In three weeks, after getting word from Billy that the road had been scrapped and tarred, she came out to Forks again, to see the house and plains, but she was itching to see the house so she went up there first thing. She drove up the driveway and saw two trucks, the Black truck and another one. She got out and walked towards the house just as Jacob walked through the front door.
"Hey stranger." He said, walking up to her with his warm smile on his face.
She felt welcome already, like she had already moved in and had the house warming.
"Hi, how's it going?" she smiled back at him, aware that hers wasn't nearly as warm as his.
"Good, great actually, we've just put on the last coat of paint." Jacob said, looking at the house.
His huge hands were covered in paint and so were his clothes, but it looked like these were his painting clothes, because they had red paint all over them.
"We?" she asked as two other men came out of the house.
He looked behind him and then back at her.
"These are my cousins." He said.
"Hi guys, yeah, okay, I have to get to the plains to see the area that we'll be unloading the bison.." She said quickly, and slightly rude.
She was only aware of it after she had said it, that it sounded really bad.
"Well, um, okay, I'll take you." Jacob said, looking around to see if nothing needed to be finished before leaving.
She nodded and went to her Audi to get a bag. He went in to get his keys.
"I thought you said she was nice?" his one cousin asked.
He scratched around in his bag for the keys to the truck. He found them right at the bottom of the bag.
"She is, was. I don't understand it." Jacob said, walking towards the door.
"At least she's hot." The other said.
"I know." Jacob smiled and winked at them before he walked over to his truck.
He opened the door for her and she got in. He walked around and got in, started the truck and started off to the plains. After a few minutes silence Cerise spoke.
"I'm sorry about that." She said, feeling guilty because of her unease and what it meant to her friend, at least she thought of him as a friend.
"No problem," he said, turning off the music.
This was s great relief to Cerise; she didn't like music with words too much.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, looking at her, then back at the road.
"No, not really, I just don't like strangers." She said, looking out the window.
They were driving through the forest. She saw something moving in the darkness. She looked closely and it took a distinctly canine shape in the darkness.
"Did you," she pointed and stopped, thinking she was mad. She wondered if she was finally losing it.
"Did I, what?" he asked.
She looked at him and frowned. She was sure she had seen it, but it was practically impossible. Wasn't it?"
"Are there wolves here?" she asked.
"A small pack, five or so, why?" he asked, looking at her, not looking at the road again for some time.
"How big are they?" she asked.
"Normal, why, did you see one?" he asked, looking out her window.
"I thought I did, but it was as big as a horse. Must have been something else." She said.
She was sure she had seen it.
"Must have been a moose, they get that big." He smiled at her, looking back at the road.
She looked at him and when he thought she wasn't looking, his smiled faded and a frown settled between his brows. He straightened it out quickly and smiled again.
"Okay." She said, looking out the window again.
The figure was gone as quickly as it had appeared, but Jacob had acknowledged with that frown, that something in the forest was that big, and not a moose either. What did he know, and should she pull the bison contract now, before it was too late.
"I can't stand wolves." She said.
Jacob looked at her and smiled.
They stopped at a ridge and got out. The plains were under snow but they could see where grass normally was.
"It's not very big." She said, looking up the ridge and down, a square kilometre at most.
"The Rez is mostly forest, but there are these patches everywhere." He said.
"What do you think?" she asked him.
"Well, maybe not a big herd." He said, looking at her.
"But a small one would be okay here?" she asked, looking at him then back at the snowed under plains.
"Yeah, I suppose." He said, looking at her.
She looked back at him.
"Mmm." She said, smiled and looked at the plains.
She felt the cold creep into her bones.
"What?" he laughed at her sudden, random wording.
"You have nice eyes." She looked at him and smiled.
"Thanks." He said, smiling to himself and blushing slightly.
The colour of blood under his russet skin was hypnotizing.
"I think it's a go." She smiled. She looked at him.
"So how does my house look?" she asked.
He smiled and started the car. They drove in silence, Cerise looking for the moose, and Jacob thinking about the compliment she had given him. When they got back there, Jacob's cousins had cleaned up and left.
"See, we're all alone now" he said to her, opening the truck door for her.
She smiled and looked at him. Slowly, she walked up to the door and went in. The house was finished, the new floor was laid and the paint was busy drying.
"You worked fast." She said, turning to him.
"It looks lovely. Like a home." She said, looking around.
"Now I need to do is fill it with a family." She laughed at herself.
"Sorry?" he asked, surprised at her sudden openness.
"Nothing, nothing." She repeated, remembering her latest heartbreak.
"We had good motivation." He said to her, walking slowly around the entrance hall, looking around at his handy work.
"What?" she smiled. He smiled at her and then said suddenly.
"The money." He smiled back.
Her smile faded and she looked around, trying to recoil from that glancing blow.
"No, seriously, anything for a friend." He said, handing her the keys.
She threw them up and caught them. She jingled them and enjoyed the fact that she had her own home. And that he viewed her as a friend.
"I'm already your friend?" she asked.
"Why not?" he asked, walking around her and leaning against the staircase railing. His golden arms crossed over his wide chest, like waiting for a reason not to befriend her.
"You don't even know me; I could be an axe murderer for all you know." She said, looking away from him and playing with the keys.
She was aware she wasn't the easiest person to live with.
"True, but I'm a good judge of character. You're no murderer, but there is something about you." He smiled, and began to walk up to her.
"What?" she said, watching him intently as he walked up to her, past her comfort zone, into her private space.
He stopped just inches away from her, looking into her eyes, smiling wickedly to himself. Her head told her to move, but her heart said 'wait and see what he does'.
"I don't know, but I want to find out." He said, pushing a lose strand of hair away from her face.
His large hands were so soft, gentle, warm, and careful not to be too rough.
"You think so." She whispered and blushed.
"Good luck, I don't trust easily." She said, turning away and looking away from him.
"I do, and I trust that you'll let me in. I will find out about you. What I want, I usually get." he smiled, and she looked at him.
He smiled and holding her gaze, walked past her, towards the open front door, on his way home, she supposed.
"We'll see." She said, walking towards the door and stopped.
"So, are you taking me for supper or what?" she asked.
He looked back and smiled. The flash of white teeth dazzled her again.
"Sure." He smiled and walked to the truck and opened the passenger door for her.
On the way she called her ranch manager and told him to start loading the bison and her things, everything was a go. They would arrive in two days time.