Free Stay: Changing Tides, Book 1 by Candi Wall Page A

over his face. “It’s a part of Jonathon’s past that you should know.”
    “I’m glad you have the good memories to hold onto,” she offered through the thickness in her throat. Who he was… His control… His need to keep everyone safe made so much sense now. And it broke her heart. It was his way of coping. Not wrong, not right. God, what they both must have been through… “Some people spend a lifetime searching for memories like the ones you have. You’re very lucky to have them.”
    The intensity of his gaze revealed the pain he kept so deeply hidden, and he smiled sadly. “Most times the good memories are balanced with the bad.”
    There were people in the world who thought agreeing, or telling someone they understood their pain would help. She wasn’t one of them. He suffered in his own way, and all she could do was feel honored that he shared any piece of his hell in her company. Silence and an unbiased ear were her best comforts for this man.
    An easy quiet spread around them, and she closed her eyes.
    Just as quickly as it had overtaken them, Brack snapped the moment. “Come on, I’ll show you the house while Jonathon is getting the traps ready.” His hand tightened around hers, any lingering pain hidden behind his happy expression. “I have something you want as well.”
    You sure do. She squelched the sneaky thought.
    He pushed the cabin door open revealing pitch black. “Wait here. I’ll get the light so we aren’t surprised by any critters.”
    A shiver passed over her and she scanned the wooden porch beneath her for movement. “Critters?”
    He disappeared inside, and a moment later a bright flash preceded the flickering flame of a gas lantern. He turned the knob and a soft glow filled the room. “Skunks, raccoons, you name it.”
    “Great. If I get sprayed by a skunk—” His laughter stopped her midsentence, which was good since she really didn’t know what she’d planned to threaten.
    She closed the door behind her as he bent to clear the fireplace. Thick waves of dark hair brushed his shirt collar, curving around his ear. The broad expanse of his shoulders and molded back tapered down to a trim waist where a thick belt rode his hips. Everything about the man, from his brooding silence to his good looks, enticed. The muscles of his tanned arms bunched as he piled some logs near the brick encasement. After wadding up some newspaper, he struck another match and quickly piled splintered pieces of wood on the ink-tinged flames. In moments he had the fire roaring. “There. Now we’ll have something warm to come back to.”
    Her mind refused to focus on anything but him and the ways he could keep her warm. When a log fell and rattled to the floor, she let out a startled yelp.
    He turned from the fire to meet her gaze, humor dancing in his eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
    “What?” She tried to sound brave, but her voice more resembled a shriek.
    “You’re scared of little animals?” He stood, hands on his hips as he watched her carefully. “The woman who dives into frigid Alaskan waters? Rushes into burning buildings?”
    “I’m not scared of animals.” She glanced around, hating the sensation of the creepy-crawlies. “I don’t like surprises. If they just made an appearance and went on their way, it wouldn’t bother me a bit.”
    “Um-hmmm.”
    “Well, I am afraid of rats.” Visions of the rat-infested hotels and rundown apartments her mother had made her sleep in filled her mind, and that panic resurfaced with a vengeance. “There aren’t rats in Maine, are there?”
    “Mostly squirrels and chipmunks. Bats too.”
    “I can handle all those.”
    “’Course the wharf rats can get huge but you won’t see those here.”
    Her jaw locked at the nauseating thought. Huge rats? Rats were bad enough, but huge ones?
    The heat from the fire warmed the room and she pulled off his heavy coat. “You could have lied to me, you know.”
    He took the coat and tossed it