Her Canadian Dream [Her Canadian Dream] (Siren Publishing Classic) (5 page)

The drive through Huntsville didn’t take long. The main street wasn’t busy at this time of day and she managed to keep up with the truck with no problems. As they skirted the town boundary, Jan took a turning off the highway, and after about a mile, turned into a small road leading down to the lake. As they rounded a bend, Aly gasped.

At the edge of the lake, set in a landscaped lawn area, was the most beautiful house she had ever seen. Two stories, with a verandah wrapped right around, it was everything Aly had dreamed of when first coming to this country. It even had a swing seat to the left of the main entrance.

She pulled up behind the truck and got out of the car on shaky legs.

“Jan, I can’t afford to live here! It’s wonderful. Just the sort of place I imagined when I came here but I know I can’t afford anything like this. Whose house is it? What is the rent going to be? It must be more than I can pay?”

Her words tumbled over one another as she stood staring at the house of her dreams.

Jan grinned at her.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. The rent is cheap and the person who owns the place is a very dear friend of ours. Let’s get the key and I’ll show you around.”

Lifting a plank on the steps leading up to the front door, Jan retrieved the door key and let them into the spacious hallway. The walls were painted a warm peach colour and the wooden floor had been sanded and polished until it shone. A bright rug was a welcoming touch, as they walked into the house.

Aly’s eyes shone as she took in her surroundings and her friend led her through to the lounge. Everything in this room was big. Two massive sofas faced each other on either side of a large open fireplace. The floors again had been left bare, apart from the bright rugs the owner seemed to favour. In the corner sat a flat-screen TV. A state-of-the-art music system sat on the shelf beside it.

The window at the far end of the room looked out over the lake. There was a window seat, padded and covered in the same sort of fabric as the rugs. She could visualise herself, sitting there, with her e-reader, watching the changes on the lake as the seasons changed.

Hang on! This isn’t your house. You don’t even know if you can afford to stay here yet, and you won’t be here long enough to watch the change of seasons.

Aly tried to calm her inappropriate thoughts.

Jan called her through a door on the left of the room, which Aly discovered was a large kitchen/dining room, clad in pine, an enormous table sitting in the centre. Through another door further on, she could see a utility room, complete with washer, drier, and freezer. Back in the kitchen, the fridge freezer took up almost one wall behind her. The sink and work surfaces were set under the room-width windows, which also gave wonderful views of the lake.

Aly felt as if she were in a dream as she followed Jan back into the hallway and toward the stairs.

A small cloakroom was tucked away under the staircase and another door opened onto another small seating area, this one looking out over the front of the house and parking area. There was a smaller fireplace in this room with a couple of comfy recliner chairs on either side. Floor-to-ceiling shelves held thousands of books, and she could imagine a cold winter night curled up reading in the glow of the fire.

It was everything Aly could have dreamed of. The furnishings were just what she would have chosen herself. It was almost spooky to think that, whoever this house belonged to, they had such similar taste.

She was becoming more and more curious as to the owner but Jan still refused to say whose house this was.

They mounted the stairs and Jan turned to the left at the top and went into a room on the right.

“This would be yours I think.”

Aly followed her in and gasped in awe. The room was double aspect. On the left, the window overlooked the gardens at the side of the house. Ahead, there were French doors, opening out to a balcony overlooking the lake. The balcony ran right along the full width of the house and obviously served all the bedrooms on this side.

The room itself had a huge bed, covered in a beautifully handcrafted quilt, much like her own special possession. A large walk-in wardrobe had enough shelving to hold her clothes three times over. A comfortable-looking oversize armchair sat in the corner next to a small table topped with a reading lamp.

All in all, it was a room that Aly had imagined herself having if she ever won the lottery.

Jan looked at her and asked, “Well? What do you think? This house has been in the family for ages and the current owner has put his own mark on it. There is another bedroom the same size as this along the hall, as well as a bathroom and another smaller bedroom which is being used as an office I think. Do you think you could live here? Rent is negotiable and you have the use of the whole house as well as the garden and dock.”

Aly was speechless. She could afford this! However, a sudden thought reared into her head and she gaped at her friend.

His mark? A man owned this house? Who was it?
She knew Jan would never let her live with someone she didn’t trust.
Oh no!

“It’s Aiden’s house, isn’t it?”

Jan reddened and ducked her head.

“Jan! You know I can’t stay here!”

She turned quickly and ran toward the stairs, Jan at her heels.

“Wait! Aly! Why can’t you live here? It’s a lovely house. It’s in your price range and close enough to town for work. You’ll rarely see Aiden because you both work. There’s enough room in the house that you won’t be on top of each other and…to be honest…you won’t find anything half as nice within your budget.”

She froze at the foot of the stairs.

Jan was right. The house was beautiful. It was the kind of place she had always wanted to live in. So what if it was Aiden’s house? He worked long hours and she didn’t need to be around when he was home. There were two seating areas so she could give him his space and stay out of his way. Jan had pointed out that he had his own en suite bathroom so they didn’t need to share that. Maybe she could stay here? After all, it was only for four months. Then she would have to go home to the UK anyway.

And Aiden is most definitely the best kind of eye candy!

Pushing that rogue thought to the back of her mind, she walked back through to the main lounge area and stared out of the window. The lake water on this October day was gray and not very inviting, but in the distance she could see the far shore, and as views go it couldn’t be faulted.

Bugger it! Why not?

