Chapter 2

Jakob

Growing up in Munich, I never missed the opportunity to get out of the city. My parents hated how often I skipped school to go explore on my bicycle, but book learning was never an interest. University clearly wasn't for me, either, and I was happy doing manual labor jobs. Ending up as a lumberjack made sense.

Up north in the Black Forest, I'd been one of many and not paid well, so when the opportunity to have a cabin of my own nestled in the Bavarian woods came up… I jumped at the chance.

The drive to Munich would be much shorter, and I'd get to visit my family, who were popping out nieces and nephews every year. I didn't think I wanted children of my own, but being the fun uncle who threw the little ones in the air was enjoyable too.

Packing up my belongings from the room I rented in Nordschwarzwald to go work at a new job only took me only a few hours, and it all fit in the bed of my pickup truck. It was old, and expensive to own, but I couldn't give the vehicle up.

The drive south could have been done on the same day, though I would have arrived after dark, so I'd stopped at my parents'. I got the usual questions about if I was eating enough and when I would settle down, but I wasn't in any hurry. Food though, I never passed up. I wasn't a growing boy anymore, but it took a lot of calories to maintain the muscles needed for my job.

With a belly full of my mom's wiener schnitzel, and excitement for new beginnings, I drove the last couple hours to the small town of Kleinholz. The company, Holzhauer, was a small, family operation that specialized in birch for furniture. Most of that was done by machines, nowadays, but they also employed a full-time woodcutter for firewood and making sure the trees fell correctly.

The receptionist at Holzhauer was overly friendly, with way too much makeup on, and I was disappointed to hear she was the one showing me to the cabin. My new home.

When we pulled up after I finished my new-hire paperwork, she dropped another bombshell: Helga was my next-door neighbor.

Thankfully, she mentioned a husband who was the former woodcutter and two children. I could only imagine how uncomfortable it would be if she was single.Neither the husband or children seemed to stop her from flirting, though.

It wasn't that Helga was completely unattractive, I just wasn't into her. I wasn't into most women. I was a four to a five on the Kinsey scale, preferring masculinity over femininity. My parents didn't care, but some of the guys on my last job had.

A fresh start was exactly what I needed. Even if I would have to travel for hookups.

The cabin was small, made of rough-hewn logs, but more space than I'd ever had on my own. I loved the rustic feel. It came furnished, so I only had to bring in the few boxes and bags from my truck.

We came outside as Helga invited me to dinner. I was about to accept since I had nothing to eat, but it was interrupted by her bellowing for someone she mumbled about being a lazy kid. I wanted to turn her down if that was how she talked about her children, but then Rhett Hinder appeared from the trees.

Smaller than average, bordering on too skinny, a young man with messy brown hair and a book tucked under his arm approached with a wary look. He faced Helga and didn't see me at first where I stood in the doorway in the dim evening light. His eyes were blue, and so expressive.

Rhett was beautiful.

"Hello, I'm Jakob Braun." I'd held my hand out, having a strong urge to touch him. "The new woodcutter at Holzhauer."

Rhett shook my hand, the tiny thing not as soft as the rest of him appeared. We met eyes and he held on to my hand, and I couldn't tell myself to let go.

"Hi, I'm Rhett. Nice to meet you, Jakob."

Oh. My name on his lips made me think sinful thoughts of him calling out my name on a moan. I needed to get a hold of myself before I got hard in front of his mom.

They bickered about my job title and which cabin I was moving into, which I found odd. My family argued, but Helga and Rhett seemed to hold a lot of resentment toward each other. I did not want to get in the middle.

Learning Helga wasn't Rhett's biological mother helped me understand… and to assure me that Rhett was old enough to be thinking carnal thoughts about. But when I found out I was taking Rhett's father's job? I wondered if the young man would ever warm up to me.

He was quiet through dinner, blushing when I complimented his cooking. His little brother, Hansel, was glued to his phone, but friendly enough for a teenager. When I asked where their father was, I worried I had it wrong and the man had died.

"He's not well." Helga patted my hand as if I needed consoling over a man I'd never met. "He's resting."

My replacing the man made more sense. I hated to take a job away from someone else, but if he was too unwell to sit at the table for dinner, I couldn't imagine he would be up to manual labor.

Helga offered me wine, but I declined, knowing it would affect my sleep. I accepted one beer, to be polite. Rhett wasn't offered either drink, sipping water and hopping up whenever anyone needed anything. Usually, Helga was demanding another refill.

She seemed determined to drink enough for both of us. I could have walked home on my own after dinner, but she insisted. I really knew Helga drank too much when she tried to kiss me.

"Woah, what are you doing?" I put my hand up over her lips to stop them from touching me, resulting in me facepalming the smaller woman. "You're a married woman. And we work together."

"My husband is an invalid." She gestured toward the cabin we had just left as if that excused her behavior. I frowned at her use of the term, but she reacted as if I was waiting for her to argue against my points. "Plus, he and I worked together before we dated. They won't fire you over it."

"I really don't…"

A movement caught my eye, and I thought I saw the curtain on her house moving. Great, an audience. I stepped back under the awning and into the shadows, hoping she got the hint I wanted to leave. She didn't.

Helga stepped into my space again, with my back almost to the door of my new home. A big man like me wasn't used to being cornered, and I didn't like her insinuation I would only say no because of my job. I didn't find her remotely attractive, even if she was single.

"Goodnight, Helga." I lifted myself to full height and felt for the doorknob behind me. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner. I'll see you at work."

Before she could come up with something ridiculous, like how I could thank her properly, I slipped back into the cabin and shut the door in Helga's face. I leaned my head against the door and took a deep breath.

There had to be a downside to the opportunity, and I should have known it was too good to be true.

This one came with claws and a cute stepson.