The Lonely Girl in the Cabin (The Lonely Girl Series Book 2) Read online

  My hands slipped into my shorts almost involuntarily as I surrendered to my weakness, skimming over my slit and finding my clit, slowly circling it. I let out a long, low moan, allowing myself to picture the woman’s magnificent body again in my mind. The tension inside me built swiftly. I hadn’t had a partner in so long I’d gotten very good at pleasing myself, too good. I was riding a wave of exquisite pleasure in no time, but when the last ripples of orgasm faded and my body relaxed, there was still the same sense of loneliness and unfulfilled desire I always seemed to carry around with me these days. I’d learned that physical satisfaction didn’t have anything to do with an emotional void. It couldn’t make it go away. Now, I was having one of those moments when I considered the possibility that Farah, and even my mother, were right. I could be alone, but I couldn’t really live alone. Sooner or later, I might have to find someone to share my life with if I ever wanted to feel truly fulfilled. The last thought I had before I drifted off to sleep was that however I found that person, they wouldn’t just knock on my door.

  And then, wouldn’t you know it, she did.

  I’d only slept an hour when the persistent knock woke me. There was only one person it could be, but I peeked out the curtain of the front window anyway before answering. Sure enough, naked mystery girl was standing on my porch, only now she was dressed in a tank top and a pair of capris. I turned on the outside light and opened the door.

  “Hi, I’m Danielle Whitmore,” she said, holding her hand out for me to shake.

  “Hello. Nice to meet you. You’re staying at the next cabin over, right?” I asked, trying to sound casual and knowing I was blowing it. It was hard to come off as anything resembling composed when I was staring into the prettiest emerald colored eyes I’d ever seen.

  “I sure am. I thought I should come over and introduce myself. And you are?”

  “Lily Branson.”

  “Well, Lily, it probably seems forward of me to show up on your doorstep this way, but I’ve been all alone here for three weeks now. I was taking a walk and when I saw your car I was so excited by the prospect of having a neighbor. The isolation gets to you after a while.”

  “That’s funny. I came here looking for some isolation,” I said, not realizing it could be taken as a rude response until I said it out loud.

  “Oh, you aren’t a people person, then?” she smiled. It was an alluring smile, with a hint of teasing.

  “Depends on the people, I guess.”

  “Fair enough. I hope you’ll give me a chance. I came to invite you over for drinks. If I don’t have a conversation with a real person soon I’ll probably get into the habit of talking to myself. I know it’s late, but if you care to keep me company…”

  It wasn’t in my nature to accept an invitation from a stranger, but I was on vacation and she’d already more than piqued my interest earlier. Perhaps if the mystery woman were no longer a mystery I could get her out of my head. Of course, I had another less practical motivation. I wanted to know more about her because her beauty fascinated me. In fact, I didn’t just want to know her, I was grateful for an excuse to be close to her. Yet, I couldn’t just go over to her cabin. She was a stranger. It would be awkward, especially since I was crazy attracted to her.

  “I’d love to, but I’ve had a long drive and I’m trying to get some sleep.”

  “Are you sure? I saw you watching me earlier. It kind of gave me the impression you were interested in getting acquainted.”

  How much nerve did this woman have to come out and accuse me of watching her? I mean, I had been, but she didn’t seem to mind so why the need to bring it up and humiliate me?

  “I wasn’t watching you.”

  “Yes, you were.”

  “You’re wrong. This is the first time I’ve seen you since I arrived.”

  She gave me an intense stare, eyes narrowed as if waiting for me to admit what a liar I was. When I said nothing, lowering my own eyes to avoid her gaze, she sighed. “My mistake. Come over if you change your mind about that drink.”

  There was no exasperation in her voice, only humor. I hadn’t fooled her, but that was just another reason I wouldn’t take her up on her invitation. Instead, I shut the door and climbed back into bed, not allowing myself to peek out the window again and watch her go. Getting busted spying on her twice in one night would just be too damned creepy. Not having a night cap with her didn’t mean I wanted to scare her off.

