Falling For You (Honey Leaf Lodge #1)

Chapter Five

Violet

The stillness in my tiny cabin made for a peaceful sleep. No honking horns, blaring sirens, or dump trucks roaming the streets. The crisp morning air seeped through the tiny cracks in the cabin’s log walls even though my brother spent eons trying to fill them all.

I stretched beneath the blankets, feeling the thick flannel against my skin, my limbs still heavy with sleep. After yesterday’s events, I found it hard to fall right to sleep, and worse yet, stay asleep.

Owen kept flickering through my mind—specifically, what led him to my little part of heaven.

Everything about him was both infuriating and intoxicating. He was tall, quiet, confident, and had brilliant green eyes that held steady. He seemed out of place in the rustic supper club, but I saw the potential, the ruggedness, nipping at the edges of refinement that was hard to shake.

None of it mattered, though. He was here on business, and I intended to find out whatthat business was.

I pushed the blankets aside, dangled my feet over the side of the bed, and rested my tootsies on the bare, cold wood floor. I peeked out the large window overlooking the woods, which had turned overnight. The amber spread like a carpet rolled across the deciduous trees with crimson pops beneath the towering Jack pines.

This was where I was meant to be for now. I loved waking up to a chill in the air, pulling on my robe, and climbing down the ladder to have my first cup of coffee.

My mom always made breakfast for the guests in the main lodge, and my sisters and I covered lunch and dinner. It took me a few weeks to get into the cadence of my days, but now I couldn’t imagine anything else.

Thanks to my automatic coffeemaker, the smell of coffee drifted through the air. I always set it for thirty minutes before I woke up so that I could smell the aroma. Once I arrived back in Buttercup Lake, I tried to stop being such a planner, but certain things were hard to shake.

I tugged the belt a little tighter on my robe, walked to the kitchen, and poured myself a cup of coffee before I put some wood in the woodstove as I hummed a little song. The place was so tiny that it didn’t take much in the way of wood to make the place feel like a sauna.

Tucking my feet underneath me on the couch, I stared at the stove and smiled, thinking about my day.

We’d planned to make a turkey BLT with homemade potato chips with chives and a veggie wrap as an alternative. I also planned to photograph the items for my blog. I really needed to get back into posting regularly.

What better place than the lodge for a backdrop?

The idea made me giddy, and before I knew it, the little cabin had overheated, and I needed to shower and dress for the day.

I had to pick up a few things at the store and might even pop into a coffee shop for a real drink.

The thought made me work a little faster at tidying some things up, hopping in the shower, and getting dressed.

By the time I opened the bathroom door, my place was hot. The heat rolled off my sweater as I dashed to the kitchen window and opened it wide. I still hadn’t gotten the hang of regulating things quite yet.

The smell of pine needles, sweet maple leaves, and damp earth filtered in through the open window with the sound of a few hardy songbirds chirping before they headed away for the winter.

It was these little things that I didn’t get living in the big city, and I didn’t even realize how much I’d missed them until now.

I fanned off as the chilly air flooded the cabin, and a light tap at my front door took me by surprise. Since my kitchen window faced the road where someone would pull up, it had to be family who’d walked here from the lodge. Maybe one of my sisters brought me some leftover muffins or something from this morning.

The thought made me smile. When I did figure out where I wanted to live, it had to be close to family. I’d spent far too many years away.

Another knock rattled through the little cabin, and I quickened my step to reach the door. Pulling it open, ready for a muffin, I jumped back when I saw Owen.

He held a bouquet of sunflowers and pushed them toward me.

“Good morning,” he said, smiling cautiously. “I actually brought them to the lodge and bumped into your brother, who told me you were in this cabin.”

I frowned. “So much for personal safety.”

He chuckled and nodded. “I thought the same thing, actually.”

I twisted my lips into a reluctant smile and reached for the flowers. “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you,” he offered.

I turned so he couldn’t see my expression, which was dying with happiness, surprise, and downright excitement.

“Do you know I’ve never received flowers before?” I walked the short distance to the kitchen and pulled a mason jar from the cabinet.

“You’re kidding.” He called after me in the tiny space.

I’d left him standing on the porch.

“Fact.” I looked over at Owen, who looked inside the cabin, smiling.

“I think I’m letting in a lot of cold air.” He looked over at me.

“It’s okay. I made the cabin too hot.”

“Okay, then.” He let out a sigh and rocked back on his heels. “I stopped by to see if you’d like to grab a coffee downtown.”

I filled the vase with water and cut the tips off the stems before arranging them in the vase.

“Hmm. I did have some errands to run before I start lunch.” I scrunched my lips together as I looked at Owen. He was dressed in a pair of light blue jeans and a black sweater.

“I also wanted to apologize for the first time we met.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t think we really hit it off, and I was out of line.”

“Did my brother scare you?” I asked, raising my brows. “Is that why you’re apologizing?”

Owen laughed and shook his head. “No. But his loyalty is to be commended.”

“So, what are you really doing here?”

He scratched the back of his neck and shifted his weight as his eyes stayed fastened on mine. “I’m trying to take you out for coffee.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I mean in my town.”

