Falling For Mr Grumpy

Chapter 1

I feel like love has ruined me. I'm not even sure how I ended up with him. Instead of a happily ever after, I got pain, hatred, and deceit. Love made me sell myself for someone who married his boss's daughter just a week after I got him out of jail. And that's why I'm now on a U-Haul truck with all my belongings, moving across the country to a small town called Heartsville with a population of only 5,000. Or at least that's what the sign says.

In the span of just two weeks, my life turned upside down, all thanks to Kevin, the man I met back in my early days after college at my first job. In the beginning, he seemed like a kind and genuine person, but as time went on, I began to realize that he had a manipulative and selfish side to him. Looking back, I realize that I may have been too naive and trusting, allowing him to take advantage of me.

It all came crashing down when I found out that Kevin had been taking bribes from clients, giving them inside information on their opponents whose cases our law firm was handling. When he was caught, he was thrown in jail, and I was the one who had to bail him out. Despite everything, I still believed that he was a good person deep down. However, when I asked him why he did it, he uttered the words that still haunt me to this day, "You're the worst mistake of my life."

I was shocked to find out that my partner had made a grave mistake and put my job in jeopardy by attempting to cover it up before my boss could find out. Despite the fact that I had taken a huge risk to protect him by destroying all the evidence, he decided to leave me for a rival law firm simply because I had challenged him on his dishonesty. It was devastating to learn that on the very same day he told me he was moving out of our shared apartment, I discovered that he had been involved with another woman for the entire two years we were together. It's infuriating to think that I wasted so much time and effort on someone who turned out to be such a terrible person.

I refused to dwell on the past and took it upon my self to move forward. "I won't waste my time talking about it," Those two deserve each other. My boss fired me after finding out that I was Kevin's girlfriend and that I had destroyed some files. But I don't regret it. I did what I had to do. Old man Jenkins let me go with no lawsuit, saying that I was a good girl who had made a mistake by getting involved with the wrong man. But I know better than to let anyone else define me. I am a strong woman who can stand up for herself. I was browsing for jobs online and found one as an assistant to a farmer in Heartsville. The farmer even offered me a place to stay, and I will start in two days. I am on my way there now, ready to take on this new opportunity.

I'm not even sure if this is some kind of setup or not. But, I did Google the town, so maybe this is legit. I loved my old job, but working on a farm might not be too bad. I've been driving forever, and this town seems really far from where I started.

"Good thing I brought some snacks to keep me going."

Eight hours later I see the sign welcoming me to heartsville.The town is actually not that bad, I thought it would be one of those cowboy-movie type of places but it's not. Little cute shops line the street on both sides and up ahead is a little school and everything is really in one place .My boss had told me to drive through the town and make a left turn right after the church and go straight then turn into a dirt road on the right and I do as instructed and come up at the dairy farm.

I pulled up to Auntie's Dairy Farm and parked in front of this really cool white farmhouse. The whole place looked pretty new, like it had just been renovated or something. I got out of the truck and looked around. It was a huge farm with dairy cows grazing in the distance and some horses nearby. The smell of fresh paint still lingered in the air.

I knocked on the door, but no one answered. It was quiet, which made me feel a bit uneasy. I decided to look around the property to find someone who could help me. While walking, I saw an old barn in the distance. I could see that its wooden door was worn out. I walked towards it, hoping to find someone inside. The sun was shining bright, casting long shadows on the building, which made it even more interesting.

I walked into the barn, and it was huge! It freaked me out a bit, to be honest. The only sound was the hay crunching beneath my shoes. I said, "Hello?" but it echoed back at me. I saw five horses in the stables. It made sense since it was a dairy farm. But it was so silent it gave me the creeps. Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from somewhere in the barn. I felt nervous because I didn't know the place, and I was acting like I owned it. Maybe I should have waited in the safety of the truck.

"Are you Max?" As I was lost in my own world, a man's voice suddenly interrupted me, and I spun around.
I gasped as I saw the towering figure standing just a few feet away from me. He was huge, and I couldn't stop myself from wondering what he eats to get such a muscular body. His physique reminded me of a soldier, with muscles that looked like they're about to burst out of his skin. He was way taller than me, and I felt like a tiny person standing next to him as I barely reached his upper chest area.

"Answer my question. Are you deaf?" he demands, his tone aggressive. My frustration builds at his impatience.

"Wait, who are you?" I cross my arms and take a defensive stance. There's no way I'll let a guy speak to me like that.

"This is my farm and I don't know you so ...you better get to talking or get the fuck off my property."

"You have no manners Mr Mathews!Is that how you talk to your employees?God I should have known with how desperate you were that you were an ass." I rush past him walking back to my truck. I will not be Intimidated by men anymore.

"So you are Max." He exclaims, grabbing my arm and spinning me around. My heart races as I catch a whiff of his scent - it's like the earth after a rainy day, and it's intoxicating. Despite stumbling into him, I can't take my eyes off him. As I break free from his grip, my body tingles with excitement, letting me know that I'm certainly not immune to the charms of my boss.

"Whoa, hold up," he interjects, stopping me in my tracks. "You ain't leaving just yet. Come on, let's grab your shit from the truck so we can get started on your duties. You're already behind schedule." He snatches my keys and hurries towards the truck to retrieve my bags. I follow him up the stairs, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

"Hurry up!"he growls at the top of the stairs.

I'm huffing and puffing as I make my way up the stairs, feeling completely out of breath. " Not everyone's built like you," I mutter to Mr. Mathews, totally winded. I know I need to exercise more, but this kind of torture is just not my thing.

"This is your room...there's a bathroom in here too so you don't need to worry about your privacy.Towels are already in there."He throws my bag on the bed.

"Let's go."He walks me out of the room before I've even had a chance to look around.

"Slow down."I hiss as he drags me towards the last room on the first floor.

"This is where you'll be working from. It's a shared office, but don't worry - you can use it when I'm not around. I don't spend too much time in here, so feel free to make yourself at home while you're here."

"So, it's only you in the house?" I asked, noticing the man's permanent scowl. Damn, did I piss him off?

"You are here to work and getting to know me ain't part of your job." He stomps off to God knows where .That man needs to be taught some manners.

Looking around the room gives me a headache. There are piles and piles of files stacked up everywhere, making it impossible to tell what's what. I need to find a way to get everything in order. Then, amidst the chaos, I spot an old computer that's been gathering dust for ages. I power it up and get to work, determined to make sense of the mess.

Maybe I should look for another job because that man is the kind I don't want to stay around. God, what have I got myself into?