and not fit to be living in.”

I spat frothy mint into the sink. “That sounds expensive.”

“Speaking of, that generator out back is working for now, but it won’t last forever. You need electricity up here, Mira. You can’t go through the winter with no heat. Is it as important to you as it was to your uncle to live off the grid?”

I frowned at my reflection. It was nice not answering to anyone or paying the bills, but my bones still ached when I thought about the end of the last chilly winter without that generator.

I spat again and rinsed my mouth. “No. That isn’t important to me, but I don’t have the money to pay an electrician.”

“My older brother, Brian, will be out here first thing in the morning to tap you into a power line. I can’t imagine it will take too much to heat this little house. Your fireplace works?”

I finished rinsing my face and gave him a thumbs up outside of the bathroom with one hand while I dried my face with the other.

“Good. A couple more space heaters, and you should be doing all right.”

My head was whirling. Where would I get all of this magic money? I couldn’t even afford food.

I had pulled my hair into a messy bun at the back of my head to dry my face. It felt good to have the weight off my neck, and I returned to my bedroom in the same fashion. I took a seat in the chair by the bed to avoid overly close contact with Caleb again. That felt too dangerous.

He stared, and in an astonished tone said, “You look different with your hair back.”

“I’m sure you do, too,” I countered, uncomfortable under the scrutiny. His hair was shoulder-length and long enough. He could almost get his hair into a stub of one, at least.

Caleb cleared his throat. “Anyway, doing all of this stuff is great and all, but you need a way to make a living. I don’t have any stake in this, and you can ignore my suggestions, but I bet you could put a pump jack up here and find some oil. You are in prime oil country after all. You could make your land pay you.”

I was startled. That was something I’d never in my life thought about, though I know a lot of people in town made money in some form from the oil industry.

“How do you know they would find oil on my land?” I asked.

“Well, I don’t know if they will, but I… Look, don’t freak out but I bought old Eli’s place just west of your property line several months back.”

I sat up straighter. “How could you buy his place so long ago? He just died last month.” By my bullet, but I didn’t like to dwell on stuff like that. The nightmares were enough.