by Kait Nolan
Sebastian stayed silent a moment as they both stared out over the valley. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe you won’t be able to see that other way until you take everything else away from the equation?”
She couldn’t even fathom it. “That feels like the height of irresponsibility. Logan had a plan when he dropped out of grad school. He knew he wanted to do this, and he’s made it work. I’ve been focused on law my entire adult life. I don’t have the first clue what else I’d do. In the middle of the worst of the panic and anxiety, I’ve tried to imagine it, and my brain just comes up with static. A total blank.”
“The middle of an anxiety attack is probably not the best time to be considering your career alternatives. Either way, you don’t have to know yet. You don’t have to do anything but focus on the right now. Stop thinking about stuff that hasn’t happened yet. Regardless of what your dad wants, you haven’t accepted that job. You haven’t graduated yet. That decision is still out there. It’s not set in stone. So focus on what’s in front of you. For the next ten days, nothing else matters.”
He was what was in front of her. And maybe he wasn’t her future, but he was a helluva lot more appealing to think about.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“I can handle that.” Lips curving, she tossed his own words back at him. “And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to handle you.”
Sebastian threw back his head and laughed. “All in good time.”
Chapter 6
“Lunch or groceries first?” Sebastian asked.
Laurel’s stomach chose that moment to growl. “I believe the jury has spoken.”
“Lunch it is.” He whipped into the first vacant space he found on Main Street. “The diner’s a couple blocks up.”
“I don’t mind the walk.”
Slipping out of the truck, they fell into step, shoulder-to-shoulder. Because he itched to thread his fingers with hers, Sebastian shoved his hands into his coat pockets. He didn’t need to get used to easy, date-like behavior with her. This thing between them was time-limited. Plus, small towns were gossip central. No matter how much confidence Laurel had that Logan wouldn’t bat an eye at their involvement, Sebastian would just as soon word of them being cozied up together didn’t get back to him.
Eden’s Ridge was decked out for Christmas, with pre-lit wreaths on all the street lights and a banner stretching across Main Street announcing some Christmas Bazaar the following week. Store windows were all holidayed up, with spray-on snow frosting the glass and a whole range of Christmas trees, reindeer, and Santas, in all manner of setups, reminding everybody of the season.
Laurel’s smile seemed to grow wider with every store they passed. “Okay, this town is seriously cute. All it needs is a blanket of snow and it would be the perfect setting for a Hallmark Christmas movie.”
Sebastian hadn’t given a lot of thought to Eden’s Ridge since he’d moved here. When he’d separated from the Army, he’d come to see Porter for some R and R, and stayed for the job. The town itself hadn’t played much role in his decision. In truth, he didn’t need to leave the farm for much, other than stopping by the feed and farm supply. With all the produce and meat produced by Maxwell Organics, he rarely even had to come into town for groceries. Logan couldn’t afford to pay him much of a salary, but the trade-off of a roof over his head and most of the food he ate more than made up for it. His expenses beyond that were minimal. Sebastian wasn’t a social guy and didn’t have a clue what kind of stuff there was to do. Though, since Harrison and Ty had relocated here, too, Porter usually managed to drag them all out for a beer and a meal a couple times a month.
It was fun to see everything through Laurel’s eyes. She tried to look everywhere at once, her step bouncing with excitement as they strolled. She stopped to admire some blown glass…thing in the front window of Moonbeams and Sweet Dreams, the florist and gift shop. “Oh, this is lovely.”
Sebastian didn’t have any idea what it was, but he supposed the vivid colors, bleeding one into the next, were pretty.
“I’ll have to come back to do my Christmas shopping.”
“I figured you were the type to have an itemized list that was all checked off by Halloween.”
Laurel laughed. “You would be wrong. If it didn’t have a grade attached to it, I haven’t thought about it in years. I actually have picked up a couple of gifts already, but when I left Nashville, I hadn’t planned on staying until Christmas. I need to get on that.”
“Isn’t that what Amazon’s two-day shipping is for?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Are you one of those people who waits until practically Christmas Eve to do your shopping?”
He didn’t want to admit he just didn’t have many people to buy for, so it wasn’t an issue. “Are you kidding? That would require I people. I’m not getting out in that madness. C’mon. I’m starving.” Taking hold of her elbow, he steered her toward the diner.