  I awoke early the next morning, meaning to have a bowl of cereal before deciding if I really wanted to drive back into town and check out the apple butter festival. How thrilling could that be, after all? On the other hand, I didn’t exactly have a full day of events planned, so I had the time. Unfortunately, the tenant next door had so distracted me the night before that I forgot all about putting the groceries away. The milk along with most of the food I’d purchased had sat in my car and spoiled overnight. I ate the sugary cereal dry and threw the rest into the garbage before dressing in a pair of loose fitting jeans and a cotton t-shirt. I idled away the rest of the morning reading while sitting in a lawn chair on the front porch. Mystery girl came out of her cabin wearing a long flowing white dress and drove off in her SUV around eleven. She gave me a wave as she passed, but she might as well have been showing me her middle finger for all the acknowledgement I gave her. It wasn’t that I wanted to feud with my neighbor. I was just so embarrassed about our first conversation that I thought it might be best if it were our last.

  I had no clue as to exactly where the apple butter festival was being held, but there were only so many places it could be in a town the size of Kinley. I found it easily. The tents and booths were set up in a field on the south side of Main Street. I parallel parked my car a half a block away and wandered into the festivities without meaning to be conspicuous. There was no blending in, though. In a town of 601 people, number 602 stuck out like a sore thumb. I’m sure I didn’t cause quite the stir it felt like in my head, but a lot of curious eyes were turned to me as I made my way to the pavilion where they were selling hot plates of smoked brisket. The cereal hadn’t done much to fill my stomach and I was now suffering gnawing pangs of hunger. I didn’t care if I looked pathetic sitting at a table all to myself. It was still early and there were plenty of empty picnic tables to choose from, so I paid five dollars for a plate of beef, beans and rice and took one. The price was a steal. It even came with the promised slice of apple pie.

  I’d eaten half the entree before I heard a woman in the group at the table behind me call out, “Danielle, come sit with us.”

  It wasn’t an uncommon name. Even in this town there could be more than one Danielle, right? Maybe there was, somewhere, but I recognized the smooth sultry voice from the night before saying, “Thank you, Cindy. I’d love to join you.”

  “We have an ulterior motive for asking you. We want to hear more about what you’re doing with the house, don’t we, girls?”

  A flurry of voices rang out in agreement.

  “There’s nothing much to tell. I haven’t begun the renovations yet.”

  “Have you seen any ghosts?”

  She laughed, a light-hearted giggle. “Again, with the ghosts. Should I turn the place into a spook house for Halloween?”

  “If you’re still around by then, I think that’s a great idea.”

  “I was kidding, Rosa.”

  “Are you at least going to name it? I heard you were considering it.”

  “I’ve got to get used to these small-town ways. Word gets around so fast here.”

  “That can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on what the word is.”

  “Good point, Cindy.”

  “So, do you have any ideas?”

  “For a name? No, not one. I’ll think on it some more.”

  I finished my apple pie and got up to leave. It was bad enough I’d spied on her. Now I was eavesdropping on her conversation. It wasn’t my fault she and her friends had sat behind me, but it wouldn’t look good, I suppose
d. Then again, she didn’t own the town and I hadn’t been on a Ferris wheel in ages, since I was a little girl. One ride wouldn’t hurt. In this town, we were bound to wind up at the same place. It wasn’t as if she could accuse me of stalking her.

  I bought a ticket from the man in the booth and stood in line behind a group of teenagers as we waited for them to start loading passengers. The smartest thing would have been for me to get out of there. Nothing wrong with spending the day on the lake, but I was enjoying this small community atmosphere. You didn’t find that in a city the size of Houston. Everyone seemed to know everyone here. They even offered me, the stranger, an amicable smile and nod from time to time. I began to relax and wonder why I’d felt so nervous to begin with when her voice came from behind me and reminded me.