“Your town?”

I nodded with a frown. “Yes, my town.”

Owen didn’t say anything, and I nodded in annoyance. “Still not going to tell me.”

“I told you that I would tell you soon.”

“Soon is not now,” I reminded him. “And I want to know now.”

I walked over to my purse, unplugged my phone, and pushed it into my bag.

“I’ll go to coffee with you, but I’ll drive myself. I have errands to run after.”

A smile surfaced on his full lips, and I ripped my gaze away. Somehow, it looked like I’d made him the happiest man in the world, and all I did was say I’d let him buy me some coffee.

I stood in the middle of my cabin for a second, trying to reconcile how he could be so grumpy and annoying on one hand while being so cute, sweet, and pleasant on the other.

He leaned against the doorframe and watched me dash around my cabin, grabbing a hair band, tablet, lip gloss, and a magazine.

“You know you can have a head start. I’m parked behind the house, and you have to hike back to the lodge to get your truck.” I shrugged, feeling like a flittering Wisconsin mosquito, trying not to forget anything. “I’ll just meet you at the coffee shop.”

“Shouldn’t I tell you which one?”

My eyes lifted in surprise. “There’s only one.”

“Oh, right.” He nodded. “On the main street.”

“Yup.” I smiled. “Unless you plan on opening up another one.”

A funny look crossed his features, and he spun around as if he wanted to hide whatever popped into his mind.

I scowled after him and shook my head, trying to remember where I put my grocery list.

“I’ll see you there,” I told him as he closed the door behind him and descended a few steps.

After lifting every pillow, going up and down the ladder countless times, and looking under every magazine, I finally found my list tucked in my purse from yesterday.

How organized of me.

I chuckled and let out a happy sigh as I glanced at the sunflowers.

Something was perplexing about Owen. He was good-looking and could produce good conversations when he wasn’t being a reserved elitist.

I stopped. Was that what I thought of him?

Thinking back to the llama and sheep incident and how he grew up on a ranch made me think twice about who he presented himself as the first time compared to the second.

“Whatever,” I mumbled to myself.

He was only here for a while, and I already had too much on my plate. I needed to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

With that, I pulled my keys off the hook near the door and wandered outside. The moment I stepped into the cold, the heavenly smells of woodsmoke and earthy scents wrapped around me. The first frost would be here before I knew it, followed by the first snowstorm.

The thought actually excited me.

I walked around my house to the driveway and climbed into my small SUV.

The coffee shop and the rest of the town were only about fifteen minutes away. I turned on my stereo and glanced at my little cabin in the woods before backing out of my drive.

I’d have to remember to send Liam a sarcastic thank you for leading the mystery man to my house this morning.

Happily driving down the windy road to town, glimpses of the sparkling lake grabbed my attention. Before I knew it, the water would be frozen solid. The sidewalks bustled with tourists and locals as I pulled into town.

This little town used to be nothing but a laundromat and a grocery store-gas station combo.

My, how things had changed.

Between the hotel on the lake expanding and our little lodge being fully booked most nights, Buttercup Lake had become the place to visit.

Spotting a vacancy just a few slots down from the coffee shop, I parallel-parked and pushed away the nervousness that came out of nowhere. It wasn’t like I had anything to be nervous about.

Owen obviously didn’t have enough work to do, so he figured I’d be his guide for the next few weeks. But I wasn’t about to drop everything in my life to babysit him.

Nope. Not on my watch.

This farm girl just wanted answers.

I smiled and slid out of my vehicle, stretching toward the brilliant blue sky, before going to the sidewalk.

I hadn’t been to Buttercup Java for several weeks, and Fifi had told me that Abby, the owner, hadfinished a remodel, which I was looking forward to seeing.

“Violet,” the gruff and familiar voice came from behind.

I spun around to see Owen walking toward me. He wore a jacket and smiled at me when I stopped to wait.

Maybe he thought I’d keep going. “A little chilly for you?”

“Hey, I’m used to cold weather. I live in Connecticut and grew up in Wyoming. You gotta believe me that a little autumn air isn’t going to make me shiver.”

I ignored his comment about cold-weather living and started walking toward Buttercup Java. “They just did a remodel on this place.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“I’m excited to see what all Abby did.”

“Who’s Abby?”

My brows pinched together. “The owner and my friend.”

A concerned look flittered across his features, but he shook it off quickly as he reached for the door. I was short enough that I walked right under his arm.

The aromas of cinnamon and fresh-brewed coffee washed over me immediately. I loved what Abby had done with the place.

“Morning, Vi,” Abby called from the counter. She glanced at Owen behind me and waggled her brows. “And good morning to whoever you are.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I’m still trying to figure that out myself.” I pointed behind me. “His name is Owen, and he’s here on business, not pleasure.”

She cocked her head slightly. “Business in Buttercup Lake? There’s not much of that going on here.”

“Exactly what I thought.” I nodded, glancing briefly at Owen, who looked extremely uncomfortable. “So, why don’t you just tell us what you’re doing here?”

He shook his head and let out a sigh. “How about that coffee?”

For a brief moment, I wondered if I would finally get some answers.