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Fuck, he had to get a grip. He was in the countryside—local landowners had weapons they used for sport and protection too.
After he reached the pond, he dropped into a crouch near the edge. For long seconds, he watched the water lapping at the bank in small ripples set off by some spring that fed it, or maybe by a fish. Plucking a tall blade of grass from the bank, he stared at the sunlight playing over the surface until his mind cleared.
A crunching noise from a few feet away, beyond the screen of tall reeds growing along the edge, had Hunter shooting to his full height.
Just then, a woman appeared between the foliage, walking toward him. Blonde. Curvy. Her face wore that soft, romantic innocence that sucked weaker men into her clutches.
The princess.
Spotting him, she stopped and hastily directed a long wave of hair behind her ear.
“Sorry—I didn’t know anybody was down here.”
It seemed they couldn’t escape each other. All these acres and still—
More shots echoed across the land, sounding closer this time.
Ivy darted a look at his face, her green eyes widening slightly. “It’s the neighbor. They like shooting clay pigeons.”
“Colton told me.”
“A little PTSD?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. Any denial died on his lips. He might be a lot of things, but Hunter was no liar.
She moved to stand beside him as if she wasn’t remotely bothered by the fact he was sweating buckets and probably looked like he was ready to break the neck of his enemy.
She let out a light sigh, as soft as the breeze rustling the reeds. “I needed this today.”
He arched a brow in question.
“A break,” she explained. “I’ve been working in the office for days. It’s a little…” She floundered for a word. “Heavy.”
He’d learned a long time ago that people talked to him. They trusted him with whatever was weighing on their mind. It was what kicked off his rapport with Forest. After his buddy unpacked a few concerns for his younger sisters back in Montana, they’d become fast friends.
Ivy scraped her fingers through her thick hair, sending the long waves rippling over her shoulders. “There are so many papers and documents to sort through. It took ages, but I think I’ve opened all the mail now. Believe me, that was a chore and a half.”
Again, she sighed. Beneath each eye she wore a small blue half moon of fatigue.
“You haven’t been sleeping well either.”
She jerked her head to pierce him in her stare. After a heartbeat, she shook her head. “I swear I’m reading papers in my dreams.”
A small crinkle appeared between her shapely eyebrows that arched over the deep green pools of her eyes. When he looked closer, he swore he saw ghosts moving in the depths.
At first glance, Ivy was a stunning woman who gave away no hint of a depth beyond her beauty. But those eyes…secrets lived in those eyes.
“I haven’t told Meadow how stressful it’s been, going through Daddy’s office. But…ugh.” She lowered herself to the bank with her knees tucked against her chest and her arms slung around them.
He stared down at her small form. So vulnerable. This was not the same woman he’d met on the plane. She wasn’t anything like he expected when he first came here. He’d judged her, wrongfully so, and maybe it was time to own up to it.
He dropped to the bank next to her. She twisted her head and met his gaze.
The expression in her eyes was filled with a hunger that shot straight to his core. Lust clawed at him.
“I know you don’t like me, Hunter.”
His stare dropped to her lips. Plump, pale pink. The most enticing set of lips he’d ever set eyes on. “I like you just fine.”
