Right Move (Clean Slate Ranch #6) - A.M. Arthur Page 0,126
this unexpected expense, made his stomach hurt, and he had to pause once to work back the urge to vomit. He should have taken one of his meds before setting off on this hike, but he’d come too far to turn back now.
Except it seemed to take forever for the yellow reflectors marking the Garrett/Bentley driveway to finally flash in the distance. Shawn wanted to sob with relief, but he still had the long driveway to traverse. It dipped down and bent slightly, giving the house tree cover from the ghost town road.
He’d never actually been to the house before, despite a handful of invitations to dinner from Mack. Two stories, the exterior was very rustic-log-cabin, the beauty only slightly marred by the more modern deck furniture on the front porch. The pickup and another car were parked by the house, and lights blazed downstairs.
I might be inconveniencing them, but at least I’m not waking anyone up.
Shawn put his tire iron down, not wanting to appear threatening, and took a deep breath to steel himself before he knocked on the screen door. The interior door swung open a moment later, and Mack stared at him a beat. “Shawn? Everything okay?”
“No, and I’m sorry to bother you this late.”
“It’s no bother.” Mack pushed open the screen door. “Come on in. Didn’t hear you drive up.”
“I walked.” Shawn entered the house, a little surprised by the mix of boho chic décor and more rustic elements that was a perfect blend of the two occupants. A real home. “My car battery died, and then so did my phone battery, and I really hate to put you guys out because I couldn’t remember to charge my phone, but I didn’t know where else to go.”
“Shit, that’s a run of bad luck.”
“Mack, who’s—?” Wes appeared from above, where an open staircase led up to a loft area. “Hey, Shawn, what’s wrong?”
“Dead car and phone batteries,” Mack replied. To Shawn, he said, “You want a jump?”
“I know it’s super late to ask, but I’d really appreciate it,” Shawn said.
Wes trotted down the stairs, already out of his period costume and wearing only a pair of tight workout shorts. “Dude, it’s after nine. Why don’t you just crash here and Mack can jump you in the morning. Unless you’ve got cats at home that need to be fed or something.”
Shawn nearly said he did, just so he could get out of this strange space and back to his familiar car, but he also didn’t want to lie to their faces. “No cats or anything, but I don’t want to be a bother.”
“Don’t even sweat it. We’ve got two guest rooms that barely get any use, unless Avery and Colt stay over together. You have got to be exhausted after today, and the last thing we need is for you to fall asleep at the wheel and crash.”
“I agree with Wes,” Mack said with a friendly smile. “It’s really no bother. I was gonna drive back up to the site in the morning anyway, just to finish up a few things in the office, so you’re on the way.”
Shawn couldn’t think of a good reason to turn down the offer, especially when all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep for a week. At least he’d have one night in a comfortable bed, instead of stretched across his two front seats, where he had no room to move. Sure, he’d gotten used to it over the last two years, but a bed? For one night?
“Okay, you have no idea how much I appreciate this,” Shawn replied. No. Idea. And it wasn’t as if Shawn had asked to stay; Wes had freely offered the room.
Wes showed him around the cabin, which only took about a minute. The great room was a cozy combination of a living and dining area. Beneath the loft was the kitchen, and tucked behind it were the downstairs bathroom and two small guest rooms. “This one’s got the freshest sheets,” Wes said about the room decorated in deep shades of burgundy, purple, and gold that reminded Shawn of Bollywood films. “There are toiletries in the bathroom, so help yourself to a toothbrush and a shower. Tonight or in the morning. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Water would be amazing, thank you.”
Wes left and returned with a chilled bottle. “So that’s some shitty luck, huh? Dead car and phone? Do you want to use my charger?”