Haley's Cabin (3 page)

smiling and the startled look returned. Damn his big mouth anyway.

“I swear I’m not a crazy person or anything,” he clarified as he offered his hands up in mock surrender.

“I just wondered if there was a Mister in the cabin who would greet me with a shotgun or something.”

She seemed to become aware of how much skin she was showing, because she bent down and grabbed

the towel she’d laid on. She wrapped it around her lower half, and Jeremy agonized over women and

their silly sense of modesty.

“Well, you can relax, there’s no shotgun and I’m not married.” She snorted. “Not anymore, anyway.”

She glanced back at the cabin and said, “I live in the city. I’m just staying here for the weekend.” She

stood and held out her hand, finally allowing the smile to slip back into place. “I’m Haley Thorne.”

He readily took her hand, wanting to touch her again. Even if it was just an affable handshake, it was

better than nothing. Unfortunately, the touch was brief as she released him and moved toward the screen

door. Swinging it wide, she told him, “And I do happen to have bottled water, iced tea and cola. So,

what’s your pleasure, Jeremy Pickett?” She grinned teasingly at him.

Oh, hell, yeah. Jeremy would dearly love to show little Haley Thorne what his pleasure was.

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What was the likelihood the sexy man she’d dreamed about would show up looking for help? It was

fate, pure and simple. Haley believed in fate. She’d seen too many coincidences in her life to discount the

idea. For instance, when her idiot ex-husband had decided to play mattress-tag with his girl du jour, it

had been fate that Haley had decided to set up a hidden video camera in their bedroom the night before.

Yep, fate was an interesting trick the gods liked to play on humans from time to time. This time she was

just too happy to play along.

While she was still reeling from the fact her dream lover was somehow a real person, Haley did note the

woman who’d been part of her nighttime erotic fantasy was nowhere in sight. She wondered about that.

Somehow, she had the nagging feeling the woman truly was a figment of her imagination, as if her inner

seductress was trying to come out. Haley was darn well going to let her. It was time she had some real

fun. No more fantasizing. She craved action and the man standing in her living room was just the sort of

action she needed.

Leading him into the kitchen gave Haley a weird sense of déjà vu—except in her dream she’d been

dressed in a concealing pair of pajamas. How weird was her mental state when in reality she wore the

more provocative bikini? It proved she was in bad need of the impromptu time off.

Haley reached the refrigerator, opened it, grabbed a bottle of water for herself and looked over at her

visitor. “So, what’s it to be, Jay?”

He stopped in the entryway and frowned. “Why’d you call me Jay?”

Truthfully, she hadn’t realized she had. Her dream lover’s name was Jay. Somehow that name suited the

real-life man. She couldn’t exactly tell him all that, though. He’d think she was a loon. Instead, she smiled

and lied.

“I guess I shortened your name without realizing it. Sorry, I do that sometimes.” Yeah, it was a lie, and a

really lame one, too, but he didn’t know that, did he?

Jeremy still frowned, only now he looked her over from head to toe. When he met her eyes this time, it

was with a strange sort of probing that had shivers running up and down her spine.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” Jeremy asked.

Haley’s face went hot. What could she say?
Oh sure, I had sex with you and your lady friend last night

in my dream. Hot, randy, erotic sex.
Nope, honesty was definitely not the way to go this time.

Still waiting for him to tell her what he wanted to drink, and intensely uncomfortable with the way her

mind kept glomming onto certain parts of her wet dream, she ended up babbling.

“Look, I’m not from around here, not really. I just use this cabin for a quiet getaway from time to time.”

She sighed and shut the refrigerator door. She was getting chilled standing in front of it in her bikini top.

“I’ve just been through a rather ugly divorce, and my doctor recommended I take a break from work for

awhile. To regroup. I chose to come here because not many people know about my cabin. I earned it in

the divorce settlement.” Earned it for all the emotional and physical abuse she’d taken from her pathetic

excuse for a husband.

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She took a deep breath, popped the top on her bottled water and gulped a refreshing portion of it

before adding, “So, once more I’ll ask you. What do you want to drink?”

