Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Having been to war, having seen men killed and having killed men in return, all I wanted was to live out my days surrounded by the peace and tranquility of the woods I’ve called my home since I rotated out.
If not for needing an income, I never would have rented out the cabins on my property. I would have preferred never seeing another living soul again, if I could help it.
But not being independently wealthy, I did what I had to do.
That was how I met Emery Pierce. Not that I wanted to. But she rented one of my cabins, so it seemed inevitable that our paths would eventually cross.
I did all I could to mitigate the chance, but fate sometimes has a strange way of intervening and putting something—or somebody—in your path you never knew you needed. Or wanted.
I have never been able to ignore a damsel in distress, so when Emery finds herself the target of a stalker, I have no choice but to intervene. Our paths get tangled and twisted up, and I find myself stepping in to defend.
And in doing so, my entire world is upended and forever changed.
All because of the girl in Cabin B.
Emery
All I wanted was some peace and quiet, far away from my old life. All I wanted was a place to heal. Coming out of a terribly abusive relationship, I just needed a place to hide to work on myself and find joy not just in my art, but in life again. It’s why I rented a cabin out in the middle of nowhere. It was about as far from my old life as I could get.
That was how I met Eli Proctor, a brusque, angry, humorless man.
He kept me at an arm’s length—and would have kept me farther away if he’d been able. He was one of the gruffest people I’ve ever met, but the closer I looked, the more I saw it for what it was… a façade.
Eli is a man haunted by his past—a past that continues to cause him pain. I didn’t think he was running from people so much as he was running from himself.
But he wouldn’t let me get close to him. Not until I find myself in the crosshairs of a man with bad intentions.
Like a knight on horseback, Eli charges in to fight, putting himself in harm’s way for me. And in doing so, he turns my entire innocent life and my heart upside down.
Without even seeming to realize it, Eli changes my whole world and how I see myself forever
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
EMERYRICK
Gravel pings off the undercarriage of my car as I bump and bounce my way down the narrow, tree-lined road—though road seems a generous description for it. After a quarter mile, the road ends at a small open area that sits before a small, rustic log cabin. I’ve seen way too many horror movies because I’m already imagining some hockey mask-wearing, machete-wielding psycho storming out of the bushes and cutting me into pieces.
“Quaint. Charming,” I say as if I’m trying to talk myself into getting out of the car.
I do, though, and close my eyes as I take a deep breath. The heavy scent of the pines that surround the cabin and the musky, earthy aroma of the forest fill my lungs and draw a smile across my face. I listen to the chirping of the birds in the trees overhead and take a moment to relish the stillness of the air. I’ve always loved nature and the isolation out here. It just feels … right. It’s what I want—no, it’s what I need right now.
Feeling a bit more centered, I open my eyes and see there’s a note pinned to the door. I walk up the three steps to the porch, then pull it off and roll my eyes as I read it. The page is a copy of the rental agreement I filled out online with the lines, “no parties, no drugs, and no loud music after ten p.m.,” in bright yellow highlighter.
“Well, that’s a warm welcome.”
The key is in an envelope in the mailbox, so I grab my things from my car and let myself in. The main room has a sofa across from the door with a coffee table that looks like it was handcrafted, sitting in front of it. To my left is a small galley-style kitchen with a round table sitting in a small nook, and to my right, there is a desk against the wall beneath the window, offering a view of the woods beyond.
The bedroom is in the back of the cabin and is barely big enough to fit the queen-sized bed, nightstand, and dresser crammed in there. But the bathroom is nice, the shower is surprisingly spacious, and the water pressure is good. I can work with it. The whole place is smaller than it looked in the photos online but it’s clean and tidy but given that it’s just me and my thoughts out here in the wilds, it’ll do. Eli Proctor, the owner of the cabin, according to the name on the rental agreement, takes good care of his place.
After setting my things down, I pull a hoodie on, then put on a pair of hiking boots, sling my bag over my shoulder, and head out before I lose the light. Sticking to the narrow path that winds through the trees, I savor the fresh, clean air. Shafts of sunlight spear down through the canopy overhead, dappling the forest floor. It’s so perfectly quiet out here. Peaceful.
I pick my way down a gentle slope to the bank of the river that cuts through the woods. I sit down on a large, flat stone beside the water and take a moment to listen to the gentle burble of water. Movement downstream draws my attention, and I watch with fascination as a tall deer steps out of the trees. I hold my breath when our eyes meet, and I expect it to bolt. But it doesn’t. Instead, it bends down and drinks from the river.
Pulling my camera out of my bag, I bring it to my eye, line up the deer, and frame the shot. The entire scene is gorgeous. With the soft light and the sun sparkling upon the surface of the river, it’s picturesque. Before I can take the shot, though, his voice echoes through my head. I hear him telling me I’ve got no talent. That my photography is trash. That I need to give it up and do something else because I’ll never make it in this field.
Like a thief in the night, doubt creeps into my mind and steals every bit of self-confidence I possess. As a tear rolls down my cheek, I lower my camera. The deer raises its head and looks at me before it turns and bounds away. I sigh. Stuffing my camera into my bag, I sling it over my shoulder, then get up and climb back up to the path. Feeling like an absolute loser, I head for the cabin.
It’s been months since I’ve been able to take a decent photo. Weeks since I’ve taken a photo at all. Every time I try, his voice is in my head, telling me how bad I am at it. How I’m a hack and should find a different dream. My ex, Ryan, wasn’t the most supportive man in the world. He never laid a hand on me, which is probably how I justified not ending the relationship long before I actually did. But he really did a number on my head.