She’d be bold to give up that much money, but I could respect her decision. She wanted to live life on her parents’ terms and there was a certain admirable loyalty in that. But as long as I wasn’t served divorce papers—there was hope that something could be worked out.
How the hell was that going to happen?
I was across the world. It wasn’t like I was in some mainstream vacation spot either. Not many people, much less Americans, said, Hey, let’s vacay in Kosovo. I heard there’s a cute new trail place that some asshole ran to in order to hide from his new wife.
Thunk. Flip.
I wiped my brow.
“I brought you water,” came a voice behind me.
The one thing I hadn’t factored in when I’d run to Hector was that his wife might have siblings, and that one of them, a sister, might be living with them. I hadn’t considered that she might be single. Or that she might be undeterred by my marriage status.
She wanted the happiness that her sister had and here I was, new to town, and apparently a clear target to set her sights on. Hector or Eris must’ve told her that my marriage was on legs as shaky as a newborn calf’s.
I cursed myself for not grabbing my water bottle. After the aggression I was exerting on this soil, I’d worked up a sweat.
“Thanks.” I shoved the spade in the ground deep enough that it could stand on its own and accepted the bottle.
Rina kicked a hip out. Her black pants could just as well have been painted on and she’d tied her fuchsia shirt at her waist with a hint of skin peeking out. It didn’t look like a work outfit, though for all her unabashed flirting, the girl could work. I hoped it meant she wasn’t staying. Some days, I wanted nothing more than the oblivion manual labor would bring by the end of the day, but Rina talked my ear off.
At first, I’d hoped it was so she could practice her English, but then she got bolder, and as the weather got warmer, her clothing got more revealing. I often took meals to my room, risking coming off as rude, so it wouldn’t seem like double-dating when only the four of us were around the dinner table.
I gulped down what turned out to be lemonade. Rina leaned against one of the wood posts that Hector had put in last year to keep the critters out of his garden. Someday they’d like to serve meals to hikers that featured homegrown fare, but for now, the garden fed him and Eris and their baby due at the end of the summer.
“Hector is making coffee. You come?” Her accent was thick, but she was learning my language much faster than I was learning hers.
“Hector’s espresso is like drinking tar.”
“I add milk.” Her lips turned up and she lifted her thick black hair off her shoulder. Her expression was rueful and for once not flirtatious. It was a common point of bickering among Eris and her younger sibling. Eris drank Hector’s tar without a drop of milk or a granule of sugar. Occasionally, she made Turkish coffee, but Hector loved his espresso.
“I’ll keep working. Thanks, though.”
She said thank you back to me in Albanian and I repeated it, my American accent as thick around the words as Hector’s espresso.
She chuckled. “Good try,” she said in English. While I didn’t want to date her, she wasn’t a terrible companion.
She pushed away from the post and went to my camera bag. I’d set it by another post farther away to keep the dirt off. I stiffened, but there was nothing she could do to tank my camera. It wasn’t like I was using it to pursue a story no one was interested in anyway.
“How do you— Oh.”
The click of it turning on and the shutter snap made me glance back, my brows drawn down. She took another photo. I didn’t care about pictures of myself, but they were useless.
“Model, yeah?” She laughed and took another shot.
“All right. I don’t need to sacrifice storage on myself.”
She pouted but located what must be the button to review the pictures. A smile spread across her face and she turned the camera around to show me. From my spot twenty feet away, I could see my scowl. If that’s what I looked like just puttering around, no wonder Hector kept me away from paying guests.
As I worked up the soil, she looked at pictures.
“Where’s wife?”
I jerked the handle and dumped a pile of dirt on my boots. Other than a few pictures of Ljuboten, the mountain peak that towered over us—because how could I not—I hadn’t taken many pictures. I hadn’t come here for photography and that thought turned the lemonade in my stomach. I should be doing something career related. Savvy had at least been working on a future, even if it hadn’t been the one she wanted. Or one with me.
Rina appeared at my side, standing closer than was necessary, her ankle boots sinking into the dirt.
“I don’t have a picture of her.” Humiliation left a sour note on my tongue. I’d never taken a picture of my wife. I had nothing to remember her by but the ring I kept in my luggage. I could see her in my mind, brilliant as the diamond that might still be on her finger. Would her image be so clear in six months?
“No picture?”
I bristled at her disbelieving tone. “No.”
“Why is she not here again?” Rina’s tone was deceptively innocent.
“Work” was all I said.
Thunk, flip. I shoveled my way down the row. Hector wanted to get the onions in this weekend. Snow might line the Ljuboten peak, but with the seasonal temperatures and the river close by, this was good land.
I could already tell the grass was going to be thick and lush here. The grass at home was sparse, and only the heartiest varieties could survive there. This was why I liked traveling the world, experiencing how each environment was different. If I traveled deeper into the mountains, or farther out into the rural areas, the land would be different. It was fascinating, and like Savvy, I wanted to do my best to preserve it.
But that’s not why you’re here.
I ground my teeth together.
Why today? I thought that, with time, being here would become easier. That I’d quit wanting to count my cash and catch a ride to Pristina so I could buy a plane ticket outta here.