“Water’s fine,” he answered, and a roguish grin spread over his face as he started toward her. “Who’s

your doctor, Haley?”

Haley opened the door again, grabbed a bottle for Jeremy and handed it to him. He stood a foot away

from her, and she swore she smelled his musky male scent. He was sweaty from hiking up the road and

he looked like he could use a shower. None of that took away from his masculine appeal. Not one iota.

Jeremy was a tall—six-foot-two or so—heavily built, hard-all-over hunk. Yep, the sweat just added to

the scenery. That’s when she realized she was staring, drooling probably, and not answering his question.

“My doctor?” she asked, sounding like a slow-witted ninny.

His grin grew wider and a dimple appeared on his left cheek. A dimple. Oh lordy. Haley wanted to kiss

that dimple. She wanted to kiss more than his dimple, to be honest. God, the man was sexy.

“Yeah, I’m just a little curious, who recommended this trip to you?”

“My doctor’s name is Brad French.”

Jeremy nodded, then took a long swallow from his own bottle of water before replying, “Brad French is

my brother.”

His brother? How could it be? Something seemed very fishy.

Haley planted her hands on her towel-wrapped hips, trying to look as serious as possible in a two-piece.

“I’m miles from home, how can it be I just happen to come across my doctor’s brother, the same doctor

who recommended I go on this trip to begin with?”

Jeremy was just as confused, but to his way of thinking, questioning it was just idiotic. He had a free

weekend and there was a gorgeous woman standing in front of him. What was there to question? Still,

seeing Haley’s belligerent stance and her accusing stare, he knew he needed to smooth her ruffled

feathers or the weekend would be a total bust.

“I agree with you, Haley, this whole thing is starting to smell like a set-up. I was told by my helpful

brother Doc Brad to take a weekend away from the job. Hell, he handed me the keys to his cabin and

nearly shoved me on my way!” He sighed when he saw her posture hadn’t relaxed the slightest.

“Look, all I know is that my car broke down and when I went for help, I found you.” He looked her

over, wishing for the hundredth time she’d left off the damn towel, and let his voice drop to a low

whisper. “I wasn’t about to pass you up, Haley. Not a chance in hell.”

For a long time they stood there, staring each other down, waiting. Finally, Jeremy saw the strain leave

Haley’s shoulders and she gave him a cute little half-smile.

“Okay, I think your brother might have been playing matchmaker, but I suppose it’s not fair for me to

take it out on you.” She paused. “You two look a lot alike. So, where’s the cabin you were supposed to

be using?”

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Jeremy didn’t much like her comparing him to Brad, but he shook off the odd feeling and told her the

address. To his surprise, he was on the right street. He couldn’t have known, because in the deep parts

of Hocking Hills, Ohio, folks didn’t seem to believe in street signs. If Jeremy had kept walking, he would

be at his brother’s cabin, as it was the one adjacent to hers.

“I imagine you’ve had enough walking for one day. How about if I give you a ride over?”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” He enjoyed Haley Thorne’s company, and he wasn’t in a huge hurry to be rid

of her. “Would you care to come for dinner tonight? I’d like to thank you for helping me.”

She only smiled as she sidled past him and started out of the kitchen. When she picked up a set of keys

from a hook by the front door, he realized she was giving him the brush off. His entire body rebelled.

Once they were on the front porch, Jeremy grabbed his duffel bag and let Haley lead him to her Jeep.

He shook his head, disgusted with his own reaction to her dismissal. He really wanted to spend more

time with Haley. He wasn’t above begging, either.

“I’d love to have dinner with you, Jay, but do you have food in your cabin?”

He nearly kissed her, relieved he was going to have a chance at seducing the pretty brunette. But that

nickname again. What was the deal with that?

“Yeah. Brad was here last weekend, and he left it fully stocked.” Then it dawned on him. “That’s why

you call me Jay! You must have heard Brad say the name at some point, because he’s the only one who

calls me that. Everyone else calls me Jeremy.”

