Page 14 of Not Until I Found You

He chuckles. “Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you too.”

“Thanks,” I say, exhaling a breath of relief before reaching out and ruffling up his beard. “You look like a homeless lumberjack.”

“You say that like it’s a bad look.” He laughs, the loud and boisterous sound rumbling through me. “The door is open if you want to head inside and check the place out,” he adds before grabbing my luggage.

“I just hope you did some cleaning before I came.”

He hoists a bag onto his shoulder. “I’m not that big of a slob…anymore.”

“Uh-huh, we’ll see about that.”

I open the passenger door, sliding my purse strap over my shoulder, and carefully grab the small terra-cotta pot nestled on the floorboard. The glossy leaves of my zebra plant bob gently as I carry it up the porch steps. I hesitate at the foot of the porch and take in the cabin stretching out before me. Rustic wood beams, deep-green trim, flower boxes under the windows that look like they could use a bit of love.

The door creaks open with a gentle push, and I step into the cabin that’s going to be my home for the summer. I’m immediately hit with the scent of cedar and something faintly citrusy. The living room opens up in warm tones. A brown leather couch sits beneath a wide window, flanked by built-in shelves filled with books, mismatched mugs, and a cute ceramic gnome. A stone fireplace stands tall on one side.

I wander farther inside, clutching my plant while mentally trying to figure out where it might sit best. Maybe by the window. Or by the⁠—

A loud bark fills the space, and I don’t have time to react before something golden leaps at me.

“Whoa!” I stumble, my plant flying upward as another short scream slips out from me. I catch it quickly, just in time for the dog to lunge again and knock me completely off balance. Before I can regain my footing, I crash into a wall of heat. Strong arms grab me mid-stumble, and my face is pressed squarely against a sweaty man’s chest, leaving the plant wobbling awkwardly between us like a leafy buffer.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry— I didn’t⁠—”

“It’s okay,” a rumbly voice says, way too close to my ear, and it vibrates all over my skin.

I pull back slightly so I can actually look at the shirtless stranger I crashed into. His golden-brown hair is damp and tousled. His hazel eyes glide over me, wide with surprise at first, before narrowing as he tries to process what just happened. A flush creeps up my neck once our eyes meet, and his expression shifts into curiosity.

What in the world is happening right now?

“You must be Maxinne,” he says and reaches to grip the back of his neck, and I try really hard not to look at the muscles twitching in his arm as he does it.

Spoiler alert: I totally look.

He seems to realize we’re standing way too close and takes a small step back. “Sorry about that. Sven’s not usually so…enthusiastic.”

Right on cue, the golden retriever flops down beside us, his tongue hanging out, tail wagging proudly, like he orchestrated the whole thing.

“It’s fine,” I manage, still trying to piece together this awkward situation.

He rubs a hand along the back of his neck again. “I’m Zane. Ashton’s friend. I was trying to fix a plumbing issue in the bathroom. I didn’t realize you’d be here already.”

Ah, things are starting to make more sense now. I’ve heard Ashton talk about Zane more times than I can count. This is his best friend and coworker. The guy who rented him the cabin after his wife left him. Somehow, I’d pieced together a hundred stories about Zane without ever putting a face to the name.

“The plumbing?” I blink. “Should I be worried?”

He lets out a laugh, and I totally ignore the cluster of butterflies taking flight in my stomach at the sound.

“Not anymore. It just needed some quick repairs and is all good now.”

I narrow my eyes. “Repairs from…what, exactly?”

Zane hesitates, lips twitching like he’s trying not to smile. “Let’s just say your brother swung by this morning to ’check on a few things,’ used the bathroom, and left me with a minor toilet catastrophe.”

I blink. “He clogged the toilet?”

“Spectacularly,” Zane snickers. “He tried to blame it on the low water pressure, but that wasn’t the issue. I spent the afternoon taking it apart to make sure it didn’t flood before you showed up.”

“Why didn’t he fix it himself?”