by Devney Perry
As much as I liked Hunter, I didn’t need to go through all that again.
So I gave up my questions and sat quietly, alternating sips of water and wine while Hunter studied the brands on the table. He opened his mouth once only to shut it again before speaking.
Dates suck. Of all the awkward dinners I’d had lately, this was by far the worst. I so badly wanted to know Hunter, to see if there was more between us than just a physical attraction. But it didn’t look like I was going to get the chance.
He just kept staring at the table, unspeaking.
I wasn’t shy. He could at least ask questions about me.
Thankfully, our meals arrived a few minutes later and I dove into my steak, chewing each juicy bite longer than I normally would just to keep my mouth occupied. Though the food was delicious, the knot in my stomach kept me from enjoying the meal.
By the time I’d finished my dinner, I’d decided to go for it again, to give Hunter one last chance to share just a little about himself. “Is your family going to come out and visit once you get moved into your new house?”
He looked up from his steak and met my eyes. “No.”
A one-word answer.
I waited with my fingers crossed, hoping he’d keep talking, but he took his last bite and stayed quiet.
Well, I guess that was that.
As much as I wanted to spend time with Hunter, I wouldn’t be ignored. I wouldn’t be kept at arm’s length. Not ever again.
My eyes searched the restaurant for our waitress. When she glanced my way, I held up a hand and signaled for the check. “Well, I’d better be going. I’ve got some work to do tonight. Thanks for joining me so I didn’t have to sit alone.” I didn’t wait for the check before diving into my purse for my wallet, yanking out five twenty-dollar bills.
“You don’t have to rush off. Did you want to stay for another drink or dessert?”
“No.” See that, Hunter? I can give one-word answers too.
He nodded. “All right, but I’ve got dinner.”
“This wasn’t a date so I’ll pay for my own. Thanks though.” I tossed my money on the table and slid out of the booth, but before I could make my escape, his hand gently wrapped around my elbow.
I gasped at the electricity zapping up my arm and my feet stopped. I turned and stared down at Hunter as my eyes followed his every move.
He grabbed my money, slid out of the booth and stood right in my space. My chin tipped back so I could keep his eyes. How had I never noticed just how tall he was? When his hand fell away from my elbow, I immediately wanted it back. How was it possible to be annoyed with a man but still want to wrap my arms around him at the same time?
“Maisy.” His voice was back to the warm, rich timbre I’d been hearing in my good dreams this past week. “I’m buying dinner.”
I swallowed hard. “Okay.”
“Thank you for letting me eat with you. I’m sorry for not being very talkative tonight. I guess it was just a long day.”
How would I know if he’d had a long day? He hadn’t told me anything. In the hour that we’d been sitting together, I knew no more about him than I had two days ago.
“Sure, I understand. It’s fine.” It wasn’t, but I didn’t tell him the truth. I wanted some space, some time to mourn another bad date. Some time to come to grips with the fact that this chemistry between us was all we’d ever share. “I’m just going to head out. Good night, Hunter.”
“Wait.” He touched my elbow, and again, my body’s response overruled my brain’s decision. “I’ll meet you in the lobby tomorrow at one o’clock.”
Shit. The pictures. “Don’t worry about it. You’re off the hook. I appreciate you appeasing my mom the other day but you don’t need to—”
“Tomorrow. One o’clock. I’d really like the opportunity to do this project.”
I was tempted to argue, to tell him I wanted a photographer with more experience, but the hopefulness in his eyes melted my resolve. “Okay. Tomorrow.”
Our waitress came over with the bill and I used her arrival as my chance to leave, not wasting any time rushing out the doors and getting in my 4Runner. What a bummer. By the time I got home, I was ready for my dessert. I sat on my couch with a pint of Häagen-Dazs and told myself I was glad.
I was glad I hadn’t told Gigi about Hunter. I was glad I didn’t have to call her and explain that he and I hadn’t hit it off after all. I was glad I’d learned all this before my heart could get attached.
I was glad things between us would be simple.
I’d let Hunter take pictures for the motel. I’d let him rent out room eight for a couple more weeks. Then I’d say good-bye to Hunter Faraday and hope my feelings for him disappeared as soon as he checked out of my inn.
Hunter
Ten feet from the motel’s lobby door, my phone rang. Digging it out of my pocket, I cursed at the name on the screen. Nell.
If I didn’t answer, she’d keep calling all afternoon and I didn’t want her distracting me from my time with Maisy. I hit accept and pressed the phone to my ear. “Yes?”
“I was just calling to check on you. See if you’re doing okay. You sounded so down last night.”
“I’m fine. I told you the same last night.”
“Oh, Hunter. I miss you so much.”
What a damn liar. Her gentle and sweet voice was as fake as her nose. “Is there a reason for your call? I’ve got somewhere to be.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come back to Chicago?”
“I’m sure.” Something else I’d told her last night. “My house will be done soon. Work is going great. I think Prescott is the right place for me to settle down and plant some roots.” I knew that last part would get her all riled up, but I didn’t care. She’d been calling nonstop from the moment I’d left Chicago and my patience had worn thin.
“You can’t mean that.”