Crystal’s was the perfect, old-school, greasy spoon, with a black and white checkerboard floor and a lot of chrome and worn vinyl. The scent of grease and onions hit Sebastian as soon as he walked in the door and his own belly gave a grizzly bear growl. The place was packed with the lingering after-church crowd. Laurel moved ahead of him, making a beeline for the last remaining booth. She slid in on the far side, close to the kitchen—the seat he wanted, so he could see the door. He hesitated, debating whether to sit beside her for the best tactical position or take the opposite side and feel his skin crawl the entire meal, every time the door opened.
Cozy it is.
“Scoot over.”
Surprised pleasure flickered over Laurel’s face, when he slid in next to her. He realized his mistake almost instantly. These booths weren’t big, not for a guy his size. Sharing one side meant they were pressed together from shoulder to knee. Awareness prickled his skin as she shifted, tucking an arm through his and tipping her head to his shoulder in a sort of mini-hug. It felt damned good to have her there, all snugged up against him, but the closeness was wreaking havoc on his good intentions.
He nodded toward the condiment stand. “Grab a menu.”
Laurel leaned forward, her hand slipping down his arm to rest on his leg. She left it there as she held the menu where they could both see, commenting the various options that sounded good. Sebastian didn’t hear a word because the warmth of her hand on his thigh had him mentally reciting past Kentucky Derby winners to keep from embarrassing himself in public.
“Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here.”
Just fucking perfect.
Ty stood at the edge of their table, deputy’s hat in hand, his lips twitching into a smile, as he took in their cozy position. His sharp blue gaze dropped to where Laurel’s hand rested on Sebastian’s leg and the smile morphed into a full-out grin as he drew God knew what conclusions. “Are you gonna introduce me to your lady friend?”
No matter how much Sebastian wanted to shoot off an eat-shit-and-die glare, he couldn’t say a damned thing. Because this was the first real sign he’d seen of the man Ty used to be, and he didn’t want to shut his friend down. No matter what kind of hell he was about to catch.
As the silence stretched on too long, Laurel smoothly unwound her arm and looked to Sebastian for cues, but he could feel the fresh tension where her thigh touched his.
Shit.
“This is Laurel Maxwell. Laurel, this is Ty Brooks, one of my friends from Army days.”
“Nice to meet you, Ty.” It was the well-trained debutante reaching across him to offer her hand.
“Maxwell. Like Maxwell Organics Maxwell?”
“Logan’s my brother. I came up for his wedding this weekend, and I’m sticking around to dog-sit while he’s on his honeymoon.”
“Oh, so you’re staying out at the farm, helping Sebastian out?” He went brows up in an expression that was probably supposed to be innocent.
“Dude, you’re really gonna have to work on your interrogation skills
,” Sebastian told him.
The arrival of their waitress cut off Ty’s retort. As she took their drink orders, Sebastian caught Ty’s eye and switched to eyebrow speech. Drop it.
Fine. For now. But I expect details later.
Sebastian scowled. You’re such a girl.
With a sound somewhere between a grunt and a laugh, Ty plunked his hat on his head. “Well, I best be getting back out there. I’m on duty. Y’all have a nice lunch. Laurel, it was good to meet you.”
She lifted her hand in a wave.
Sebastian nodded. “Later, man.”
They both watched as Ty zipped up his Sheriff’s Department coat and stepped outside.
Laurel pursed her lips. “You’re gonna be hearing about this later, aren’t you?”
“Oh yeah.”
She winced. “Sorry.”
Wanting to put her back at ease, Sebastian mustered a smile. “It’s nothing I can’t manage.”
Their waitress came back with their drinks, and took their lunch order. They both got the Sunday Special: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans.
As soon as she was gone, Laurel shifted in the seat, back against the wall, so she could face him. “So you and Ty were in the Army together?”
“Yeah.” She was clearly waiting for more. He didn’t want to talk about his own time in the Army. But he knew he needed to give her something. “He’s the last of our group to get out. Got injured from a roadside bomb and decided not to go back.” That had more to do with losing his best friend to that IED than his own injuries, but that wasn’t his story to tell.
“And now he’s a deputy here?”
He nodded, sipping at his sweet tea. “Just started a couple months back.”
