As I watched her eyes light up, my chest tightened. I'd expected her to hate this place. She was a city chick, probably used to modern conveniences and comfort, and I'd braced myself for complaints about the basic conditions. Hannah had hated it out here. She'd never stopped whining about how far it was from the main homestead, how freezing the place got in winter, how there was nothing to do, and the damn spiders that liked the place as much as I did.
But Charlie wasn't Hannah. She'd proven that a dozen times over, and I needed to get that damn woman out of my head and concentrate on the amazing one standing in my lodge.
Charlie crossed to the fireplace and ran her fingers along the old stone mantle, pausing at a chipped corner where the mortar had crumbled away. Her face lit with genuine wonder. "It's amazing this place is still standing after all these years."
"Nearly wasn't. Fire destroyed the kitchen and bedrooms forty years ago. That's when they built the current homestead. This place sat abandoned until I started coming out here."
"I'm guessing there's a story in that." She turned to face me and really looked at me.
My jaw tightened, that old instinct to shut down kicking in like it always did when memories of my father surfaced. But I didn't want to do that with Charlie. I wanted her to know me, the real Mitch Branson, the one with scars that ran as deep as his backbone.
"Yeah." I pulled in a breath. "Started sneaking out here when I was sixteen after Mom left. I moved in for good at seventeen after one of Dad’s beatings."
"Shit, Mitch." Sadness washed her expression. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Moving out here gave me freedom. It made me grow up fast, though. I had to learn to cook, clean, and fix things myself. I spent years restoring this place, bit by bit. But it was mine. Dad couldn’t touch me here."
"I noticed you have a chef and a housemaid at the homestead. Lucky for some." She shot me a teasing smile.
I frowned, but there was no bite in her tone. "When Mom took off, Dad didn't give a shit about feeding us kids. He was too busy running the station, so he hired help."
"Jesus. Sorry." Her smile faded. "I sure know how to put my foot in my mouth, don't I?"
"It's okay. You didn't know." I pulled a plastic sheet off the sofa, casting dust into the air.
She stepped closer, her fingers brushing mine. "But I'd like to know, Mitch. I want to know everything about you."
I huffed. "Careful what you wish for."
She turned to face me and squeezed my hand. "I'm serious. I really do want to know everything about you."
I pressed my hand to her cheek, and she leaned into my palm. Her skin was warm and soft. "There's a lot of ugly in my past, Charlie. Things I'm not proud of."
"I have some of that, too, you know."
I chuckled. "Doubt it."
She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes at me.
"Really? What?"
"Not telling." She tried to hold back a grin, but it swept across her lips anyway.
I cupped her face and crushed my lips to hers, kissing her with everything I had. She pressed her body against mine, her curves fitting perfectly. When we broke apart, we wrapped our arms around each other and just held on, like we'd both implode if we let go. She felt so damn good in my arms, like finding her had somehow been my destiny, and I'd never believed in that shit before.
She pressed her hand to my chest, right above my heart. "Mitch, I've had too many men lie to me over the years. Can you promise you'll be different?"
I eased back, pressed my thumb under her chin, and raised her gaze to mine. "You have my word."
A smile swept across her face. "Good. So, tell me, do you think there are any spiders in that bed?" She nodded toward the open bedroom door.
I burst out laughing. "Absolutely."
She squealed. "Well, shit. We need to sort that out before we make love in there."
"Come on." I grabbed her hand and led her into the bedroom, holding the lantern high. The beam of light swept across the old iron bed frame. The mattress was covered in a plastic sheet, dust covered every surface, and cobwebs dangled in the corners.
Charlie put her hands on her hips and shook her head at the bed. "Oh, hell no. That's going to take some serious work."