“I do. I’ll stay here for as long as it takes for you to drop this ridiculous idea.”
“It’s not ridiculous,” she spat.
Now the real Nell was coming out. Her teeth were bared and her sharp claws out. I bet that as soon as I hung up, she’d have an epic tantrum. I felt bad for the housekeeper on days like today because Nell would rant and rave, taking her anger at me out on anyone in the vicinity.
“I’m going to hang up now. Enjoy your Sunday.”
“Hunter, don’t you dare hang up on—”
I ended the call and not two seconds later it rang again.
“Enough,” I answered. “Stop calling me. I’ve told you how I feel and I won’t change my mind. Back off before I’m forced to do something drastic.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Yes. Stop this, Nell. Last warning.”
“Don’t you threaten me, Hunter. Remember who you’re talking to, dear,” she hissed.
I remembered. My loyalty to Nell was weak, but I remembered why I took her shit. We had too much history to overlook, and as much as I’d like to say good-bye forever, I couldn’t find the guts to just cut her out of my life.
But that didn’t mean I’d stand idly by and let her do something so wrong.
“Back off.” My heart was racing but I managed to keep my voice low. “Back off now or everything I’ve been keeping quiet for years will come out so fast you’ll get whiplash.”
“You won’t,” she dared.
“I will. I’m done pandering to you. Don’t push me on this and don’t call me again. Not unless it’s to tell me you’ve fired your slime-bag attorney. Good-bye.”
I ended the call and waited, expecting it to ring again, but it stayed silent. I tucked it away in my jeans and took a couple of deep breaths, settling my heartbeat before continuing down to the lobby.
I’d either made a mistake by threatening Nell and she’d go off the deep end, or I’d done something I should have done years ago. Only time would tell. But I couldn’t worry about Nell right now. Today, I had to fix a different mistake.
I had to reverse the damage I’d done last night at dinner with Maisy.
How had she managed to only ask me questions I really couldn’t answer? My past wasn’t something I could talk about yet. Certainly not my family. I’d felt her pull away after a couple of my brush-off answers and from there, dinner had gone downhill fast.
Which meant today I needed to do some explaining.
Somehow, I had to figure out how to open up without revealing too much.
Maisy
“Hey,” Hunter said, pushing open the lobby door.
He’d trimmed his beard since last night. The image of his shortened whiskers rubbing against my jaw popped into my mind and I shook my head, trying to get it out. That was not the road I wanted to go down today. I was still disappointed in how things had gone at dinner but I was resigned to acting professionally during our outing today. This was official business for the motel, after all. Thinking about his beard on my skin was a no-no.
“Hey back. Ready to go?” I grabbed my purse from the counter and slung it over a shoulder. Mom was upstairs with Coby and I wanted to leave before she came down and harassed us about our plans for the afternoon. I wouldn’t put it past her to force some sort of dinner date and I didn’t want to drag this out.
“Ready,” Hunter said. “Have you had lunch?”
I shook my head. “Just a snack when Coby ate around noon. I thought maybe we could get something to-go from downtown.”
“Sounds great.”
I nodded for him to go out first so I could hang up my sign and lock up the lobby door. He stood close, and when the breeze picked up, his cologne filled my nose. Mindlessly, I took in an extra-long breath, then huffed it out when I realized what I’d done.
Enjoying his smell was another no-no.
“All set.” I stepped away from the secured door and followed him to his white truck. He went to my door first, opening it for me to hop inside, then closing it when I was set. While he walked around the hood of the truck, I glanced around his truck.
The front seat was clean, the leather new and recently conditioned, but the back was a mess. There were empty jerky bags on the bench seat and the floor was scattered with protein bar wrappers. In between all of that were a few crumpled white takeout bags from the café.
“Sorry for the mess,” Hunter said as he slid behind the wheel.
“No problem.”
“I’m not great at cooking for myself so I’ve just been grabbing food from the café or sandwiches from the gas station. I eat in here a lot and haven’t gotten around to taking out the trash.”
None of this surprised me. I was due to clean his room tomorrow but I already knew what I’d find: empty kitchenette cupboards, unused dishes and a refrigerator with various bottles of Vitaminwater.
I bet Hunter regretted sliding into my booth last night at The Black Bull. He’d come looking for a nice meal, an escape from takeout and gas-station food, and instead we’d had an awkward non-date.
I slumped in my seat. Had I gone too far with all of my questions? I probably shouldn’t have gotten so annoyed that he hadn’t spilled his entire life story. I’d let a few vague similarities between him and Everett’s demeanor ruin the night.
Before Hunter put the truck in drive, he looked at me. “I need to apologize for dinner. I’m not used to sharing much about myself, and I didn’t mean for things to get uncomfortable.”
I could respect that. There were things I didn’t like to share either. So swallowing my pride, I sighed. “No, dinner was my fault. I was being intrusive. Forgive me for being nosy?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” He smiled, looking as relieved as I felt. “Ask all the questions you want, just know I might not answer. It’s not easy for me to open up and I’ll apologize in advance because it’s probably going to happen again. Can you live with that?”