Thunk. Flip.
I was close to the end of the row, but not ready to turn around and see Rina. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to work the lemonade off, until I was sweating so bad I had to take my ratty flannel off. Then I’d collapse into bed tonight and quit thinking about what I should do. Quit thinking about her.
“Xander.” Rina’s voice broke in at the same time Hector called my name.
Had he been trying to get my attention?
I straightened and ran my gloved hand over my brow. I needed a shower. I tried not to wash clothes too often, but what I was wearing would stink by tomorrow. I was sweaty, pissy, and dirty, and I probably smelled like I’d been working all week without a shower.
I hadn’t. Had I?
“Xander!” Hector called again. “There’s someone here to see you.”
That got me to spin around, spade forgotten as it hit the dirt. A spike of anticipation went through my gut, but I squashed it down. No way would it be who I wanted it to be. That was a fantasy that would never be fulfilled.
Had I upset someone in town? Often Hector sent me on small errands and either he or Rina went with me because of the language barrier. Sometimes, Hector stood back and let me muddle through the purchase while holding back laughter at my shitty attempts to speak anything but English.
I squinted into the sun, searching the area behind him. He stood on a stone patio he’d put in a couple years ago, having come out the back door of the tiny house he’d purchased only for the land it came with. No one else stood beside him.
“Who?”
Hector’s mouth turned up in a shit-eating grin and the air froze in my lungs. “She says she’s your wife.”
Chapter 13
Savvy
Eris led me through her small, tidy home. I left my suitcase by the door and clung to my backpack as I trailed her. New smells assailed my n
ose. Coffee—strong stuff. Baked bread that reminded my stomach I hadn’t eaten in hours. A mustiness that came with the age of the structure. We passed a set of wooden stairs that were currently stripped of all stain. A sander sat abandoned next to the railing.
From the outside, I’d thought the place would echo like an empty shell and have more drafts than DC during a blizzard, but I was wrong.
The main living area had a stunning wood beam ceiling that arched to a wall that made up the second floor. Furniture was minimal, but there didn’t need to be a lot. The outside of the house needed some TLC that it appeared to be getting in stages. The inside was simple, yet elegant. The wood plank floors had recently been redone and served as the focal piece for the house.
“This place is nice.”
“Thank you.”
I hated how relieved I was that Eris spoke English so well. My years of French had come in handier than I’d thought on my trip here, but since I’d landed in Pristina, I’d been an earnest mess, hoping that if I looked pathetic, whoever I was dealing with wouldn’t mind finding someone who spoke English or French.
As it was, I’d thrust the address at anyone who looked like they could get me where I needed to go. A bus ride to a smaller city and a cab ride later, I was here. I think it was a cab. By then, I’d been so tired and jet-lagged, I hadn’t cared if I was in danger as long as I could shut my eyes in the next few minutes.
But I was here. I’d made it.
All by my damn self. A tremble went through my body. Had it really been the first time I’d traveled alone?
It had. And not to some tourist destination that catered to the traveler at every stop. I was in the middle of a new country, around the world from home, and as Eris stepped out the back door onto a stone patio, I was surrounded by the sounds of frogs and the fresh smells of spring.
How was it so green around here already?
Trees crowded the house, but it looked like someone had beaten them back. The cabins the driver—who thankfully spoke French—had told me about were hidden among the trees.
My gaze had no time for the small white structures. I desperately sought out one person and one person only.
There he was.
Xander’s stunned expression told me what I’d known when I set out for my travels. He hadn’t been expecting me—ever.
I gave him a tentative wave and he only cocked his head, his mouth dropping open and his eyes narrowing like he was focusing a lens on me, making sure I was real.
“Hey,” I said as if the wave hadn’t been enough.
“Savvy?” He snapped straight and shook his head. “What are you . . .”
What was I doing here? Wasn’t that the question of the day? I wanted him. I wanted to talk about us.
I drank him in. Sweat wicked down the black shirt he had under his flannel. It was one of my favorites, but it wasn’t going to survive that rip. His sleeves were rolled up to show his muscular forearms.
He had no idea how much I liked that part of his body. Strong forearms, with a hint of veins that grew more defined when his muscles bulged. They did that when he worked with his camera.
Two strides and he was out of the garden, nearly bowling over the girl next to him.
My mind rippled with Who is she? but the closer he got, the less I cared.
“Savvy.” His gaze swept behind me. “Did you . . . Did you come alone?”
“Someone should’ve told me in high school that German would come in handier.” My chuckle was nervous. We still had an audience and I wasn’t sure how he felt about my arrival.
He lowered his voice. “Why are you here?”
His tone wasn’t combative. He sounded downright mystified. Was it that unbelievable I’d packed up and left home to travel here by myself?
Hadn’t I just been thinking the same thing?
“You,” I said quietly.
He stopped in front of me and the corner of his mouth hitched up. He brushed a hand against my hair. I inhaled all that was him. He smelled like fresh soil, clean mountain air, and man. The best cologne money couldn’t buy.
“Chief gave you time off?”
“I quit.”
