4. Archer

4

ARCHER

Geneva smiles at me while cutting into the peach cobbler. I'm thankful my eyesight is back because it would be a sin to miss out on her beauty. With her almond-shaped green eyes, flawless skin, long, thick, dark curly hair, and curves… God, those delectable curves… she's breathtaking.

Gizmo runs across the floor to sit at her feet. I study her profile, and wonder why on earth I told her about Baghdad. I've known her for less than eight hours, yet I've shared something I rarely talk about with her.

"I heated some water for tea. Would you like a cup?" She slides a plate in front of me.

"If you add whiskey to it, yes." I scoop a forkful of the cobbler into my mouth. "This is fantastic."

"I'm glad you like it." She takes two mugs from the mug rack. "Where do you keep the whiskey?"

"Pantry." I jab my fork in the air. "Right through there."

"I can't believe you have a pantry."

My blood heats as I watch the sway of her hips. "Men can't have pantries?" My heart pounds as a wave of lust hits me. I can't remember the last time I was with a woman. Six months? Seven months? A year? But this woman is off limits. She's running from something and it sure as hell isn't going to end up being me, too. Maybe I'm going to have to take Clyde up on his offer.

"Of course, men can have pantries. Don't be such a nudge. It's just…" She looks around the kitchen. "This place is so amazing. Do you design houses for a living?"

"Nope." I put my fork down to wait for her. "I'm retired."

She puts the bottle of whiskey on the table and grabs two cups of tea. "What's retirement like? I'm jealous."

"It's heaven."

Geneva pours whiskey into her tea, then slides the bottle my way. "I've never had whiskey in tea before. Is it good?"

"Whiskey is good in everything," I assure her before adding a spoonful of sugar to my drink.

She picks up her cup and abruptly sets it down before she tastes it. "I have something to say." She looks at me for a long moment, her brows knitting together, creating a deep furrow.

"Say whatever's on your mind."

"Don't you think all of this is weird?" She pouts. "Here we are having dinner in the middle of a snowstorm like we're not strangers. Like all of this is normal."

"Sweetheart, we're not strangers. We took care of that in the truck."

"But…" She throws her hands up in the air. "… we are. Don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate you letting me stay here because my only option would've been to sleep in my car. But aren't you still mad at me for what I did? Don't you want to pay me back? I nearly blinded you."

That's when it hits me. She's not scared to be with me because we just met. She's terrified I will punish her. Someone has done a number on this girl.

"I'm not that kind of man, Geneva. I say what I mean, and I do what I say. I give you my word." I put a hand over my heart. "I will never harm you, retaliate, or lie to you. And as long as you're here with me, God help anyone else who does."

Her head tips to the side while she studies me. "You're serious."

"A thousand percent." I hold up my mug. "Let's make a toast."

"All right." She raises her cup.

"Here's to new friends, good food, and thawing out from the blizzard. May warmth, laughter, and lots of happy be in our future. Bottoms up!"

"Lots of happy," Geneva giggles. "You do remember that's the name of the perfume?"

A strange warmth drifts through my chest at the sound of her easy laughter… and it's not from the whiskey. "Trust me, for as long as I live, I'll never forget it."

"It really is a nice cologne," she laughs.

"Maybe they should consider readvertising it as something that smells heavenly but is lethal." I shove more peach cobbler into my mouth. "I think you should give more thought to opening a restaurant."

"I toyed with the idea a long time ago." she shrugs. "Getting a loan to open a new business isn't easy."

"Sweetheart, you might not need to get a loan."

"What do you mean?" She gets up, grabs the cobbler, and scoops more onto my plate.

"Let potential investors taste your food. They'll pay cash with no questions asked."

"Maybe one day." She nibbles on her bottom lip.

I finish my tea and push the empty plate away. "I'm full." I pat my happy stomach. "I'll do the dishes. I just need a minute to digest all this goodness."

"You'll do no such thing." Geneva waves her finger in the air. "I am going to earn my keep."

"Sweetheart, that's not necessary."

She picks up my plate and heads for the sink. Her voice quivers as she turns her back to me. "Please allow me to do this. I need to."

I don't know who the joker is that messed with her self-worth, but I want to disembowel him with a shrimp fork. "I won't get in your way."

"Thank you" She sighs with relief.

"While you're doing the dishes, I'll go outside to clear a path to the generator."

She spins around, twisting the dish towel into a pretzel. "Don't you think you should wait till morning?"

"No, if we lose power and the generator doesn't automatically come on, I'll have to go outside and manually turn it on. Trust me, shoveling now is a good idea."

Her hands start to shake. "Do you want me to come with you?"

I walk over to stand beside her. "You'll be all right, sweetheart. Gizmo's with you, and I'll be right outside. You're safe. No one knows you're here. Unless…" I glance down at her wrist. Good. No smartwatch. "Do you have a cell phone with you?"

"No. I got rid of it."

"Good, girl." I pick up the bottle of whiskey. "Take a swig."

"What? You want me to drink from the bottle?"

"I want you to let your nerves settle, sweetheart," I say as I take a drink and pass her the bottle. "Your turn."

She puts the bottle to her full lips and takes a shot.

"Good. I won't be long." I look down at Gizmo, who picks up on her energy. He's right back at her feet again. "Keep an eye on her, boy."

I work quickly to put on my winter gear and head outside. I don't want to leave Geneva alone any longer than necessary. Something is festering inside her. Something that's bubbling to the surface. I don't have a damn clue what it is but I sure as hell know, whatever it is, I want her to know she's not alone.

She needs a friend.

And I'm going to be the best friend she's ever had.