  “Hi, neighbor.”

  I whirled around to see her standing there, hair flying about in the wind, the scent of her musky perfume a pleasing aroma, too pleasing. “Hello.”

  “Are you following me?” she asked, the corners of her mouth turned up in an impish smile.

  “No, of course not.”

  “Relax, I was kidding.”

  “Ah, of course you were. In a town this size it’d be strange not to run into each other, huh?”

  “I’m sure it’s going to happen a lot, especially with us being the only two residents on the lake,” she reasoned.

  The teenagers were loaded onto the next two seats and an empty one came down to collect me. The man operating the ride lifted the safety bar so I could slide into it.

  “Want to share?” she asked.

  “Sure, if you like,” I said, put on the spot. On one hand, I was still feeling awkward about our earlier encounter and on the other, I couldn’t deny she somewhat enchanted me. I was interested in learning more about this woman who I found to be on the eccentric side and there was the fact that she owned the manor. We both got on the ride and soon found ourselves seemingly floating above the town, which appeared even smaller from a bird’s eye view.

  “You own the house with no name, don’t you?” I asked.

  She laughed. “Yes, but do you think a house really needs a name? I think I’ll let the new buyers christen it.”

  “If I owned a home like that I would definitely name it.”

  “It seems like such a pompous thing to do.”

  “Not at all, if you’re doing it because you love it. People name their cars,” I reasoned.

  “Yeah, I guess some do.”

  “Can I ask why you would buy a house in this town? Is it even on the map?”

  “I was in the market. I saw it and fell in love with it.”

  “Then you should name it.”

  “Maybe I would, if it were really mine, but I’m selling, so…”

  “I’d love to see it.”

  “Are you interested in possibly buying?”

  “No, I’m afraid I couldn’t afford that,” I said honestly.

  “Well, I could arrange a tour anyway.”

  “Would you?”

  “Sure, anytime,” she said.

  “Thank you. I love the architecture of the place, you know? If it were restored it could be really beautiful.”

  “That’s what I thought the instant I saw it. Knowing you like it as much as I do I’ll show it to you, on one condition. You have to let me play hostess tonight and come over to my cabin for that drink you turned down last night.”

  “You’re blackmailing me?”

  “Yes, that’s how desperate I am for company.”

  “I could go for a drink,” I caved. “I am on vacation, after all.”

  “Great, be over at seven?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  When the ride ended we went our separate ways. I drove back to the cabin to read a few more pages of the novel I was hooked on and her car didn’t pull up into her driveway until much later that afternoon. I wondered how she’d spent her time. It seemed like an awful lot of hours to while away at such a small festival where there were only so many activities to enjoy. Why I was keeping tabs on her, I couldn’t say. She was still very much a stranger. I really needed to get a life.

  Chapter Six

  I decided to take a cool shower before changing into a fresh pair of shorts. I was soaked in sweat. Before stepping into the bathroom, I waved a hand over the AC vent and sighed in frustration. Nothing but warm air. The temperature in the cabin would be suffocating come sunrise. I wasn’t counting Kinley having a cooling and heating repair service, either.

  Once I’d showered, I stared into the bathroom mirror and wondered if I shouldn’t put on a bit of makeup. I normally didn’t put a lot of effort into my appearance outside of work and I couldn’t see much point in bothering now. No amount of primping was going to impress this woman. I was so out of my league it’d be silly to attempt it. Rather than waste my time, I brushed out my hair and pin it up on my neck, which was more of a practical move to combat the heat than a feeble attempt at fashion.

  I slipped on a pair of flip-flops and headed over to my new acquaintance’s cabin a little before seven only to find myself chickening out, suddenly too shy to even manage a knock on her door. What the hell was I doing? I had nothing in common with this woman. One look at her, frolicking gloriously and shamelessly on the lake shore told me that much. I didn’t have enough adventure in me to so much as announce my arrival. If I were smart, I’d slink back to my cabin and feign a migraine if she came looking for me. I was about ready to do just that when the door flung open and I lost my chance to run and hide.