“Sure.” I didn’t really like it, but I could live with it. At least Hunter was honest—something Everett had never been. And like Gigi had said, not every guy was a drug-dealing killer. I just needed to give Hunter some time to open up. “Any chance we can forget about dinner and just enjoy the day?” Starting over with Hunter seemed like the best idea I’d had in years.
“I’d really like that.” He smiled at me again and my heart melted to goo. “What do you feel like for lunch, Blondie? The café or the deli?”
“Uh, Blondie?”
He grinned. “That cannot be the first time someone has called you Blondie.”
“No, not by a long shot.” I giggled. “And I’d prefer the café if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.”
For the rest of our short drive downtown, my smile was firmly fixed in place. How was it that a pet name could make me feel so special? Blondie wasn’t particularly unique or creative, but it really worked for me in Hunter’s sexy voice.
By the time we parked and walked into the café, all of the distress I’d felt earlier had vanished. The rock that had taken up residence in my stomach last night turned to dust and my crush on Hunter came raging back to life.
“So what’s your master plan for today?” Hunter asked as we sat at a couple of empty stools by the counter in the café, watching our sandwiches being made in the kitchen.
“I thought we could start here on Main Street. I’d like to do a mixture of iconic places in town and landscape pictures from around the county. We could start down here today since it’s relatively quiet. I was thinking the movie theater for sure. Maybe the café too?”
He nodded. “Good idea. An inside or an outside shot?”
“Either one is fine. I’d also really love to get a shot that looks down Main Street. Maybe something from an elevated point of view if you could manage it?” It was the photo I wanted maybe the most, but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy short of renting an airplane.
He thought about it for a moment. “I wonder if one of the gas stations would let me up on their roof.”
“Would that be high enough?”
“I think so.”
“Sweet! I will call the owners tonight and see if either one would allow it. I’m sure the Gas ‘N’ Go will let you. The owner’s son went to school with me and put gum in my hair once. That family owes me.”
He grinned down at me before he started chuckling. “Do you know everyone in this town?”
“Pretty much everyone.” Everyone except him. Hunter was the most mysterious person to move to Prescott in years.
He chuckled. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Where else are we taking pictures?”
“I’d like to do one of the community fishing pond. It’s where my grandpa and dad taught me and my brothers to fish. I was thinking maybe we could do something with Coby there. I’d like it to be a candid, maybe just his silhouette from behind or something?”
“Wait. You fish?”
“I fish. Worms and all,” I declared proudly. I had my girly girl moments but I embraced my inner tomboy too. “Why do you look so surprised?”
He just smiled wider. “I’ve never met a woman that looks like you but admits she’d willfully touch a worm.”
“Is that a compliment?”
His eyes softened. “A big one.”
With the slightest touch, he plucked a stray hair off my shoulder. Tingles ran down my arm, leaving goose bumps in their wake. How could such large hands be so delicate at the same time? I wanted to know what they could do to my skin in softer places.
God, I am crushing hard on this guy. Harder than ever before.
And judging by the heated look in his eyes, he was crushing on me too.
“Here you go.” Our waitress plopped a white sack on the counter, breaking our moment. “That will be eighteen fifty.”
I peeled my eyes away from Hunter’s and dove into my purse for my wallet.
“I’ve got it.” Before I could fish out my wallet, Hunter had left a hundred-dollar bill on the bar and tucked the bag under his arm.
“I can pay for these. Really. I sho
uld. This is a business expense—”
“Maisy.” He cut me off. “I’ll always pay for meals. It’s just one of those things I was raised to do.”
Dad had taught my brothers the same thing. Mom had taught me to let them. “Okay. Thank you.”
I’d pay Hunter back with a home-cooked meal every day for the next two weeks. Hunter’s room would be fully stocked with Tupperware by the time he checked out of my motel.
Waving good-bye to the small late-lunch crowd in the café, I followed Hunter outside to the sidewalk where he handed me my turkey sub, then dug out his ham. Each of us unwrapped and rewrapped the deli paper around our sandwiches so we could walk and eat at the same time.
“All right, so we’ve got the theater, the café, the Main Street shot and the fishing pond,” he said after chewing. “What else?”
I swallowed my bite and rattled off the rest of my wish list. “I’d like one of the Jamison River but I’m not picky on the spot. I’d like to do one of the inn but not until I get flowers planted. Oh, and there’s an old homestead barn on my friend’s ranch that is really cool. I thought we could go check it out. And then I was hoping to do one up at Wade Lake.”
“That’s only eight. You’ve got, what, fourteen rooms total?”
“Yeah, but I can just double up.” It was a lot to ask that I get fourteen unique photographs at fourteen locations, and since he was doing this in his free time, I didn’t want to impose. I’d just make do with eight.
“No.” Hunter stopped on the sidewalk. “You’re not doubling up. You need to think of another six spots.”
“Since we never discussed price for your time, let’s just go with eight. I don’t want you to feel obl—”
With his free hand, Hunter touched my arm. “Six more spots, Maisy. We’ll hit those up next weekend.” His voice was gentle but firm. “However long this takes, it doesn’t matter. I’ll give you all the time in the world until you get this exactly the way you want.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I’m sure. I want to do this. Please let me?”
