Chapter 4

4

ROB

I was seeing red. Not figuratively, but literally. It was like my blood had boiled all the way up to my eyes.

But I was an expert at keeping my temper in check. I never took it out on anyone else. Just the punching bag in my garage. That was where I worked out all my frustrations.

Right now, my frustrations were directed at one person—the woman coming through that door. I'd led her to the trailer that had been set up as a holding area for the volunteer coordinators. It was empty right now, but someone could come in at any time.

That was notable because in addition to the blood-boiling rage, I was also battling an attraction to her. And that attraction had me holding myself back from lunging toward her and pulling her against me in a kiss that would curl her toes.

"What's up?" Elisia asked, closing the door behind her as she stepped inside. "Oh wow, it feels good in here."

The trailer was air-conditioned. I'd made a few stops in here yesterday, pretending I needed to pick something up or make a phone call just to get out of the heat for a minute or two.

"What's up?" she asked.

"You told me you're a reporter."

She tilted her head to the side. "Did I say those words exactly?" When a few seconds passed without me answering, she straightened her head and said, "It doesn't matter. I am a reporter. It's what I've spent the past five years training to do."

Damn, I wanted to kiss her. Those lips were full and pale pink. She'd taste so good. And then I'd slip my hands under that tank top and run them up toward her breasts, fondling her nipples through the cloth of her bra before finally getting frustrated and unclasping it.

"I thought you'd be relieved," she said.

She crossed her arms over her chest, which was what really pulled me out of my fantasy. At least I hadn't been gawking at her chest. That would be a dick move.

Had I missed some part of the conversation? "Relieved?"

"That I wasn't sent here by some TV station," she said. "Most of what I record here probably will never even get more than a few eyeballs on it."

"Then what's the point?" I asked.

Elisia looked off to the side and took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. Finally, she dropped her arms to her sides and looked at me.

"I have my eye on a job in Utah," she said. "It's a small market, so I have a shot."

Utah. That was a long way from Tennessee. May as well stop these thoughts of kissing her and…more. She'd be gone almost as soon as she'd arrived here.

But what did that matter? I could have sex with her and send her on her way. Hell, that could be all she wanted. It was clear she was focused on her career. A relationship was the last thing she needed.

It was the last thing I needed too. So why was my mind going there? Why was the thought of getting this woman into bed and never seeing her again bugging me so much?

"Utah, huh?" I asked. "You know, Knoxville has some great TV stations."

I didn't watch the news, so how would I know? And why was I suggesting she work in East Tennessee? It was none of my business where she worked. Fuck, did I actually have feelings for this woman?

That was impossible. I'd just met her. It was lust, period.

"Too big a market for someone with no experience," she said.

"I thought you did an internship and reported for your campus station."

What did she say? She was the top reporter there? Best reporter there? I couldn't remember how she put it, but that had to count for something.

"The way it works in TV is you start at a small market and you work your way up," she said. "You have to go where the jobs are too. Even if Knoxville were a small market, the odds that any of the stations there are looking for a reporter are pretty small."

Whatever was going on with me, I needed to get a handle on it. This woman clearly had plans to spend the rest of her life moving from town to town every few years. And I was exactly where I planned to be every day for the rest of my life.

"Thank you."

The two words cut into my thoughts. I came back to reality to see her features had softened. She was looking at me with a warmth in her eyes that hadn't been there before. My first instinct was to run from it.

No woman should ever develop feelings for me. Not if she didn't want to be hurt. But again, something was different here. Something wouldn't let me erect those walls.

"For what?" I asked in a tone that sounded harsh, especially compared to hers.

"For calling me over to catch the dog situation." She gestured behind her. "I don't think you're as against me as you're pretending."

"I'm not pretending."

I didn't mean to bark at her. I was a little defensive. Okay, maybe I was a lot defensive.

"I'm protective of my town," I said. "We just had a horrible thing happen. People are devastated. I can't stand by while strangers come in and use my friends and neighbors to line their wallets."

Her mouth opened, and she stared at me for a long moment without saying a word. Had I gone too far? Maybe. That was what I did. I pushed people away—one way or another. Even if it meant hurting them.

"Let me ask you something." She crossed her arms over her chest and took a step toward me. "What if the tornado hit your town, did all this devastation, and nobody knew about it? What if nobody cared outside of your small town? What if you got no outside help?"

"We take care of our own here in Rosewood Ridge," I said. "We'd be fine if nobody came from outside."

"Would you?"

She stared at me and her challenging look had me questioning myself. There were a lot of hard workers out there. About half of them were people I knew. That hadn't been the case the first day, when it seemed like the whole town had come out, but it seemed normal for local volunteerism to dwindle as the days went on.

Now, most of the people out there today had driven here from elsewhere. The retreat center was housing most of them for free.

And that was where Elisia was right. The media had gotten the word out quickly. Otherwise, we'd have far fewer helpers right now.

"What happened just now, with the dog, that makes an impact on people," Elisia said, her voice solemn. "That human connection brings people here to help out. If even one person sees this video I'm about to post and is motivated to come here, isn't that worth it?"

Crap. She was making sense. How was I supposed to stay mad at her when she talked like that? Or looked like that? All I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss her right now.

"I have to get back outside," I said.

It was sudden, it was abrupt, but I had to get away from her. If not, I might lose the battle to keep myself over here and not directly in front of her with my arms around her.

Her mouth fell open again. Was that hurt I saw in her eyes? Yes, I'd definitely hurt her.

I had to get out of here. I had to get out of here now.

"Let me know if you need anything else," I said.

And with that, I was out the door, zooming around her like she was any other woman. Like she wasn't the first woman in years to wake me from this numb state I'd been in.