  “Hi, Lily, come on in.”

  I stepped inside and was shocked at the difference between hers and Farah’s interior. First of all, a heavenly blast of much needed cool air hit me the moment I walked in, and secondly, the decor was surprisingly lavish. The hardwood floors shone, giving the appearance of just having been refurbished with a Cherrywood varnish. The wood paneled walls were done the same and although the layout was identical to Farah’s, Danielle’s cabin had decorative touches everywhere I looked, from hanging plants to rustic colored throw rugs and an antique hope chest at the foot of her king-sized bed.

  “Wow, you’ve done so much with the place. I thought you said you’d only been here three weeks,” I said.

  “Three weeks this time around,” she corrected. “My ex-husband and I bought this place years ago.”

  “So, you’re divorced?” Was it just me, or did I sound pathetically gleeful about that, and if so, why should her marital status matter to me?

  “Newly divorced. The ink on the papers isn’t quite dry yet.”

  “I’m sorry. That must be hard.”

  “Not really. It was a long nasty ordeal with lots of mud-slinging on both sides. I’m rather glad it’s over.”

  “I’m sorry,” I repeated at a loss for words. I rarely knew the right thing to say.

  She shrugged. “It’s fine. I’ve moved on and I have a new business to throw myself into, which is my new-found passion, my baby, so it’s more than fine.”

  “By business you’re referring to the house?”

  “Yes, I am. Have a seat and I’ll tell you all about it, if you’re still interested, that is. I don’t want to bore you.”

  “Trust me, you won’t. I love that house, what I’ve seen of it, anyway.”

  “That’s surprising. The exterior needs a lot of work, as does the interior. It’s a big project I’m taking on. Most people seem to be of the opinion that I’ve made a huge mistake in buying it.”

  “I could see you making a nice profit flipping it,” I reasoned, settling down on the sofa.

  “I’m going to try. Whether or not I can make a profit on it remains to be seen. It’s not only a big project, but risky as well.”

  “Believe me, I understand. Home remodeling and decorating is sort of my dream job. I’m not working in the market currently, but I do study it.”

  “Honestly? We have that in common, then. Can I pour you a drink? How about a strawberry daiquiri? I just mixe
d a batch in the blender.”

  “I’d love anything frozen. The air conditioning is out in the cabin. It belongs to a friend and she doesn’t come here often, so I guess she let the upkeep go.”

  “This should help,” she said, turning to the counter and pouring the sweet liquor into two glasses.

  “Thank you,” I responded as I took mine from her hand and she sat down next to me.

  “You are more than welcome, Lily. Tell me more about your experience renovating.”

  “I don’t have any, professionally speaking. It’s my hobby. I enjoy decorating my own place the best I can and I did my friend, Farah’s place, but it isn’t officially my line of work.”

  “So, what is your line of work?”

  Without thinking twice about it I opened my mouth and for no reason whatsoever, I lied my ass off. “I’m an advertising account executive. I work for a firm in Houston. I handle the advertisement for clothing retail, mostly.”

  “That sounds like an awesome job.”

  “I’m in the planning stages of starting my own firm. It’s been crazy trying to get it all to come together.” Wow, I didn’t fib often, or ever till now, but apparently, I’d decided the more outlandish the lie the better. Why couldn’t I shut the hell up? I knew she was classes above me, but she didn’t seem to think so. It wasn’t as if she’d throw me out if she found out I was a peon secretary.

  “Can I ask why you’d start an advertising firm if your dream job is renovating homes?”

  “Advertising is what I know, so I thought it best, or safest, to stick with that,” I replied, hoping she might drop it without asking for lots of details. I knew fuck all about what it took to start an advertising firm. If I had to, maybe I knew enough to bluff, but I didn’t care to find out.