She took a deep breath and turned around as Jan came up behind her.

“I don’t really have much choice, do I? But I can’t say it’s going to be a hardship, living in a house like this. It’s amazing.”

Decision made, she felt a huge weight come off of her shoulders.

She had a place to live. And what a place! And she could avoid Aiden if she was careful. She would be a fool to turn this opportunity down.

They both went back out to the truck and started to unload the boxes and bags. Box by box, they hoisted her meagre possessions up the stairs and stacked them in the corner of the walk-in wardrobe. Her bags of clothes were laid on the bed ready for her to unpack and her laptop sat on the little table by the armchair.

Jan rubbed her hands together.

“Brrrr. It’s getting chilly. I’m going to shoot off now and do a bit of tidying up in the store. I won’t bother opening up now, it’s too late, so I’ll just take care of a few things and then maybe make Brett a special supper.”

She grinned and picked her handbag up from the hall floor.

“Keep hold of that key for now. You can get another spare cut tomorrow. I checked the freezer and fridge and there’s plenty of food. I’m sure you can find something you like. I’ll see you in the morning? Being the last weekend before Halloween I think we might have a busy day ahead of us.”

Aly nodded as she replied, “I’ll be there at the usual time unless you want me to give you a hand now?”

Jan shook her head. “No, hun. You get settled in and get yourself acquainted with Aiden. And don’t let him intimidate you! He’s just a big pussycat at heart.”

Aly’s heart started to race as the reality of her situation started to sink in and she eyed Jan warily.

“If you say so. I’ll just keep out of his way and he might not notice me.”

Jan laughed.

“You have got to be kidding, sweetie. He noticed you a long time ago. You just didn’t realise it.”

Rather than settle Aly’s mind, the words just served to make her nerves worse. She had only met the man once and he had terrified her. Her reaction to his touch had shocked her. No man had ever made her feel that way before. It had taken the rest of the day before her nerves had settled down and by then all she had felt was guilt at having feelings for another man whilst still with Sean.

* * * *

To calm herself down, once her friend had left, she took stock of her situation. She had a roof over her head until she had to leave the country. She still had her job and could now keep her car, which was a major bonus. As much as possible, she wanted to enjoy what little time she had left here to explore the surrounding countryside.

Walking back up the stairs she unpacked her two suitcases and hung her clothes in the cavernous wardrobe. To make herself feel more at home, she decided to go down to see whether Aiden kept tea in the house. If not, she would have to go to the store because she couldn’t live without her regular cuppa.

The massive kitchen was starting to darken as rainclouds were rolling in across the lake. She found teabags in the cupboard and milk in the fridge so set about making her drink.

In search of something for supper, she opened the freezer in the utility room and found a bag of minced beef. The vegetable rack held onions and potatoes so she decided to make a simple cottage pie. As a thank you to Aiden for coming to her rescue she proceeded to make enough for two. She could eat hers before he got home so that she didn’t need to disturb his evening. His portion would be easy to keep warm or reheat if necessary.

As the sky darkened and the lake grew ever grayer, she switched on the light and got on with preparing the meal. For the first time in ages she realised that she was actually enjoying cooking. Sean had been home to eat so rarely that she had got out of the habit. Most of her meals were simple ready meals which she would heat in the microwave and eat off a tray in front of the TV.

Checking the clock, she saw that it was almost five o’clock. Jan had told her that the guys usually worked until around six when the weather permitted. Once winter set in they were forced to work on indoor projects until the snows cleared and they could once again work safely outside.

Cottage pie in the oven, she quickly cleaned the kitchen and prepared some broccoli and carrots which she had found in the fridge drawer. Once everything was ready she reckoned on having about half an hour in which she could eat and escape to her room before Aiden came in.

Humming to herself, she made another cup of tea and walked through to the small lounge. Walking along the edge of the room she looked at the collection of books which filled the shelves. There were all sorts. Thrillers, horrors, and popular fiction, along with reference books on almost every subject under the sun.

Aly would never have thought of someone like Aiden to be a great reader but it seemed that appearances could be deceptive. Her eye caught a book that she had seen in the local bookstore, a book chronicling the history of the area. Pulling it down from the shelf, she curled up in one of the recliners and started to skim through it. Sipping her tea, she marvelled at the beautiful photographs, all of the Huntsville area. She was soon lost and was only brought back to earth by the sound of a key turning in the front door lock.

Aiden switched off the engine and stared at the house. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d arrived home to lights on in the house and he had mixed feelings now. What an idiot! He should have said no to Jan. And Brett was no better.

I’m fucked!

How the hell was he supposed to live in the same house as the woman who made him hard just by looking at him? Every time he thought about her he couldn’t help but imagine what he would do with that luscious body if it was his to play with.

Bracing himself, he climbed out of his truck and headed toward the house.

Opening the door, the first thing that assailed him was the wonderful smell of something cooking. He headed for the kitchen, hanging up his jacket on the way through.

The sight that greeted him there knocked him sideways. Aly was bent over the oven, pulling a dish from its depths. Her softly rounded behind was encased in tight blue jeans and as she stood and turned, her face was flushed from the heat of the oven.

Definitely fucked! Just like her if he had his way!

To hide his immediate and rock-hard erection he made his way to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Opening it and taking a slug he turned back, his libido slightly more under control.

“Something smells good.”

He smiled and Aly’s face grew even redder than before. She turned back to the cooker and started to dish up the meal.