Chapter 4: Bad First Impressions

Rowan led the way up the stairs, acutely aware of Fyn at her back. The heat from his body almost negated the need for the heater itself. The urge to rush ahead to put space between them was almost all-consuming. But Rowan kept her head up and pretended that she felt absolutely nothing and was not afraid of anything.

They made it upstairs into her kitchen. Fyn walked over to the table and saw the ruminates of last night’s dinner on her table. He raised an eyebrow at the peanut butter and jelly collection sitting in front of him.

Rowan felt shrugged her shoulders. “Didn’t have electricity last night. It was quick and easy.”

And something she knew how to make. She thought to herself, but didn’t say it. The last thing she wanted Fyn to know was how completely useless, she was on her own. Her family had always had a cook, a housekeeper, and God only knew what other kind of staff. She had never been rude to them, but she hadn’t made a lot of time to get to know them. If she ever made it home, she was going to change that.

“So, how do you like your coffee?” Rowan asked, changing the subject.

“Just black, thanks,” Fyn replied as he watched her closely.

Rowan stood in the middle of the kitchen, looking around like she was a bit lost. She had the end of her hair in her hand and was twirling it slowly as she looked around at the counters.

“Sure,” she said slowly. “Black. No problem.”

“Is there a problem?” Fyn asked when she didn’t move towards the coffee pot.

Rowan turned back to him and opened her mouth to deny it, but her shoulders slouched. “Yes. I… I don’t know how to make coffee.”

Fyn gave her a startled look, and she began to fidget a bit as she spewed on. “I meant to figure it out this morning. But the heat seemed to take priority. I’m so sorry, I didn’t think before I offered. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have offered.”

He raised his hand and stopped her diatribe. “It’s okay. I’ll show you how.”

Fyn walked over to the coffee pot and grabbed everything he would need. As he made the coffee, he walked her through the process step by step. There was no real judgment in his voice as he instructed her. But as soon as the coffee pot was brewing, he looked at her with disbelief.

“What?” she asked in response to his look.

“I just… I’ve never met anyone who didn’t know how to make coffee. How did you get this far in life without learning this?” he questioned her.

Rowan shrugged her shoulders. “I just haven’t. But now I do. Thank you for showing me.”

He nodded and sat back down. “So, what brings you to our little town in Montana?”

She almost stiffened at his question, but Rowan forced herself to relax. Fyn was not asking her anything that anyone else would. She had prepared herself for these questions. She told herself gently as she tried to keep her composure. Answer the questions with enough honesty that she wouldn’t have to remember too many lies.

“I need a change of scenery. Getting far away from the family was best for both of us,” Rowan replied in what she hoped was a flippant tone.

“A little overbearing, are they?” Fyn asked with a smile.

Rowan returned it with a weak smile. “Let’s just say that they’ve had my whole life planned for me. When it… it didn’t work out with my ex-fiancee-” because he was a criminal with no value for human life beyond the dollar signs. She added in her head. “I decided it was time to get away.”

Fyn nodded. “I understand. My family was the same way.”

“Did you run away to a small no place in Montana as well?” Rowan asked.

Fyn chuckled quietly, the sound running down her spine in such a pleasant sensual way she hoped it would happen again.

“More or less,” he replied evasively. “Coffee is done.”

Before Rowan could move or grab a cup, Fyn was back with one for each of them. They drank their coffee in silence, neither one wanting to ask too many questions for fear of having to answer them.

Just when Rowan started to regret asking him to stick around, he set his cup down and checked his watch.

“I hate to drink your coffee and run, but I have to get to work,” Fyn stated as he stood.

“Oh! What do you do?” Rowan asked curiously.

“I’m the local forest ranger,” he said.

She walked him to the front door. “You handle all the forest… stuff?”

Rowan winced and inwardly groaned. She hated how ignorant she sounded to him. Rowan desperately wanted him to think only positive things about her. The way she was acting and talking was definitely not giving him a good impression right now.

Fyn just shook his head. “Yes, I deal with the forest stuff.”

Rowan nodded, trying to act like she wasn’t embarrassed. “Well, I should let you know that a wolf is running around here.”

Fyn looked at her without any surprise. “A wolf? Well, this is Montana. We do have wolves here.”

Her flush returned. “I know that. I just… it was so close and… well, it was weird.”

“Weird?” Fyn said with a sense of surprise this time.

Rowan suddenly seemed deep in thought, as if she was trying to figure out if her description was accurate.

“Yeah,” she finally responded. “It was just weird.”

“Does he bother you?”

Rowan blinked away her memories from last night and refocused on Fyn. “Does what bother me?”

“The wolf?” Fyn asked. “Does bother you that he was visible?”

Rowan gave a bright, cheerful smile. “Oh! No! I just thought you should know. I wouldn’t want it to get hurt.”

A slow smile spread across Fyn’s lips, and his beautiful green eyes warmed. “You’re worried about it getting hurt?”

“Yes! It’s such a beautiful creature. I don’t want to see anything awful happen to it. I consider myself quite fortunate to have been able to see it,” Rowan insisted.

“Even if it’s ‘weird’?” Fyn pressed.

Rowan just shrugged. “Aren’t we all? Um…. Before you go, do you know of any places hiring? I’m going to need a job soon if I’m going to start fixing up this place.”

Fyn gave her a suspicious look as he silently wondered if she was trying to change the subject on purpose.

“I think Glenna is hiring. She owns the local restaurant in town, and I think I heard her say she was needing another waitress.”

Rowan’s eyes widened. “A waitress?”

Fyn raised an eyebrow. “Not really your style?”

Rowan heard the note of accusation in his voice. He was definitely judging her now, and it irritated her. It wasn’t that she thought it was beneath her to wait tables. She just had never done it. Then again, Rowan reminded herself, she had never really done more than maybe secretarial work. She couldn’t imagine there was much need for that in a small town like this one.

She squared her shoulders and pushed her bright smile back on her lips. “I’ll go speak to her today. Thank you so much.”

Fyn’s eyes searched her face for a moment, then nodded. “You’re welcome. Take it easy, and if you need anything, I’m just across the fence over there.”

He pointed down the road. But the fence that he spoke of couldn’t be seen through the trees.

“I’ll remember that,” Rowan replied, wondering if it made her happy or bothered her that he was so close.

Fyn gave her a quick nod and walked to his green forestry truck parked at the end of the driveway.

Now that he was gone, Rowan felt an odd emptiness that confused her more than anything else that had happened. But she refused to dwell on it. Rowan had chosen to live alone and away from people for a reason. She was going to have to stick to that. For now, she needed to get ready to go apply to be a waitress.

And hope they didn’t ask for references.