Stubborn Hearts

CHAPTER SIX

The skies faded from reddish orange to purple as the air got cooler. He managed to remotely lower the car windows in the middle of the ride, and they both breathed a much needed fresh air.

“You actually don’t have to,” she mumbled, her face on the window, cherishing the feel of the evening breeze. She referred to him offering the ride.

He felt him glancing her way, but she chose to stay put. He uttered no word.

“But thanks anyway,” she added. “I realized I needed the ride back.”

She gave him a side glimpse, still no word. But she saw his jaw moved a little as if trying to control whatever he was supposed to say.

She continued, “I called Mrs. Arving earlier today. She’s taking care of her grandkids while the parents are out of town. And I bet she’s loving it too much to think of driving back here and pay me a visit,” she let out a chuckle and noticed she’d been caressing the poppies from the bunch on her lap.

“That’d surely be the case. She adored her children, much more her grandkids,” Marcus found his voice to comment.

His eyes were still fixed on the road, but he’d shown a small smile remembering the woman. He must had been very close to her, why, he called Mrs. Arving by her first name. He’d always speak of her gently and lovingly.

The exchange stopped as they reached the gate after a couple of minutes. She was about to unfasten her seatbelt to get out of the truck and open the gate, but Marcus was just fast enough. Either that or she simply was just a slow-paced individual.

He was back in the driver’s seat in a second and the truck paved through the narrow road toward her cottage.  

They pulled over and she managed to unbuckle herself smoothly. She went straight to unlock the front door as Marcus was getting the grocery bags out from the back of the pick-up. Only then was she able to get the chance to subtly examine this incomprehensible human being.

His unruly wavy brown hair was set enough to show his grayish-blue, focused eyes that once stared through her brown, wary orbs. Even from afar, she could tell he was thinking about something, the way his thick brows joining, forming a crease in between. His long, defined nose and round lips gave a gentle touch to a rather enigmatic face. He had a bit of stubble streaming down his sharp jawline which added to his rugged look.

He was wearing faded jeans and a plaid over a loose plain gray shirt, with its sleeves rolled up to his elbow, enough for her to see how his arms flexed when he was taking out and carrying the heavy bags. This man was hiding a lean body underneath, she concluded. She snapped at her own thoughts when they went wild over imagining Marcus half-n***d.

Urgh. Too much visualization.

Marcus was simply unaware of her quick scrutiny and just went past her while she held the door for him. She caught his masculine scent – one she could compare to a cool and minty forest air. It was soothing that it could send her to sleep should she had enough dose of it. She could not believe herself at how easily she could be swayed by just a fragment of his scent in the room.

“Just please lay them one the table. I can handle it from there,” she called out the moment she got a hold of her sense again. She closed the door and went to the kitchen. “Thanks for the ride and for the help with this,” she pointed to the bags and gave him a grateful smile.

He shrugged, “Don’t mention it,” then slid his hands into his pockets, his lips on a thin smile.

They stood in awkward silence for a few seconds.

“So, you work in a diner offering the best pork steak in town and you live next to my cottage,” she said bluntly. Not a question but just an easy statement of facts that were just made known to her today.

“It seems so, yeah,” he answered, his eyes mocking. “I work so I can pay for the rent and eat three meals a day.”

His sarcasm was still in place since the very first day. If not a stiff face, his playful mockery would be the alternate show. A man of a very few and dislikable moods, he really was.

“Fair enough,” she mused. “Anything else you might want to warn or tell me besides this and the moose thing? ‘Coz I’d be roaming around quite frequently. You know, I’m a new girl here.” She emphasized on the moose thing to give him a hint that the pun did not work.

He crossed his arms and c****d his head to one side. “Hmmm. Maybe that I own this cottage, or maybe this is a land of vampires and werewolves who’ve been looking for years for an old crest full of gold which I accidentally found and hid underneath this floor.” His glinting eyes gave away what his face was trying to pull off.

She crossed her arms and c****d her eyebrow in response. His one lame of a speech could not get under her skin. He had her the first time, and that was a shame too easy to take.

“Try again. That did not even reach me a dust of interest,” she rebutted.

He smirked and settled his hands back to his pockets.

“Then your interest is quite peculiar, I’d say. But not good enough if you are honing your writing skills.”

That did get her…again. This man had his ways. He caught her on a surprised stance and flashed her a grin.

“That’s a little bit intrusive, don’t you think, moose guy?” She was back on defense mode.

She did not ask for his help, yet he offered unexpectedly, of which she was sincerely grateful even with an almost quiet ride. But that did not warrant him to be cocky and just throw a preconceived opinion towards her take on things. Did he think that made him know her too well?

Moosey Marcus!

Instead of a square come back, he burst out laughing.

“You’re impossible,” she groaned. Exasperated, she started to pull out the items from the bags and fix them on the table.

His laughter was short, but she could sense he was still beaming. She did not bother to ask what caused the sudden amusement and just spent her energy on the task at hand.

 “Sorry, it was just funny.” He cleared then continued, “You know, the ‘moose guy’ thing.” He motioned his fingers, air quoting.

She gave him a blank, I-don’t-care-kind-of stare and got back to the bags.

He took the cue and moved.  

“Right, I’d better get going.” He said calmly then walked towards the front door.

She sighed and stopped what she was doing. She followed him out.

“Look, I don’t want to be rude, but I had a long day and I still got some things to do,” she truly sounded tired.

He slipped easily into the truck.

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” he managed a faint smile, then started the engine.

Of course, he would not be parking here when his cottage was still a couple of meters away from hers.

“Thanks, again,” she uttered.

“Ginger told me so I know a bit about you, that’s all,” he added in the midst of the humming noise. He looked at her, his expression had softened now. Or maybe it was just her weary eyes doing the trick. “Let it rest for now. You’ve got plenty of time.” In an instant, he was back to his playful tone and drove off slowly to his yard.

She stood still for a moment and closed her eyes. She just wanted to feel the night, hoping to get some fill for her already drained energy. The cool air kissed her fair cheeks and sent some loose strands of her chocolate brown hair flowing with it. She tucked her hair back and tied them carelessly. Everything now was dark, except the beam of light coming from the posts by the gate.

Her gaze turned to the next cabin and saw the lights inside flicker. This man knew how to leave unprecedented impressions. She shook her head and smiled. Talking about peculiar interests.  

A few more minutes and she was back inside. With the little strength she had left, she got back to the work waiting on the kitchen table and briskly put everything in order before heading upstairs. Laying on her bed, she was welcomed with a comfort of a good night’s rest.