Haley stopped unexpectedly, and he nearly plowed over her. He grabbed her arms to keep her from

toppling. “Sorry,” she said in a quiet, far away voice. “You’re right, of course, that must be where I

heard the name.”

Something about the way she quickly agreed made Jeremy think she was lying. He was pretty good at

spotting a lie and Haley Thorne had just lied about his name. But why?

Jeremy showered as soon as he stepped through the door of Brad’s cabin, then he called Brad.

Thankfully, Brad was obsessive about details, otherwise he might not have bothered to install a phone in

the cabin. Jeremy supposed Brad, being a doctor, would need a phone, even on vacation. Being a

detective, Jeremy did get to have some time to himself. Besides, all work and no play made Jeremy a

very cranky boy.

Of course when he called Brad to inquire about the little hottie next door, Jeremy was his usual calm and

polite self.

“Did you try and fix me up on a blind date out in the middle of nowhere, you piece of shit?” Jeremy

gritted out.

“Blind date?” Brad squeaked around a cough.

“Don’t act like you have no clue what I’m talking about, Brad, or I swear I’ll come all the way back to

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Columbus and pound your sorry ass,” Jeremy groused. “She’s a real looker. I’d say about five-four, one

hundred and twenty pounds, and so hot she makes you pathetically glad you’re a man. Goes by the name

of Haley Thorne. Ring any bells, Doc?”

Brad chuckled, the knucklehead. “So, you two have met already?”

Jeremy sighed. It was no use trying to understand a doctor, especially one related to you. “Yes, we met.

My damn car broke down and I had to walk, God knows how many miles. Her cabin was the first one I

came to.”

“That sucks.” He paused, then asked, “Then again, maybe not?” Brad’s voice had that silly tone, as if he

alone was privy to some wicked secret. It irked Jeremy whenever Brad got that way. It was usually

because Brad had managed to pull one over on him. This time, considering the way Haley looked in her

tiny string bikini, Jeremy would admit defeat. Gladly.

“No, it wasn’t so bad. Haley is… Damn.” He rubbed his stubbly jaw and tried to figure out what it was

about her that made her so appealing. He’d met other attractive women. He’d bedded plenty of them.

But Haley had a look about her, as if she waited for a guy to tap into all her secret desires.

“Yo, Jay!”

Oh right— Brad
. “Sorry, I got sidetracked there for a minute, what’d you say?”

Brad laughed, but then he seemed to sober. “I’m trying to explain to you that Haley is a very dear

person. She’s been hurt a lot by her ex-husband, so be gentle with her.”

Jeremy nearly snarled. “I’m not a Neanderthal.” Then he wondered about Brad’s words. “Hurt as in

physically
?” Just the thought enraged him.

“I can’t go into a patient’s history, but yes, her husband was not…tender.”

That was
not
what Jeremy wanted to hear.

After promising to be careful with Haley, he severed the connection with Brad and called the car rental

company. He gave them an earful before wrangling a promise from them to send out another car. He also

warned them against charging him for towing. It wouldn’t be a good idea for the assholes to try and shaft

a cop. That done, he went to check on dinner.

Jeremy had everything just about ready. He wasn’t a gourmet cook— hell, he hated to cook—but he

could fire up a grill and whip together a salad. It didn’t take a genius to manage some burgers and greens.

He hoped Haley liked hamburgers. He really hoped she wasn’t a vegetarian. Shit. If she walked in

smelling cooked meat and ended up hurling, that would really put a damper on the evening. He wished

he’d thought to ask her when he invited her to dinner. She’d flustered him with the way she called him

Jay. She made it sound sinful. Sexy. He never much cared for the nickname, but that was before Haley’s

husky bedroom voice had uttered it. Now it was his favorite name in the world.

He heard a tentative knock on his screen door and practically tripped over his own feet to get to it.

Haley stood on the other side. She wore a sweet little tank-top style dress and a pair of sandals. Her

brown, sun-kissed hair was down and reached just past her shoulders. He liked it. It appeared delicate

and soft, like her. The white dress hugged the gentle curves of her small frame. Even through the screen