Surprise flashed in his rum irises. He danced his fingers under my chin. “I can’t believe you’re here,” he murmured and stepped in.
I lifted my face. He was closing the distance when a female voice broke in. “Too bad she can’t stay with you.”
He scowled and straightened.
Eris shot the girl a hard look and said something in their language before switching to English. “Of course she can, Rina. She’s Xander’s wife and she’s had a long trip.”
Rina crossed her arms and spoke clearly, likely for my benefit. “You told me that I had to earn my keep, and I have been. Xander and I work this land as hard as you and Hector. The garden. The trees. The fence.”
Acceptance crossed Xander’s face. Rina wasn’t exaggerating. They were earning their keep and not by doing menial chores. Those trees hadn’t been cleared by heavy equipment. That had to be backbreaking work.
He glanced over at Hector, who’d only broken into a wide grin when I’d told him who I was looking for. “We can find a place in town.”
Hector was about to brush him off but I caught the look on Rina’s face. Smug.
“I can work,” I said before I could scare myself out of it. I barely ever vacuumed. What did I know about fences other than some were metal, some were wooden, and some were plastic?
Rina raked a dubious look down my black leggings and cashmere sweater. They’d been comfortable to travel in, but would last no more than two minutes doing whatever Xander had been working on when I arrived.
“Savvy, you don’t have to—” Xander started.
I lifted my chin, feeling every inch the petulant child I must resemble. “I can work. I catch on quick.”
That lopsided smile sent my belly flopping. “I’m staying wherever you’re staying.”
I returned his smile. We drifted closer, only to be broken apart by a loud clap.
Rina snorted. “I’m sure Eris and I can come up with plenty to do. It’ll be nice to have another strong back around.”
Eris rubbed her back and I noticed a rounded belly under her baggy shirt. “Perfect timing. I wasn’t looking forward to planting. Savvy can certainly help me there.”
Rina huffed and stormed past us. I was grateful I didn’t understand what she growled to Eris as she passed.
“Don’t mind her,” Hector said. “She’s probably more disappointed to lose the challenge than to lose the guy. Xander kept her from being bored.”
I locked eyes with Xander.
“We just worked together,” he said softly.
“Is it all right that I came?” I hadn’t allowed myself to have doubts the entire thirty-six hours that I’d been traveling. Xander didn’t seem upset, but my presence had disrupted his routine, disturbed the peace he’d wanted to find here.
He didn’t answer, but glanced at Hector. “Mind if I take a break and get her settled? I’m sure she’s had a long trip.”
Hector’s knowing grin sent a flush up my neck and into my cheeks. He had more faith than I did that my husband wasn’t bothered by my arrival. “Eris and I wanted to run to town for some more seeds for the container garden. We’ll take Rina along.”
“Appreciate it, man.”
Hector and Eris disappeared inside, leaving me alone with Xander. I opened my mouth to ask once again if it was all right that I’d come, but Rina’s shouts from inside caught me off guard.
“She doesn’t want to go,” he said.
“Sounds like it.” I swallowed hard. “You and her . . .”
“Nothing happened. I didn’t want it to, and like Hector said, she was bored more than anything. It’s just us out here.”
I nodded. We stood across from each other as Rina and Eris argued all the way to the car. Doors slammed and an engine fired up. Then the little red hatchback that had been sitting out front dro
ve off toward the main road.
“Finally,” Xander growled and closed in.
He captured my mouth and I dropped my backpack on the ground.
He tasted sweet, a startling contrast to the sweaty man I wrapped my arms around. I’d tried to fix my hair in every window I peered into, but at the moment, I didn’t care how bedraggled I looked. Xander was kissing me. His tongue swept into my mouth and he devoured me.
I let him.
He picked me up and I twined my legs around him. He managed to walk over the stone without tripping and push me against the wall.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he murmured against my lips.
“So, you don’t mind?”
“What? No. Absolutely not.” He nibbled down my neck. I needed a shower as much as he did, but the only difference was that he was sexy as hell after all the work he’d been doing. I was tired and rumpled from planes, buses, and cabs. “If it’s a problem staying with Hector and Eris, we can rent a room in town.”
“You’re staying with me and I’m not letting you go again.”
He’d told me it wasn’t about the money and I’d kept wanting to believe it. The way he touched me now washed away my doubts. Any worries faded against the feel of his hot lips on my skin. My head tipped back against the side of the house. All those mornings I’d wasted when I could’ve been having this.
“Xander.” I squirmed against him. His erection pressed into my center but our clothing muted the sensation.
He pulled back and my legs dropped to the ground. “I need to clean up.” He looked down at himself. “I’ve been in the dirt all morning.”
I feathered my fingers down his collar. “I’ll clean up with you.”
Heat seared his gaze, then he winced. “I don’t have any condoms.”
“None?”
His smile warmed my already blazing insides. “I’m a married man and my wife wasn’t around. I didn’t need any.”
“Well . . . I still have the IUD so . . .”
His expression grew solemn. “Only if you’re sure.”
I sighed. “Just as sure that I’d regret missing this opportunity as much as I have the last two and a half months.”
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