“Did you ever think of switching over to law enforcement?”
“Not my thing. It’d require dealing with people, and I’d rather not.”
She huffed a laugh. “You aren’t doing so bad with me.”
“You’re not people.”
The arrival of their food provided a natural break to the conversation, and when he steered things away from his service for the rest of the meal, she didn’t pursue it. They continued to stick to easier topics as they walked the three blocks back to Garden of Eden for groceries.
Sebastian grabbed a buggy. “You can’t be serious.”
“As a heart attack.”
“You seriously like Elvis?”
“Come on now. I’m from Memphis. It’s practically a requirement for residency.”
“Tell me you’ve at least picked up some better musical taste since you moved to Nashville,” he begged.
“Such as?”
“I don’t know. You’re living in the country music capital of the world. You’ve gotta be appreciating some of that.”
“I do have a soft spot for Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood,” she admitted.
Sebastian mimed wiping his brow. “Oh, good. We can still be friends.”
“Sebastian!”
The familiar female voice had his hands fisting on the handle of the shopping cart. Of course. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.
Laurel only had time to widen her eyes before they were set upon.
“You’ve been hiding.” Ivy swooped in for a hug.
Sebastian squeezed her back, relieved to see she wasn’t alone. “Of course, I have. You keep using me for manual labor when I don’t.”
“It was one time! Okay, maybe two, but we’re moved in now.” She turned to Laurel, her eyes dancing with interest. “And who is this?”
Knowing Harrison’s girlfriend would read more into an evasion, he didn’t even try to get out of introductions.
“Ivy, Harrison, this is Laurel Maxwell. Laurel, my friends, Ivy Blake and Harrison Wilkes.”
Everybody shook hands.
“Maxwell. Are you—” Harrison began.
“Logan’s sister. Yes,” she finished. “Does everybody know everybody around here?”
“Well, we’ve only been here a few months, but yeah, that’s the general consensus,” Harrison acknowledged.
Ivy threaded her arm through Harrison’s. “Laurel, you’ll have to come to dinner.”
The out-of-the-blue invitation ruffled Laurel’s usual social grace. “I…um…”
Harrison’s lips quirked. “Way to segue, babe.”
“Call it a consequence of constantly hanging out with all your friends. I’m starved for female company.”
“Sure, we’ll call it that,” he teased.
Sebastian still couldn’t get used to seeing his usually serious friend this relaxed. Love had made him soft, but in a good way. Ivy smoothed out his rough edges.
“Tomorrow night,” she continued.
“No, you’ve got that conference call with your publicist,” Harrison reminded her.
“Wednesday, then. You’ll still be here Wednesday night?”
“Yes. I’m dog-sitting for my brother while he’s on his honeymoon.”
“So you’ve got a couple of weeks.” Ivy exchanged a Look with Harrison, and Sebastian knew she was thinking sometimes that was all it took. For a thriller writer, she’d gotten all romantic and shit since she and Harrison got together. She’d been on a less-than-subtle crusade to play matchmaker. He needed to nip this whole thing in the bud. Laurel wasn’t moving to Eden’s Ridge permanently, so nothing could happen beyond this fling.
Maybe if he kept reminding himself of that, the idea would stick.
“She’s not gonna take no for an answer,” Harrison warned. “You might as well give in now. I know this from experience.”
Ivy stuck her tongue out. “You love my dogged determination.”
While they made googly eyes at each other, Sebastian scrambled, trying to find some means of getting Laurel out of this. But her expression was one of amused curiosity rather than annoyance.
“I’m sorry, I have to be a little nosy here…publicist?”
Ivy waved a hand. “Oh yeah, it’s just a meeting to talk about further promotion for my latest book.”
Laurel’s eyes sharpened. “You’re an author?”
“They both are,” Sebastian added.
“What do y’all write?”
Ivy’s grin turned impish. “Come to dinner and find out.”
Laurel glared at Sebastian in the driver’s seat. “You’re seriously not even going to give me a single clue?”
He only smiled. “Nope.”
“Come on! Google failed me. There’s not a single Ivy Blake or Harrison Wilkes listed on Amazon, so obviously they write under pen names. Won’t you even give me a hint about genre?”
“Oh no, it’ll be a lot more fun to watch you find out on your own.”
On a huff, Laurel crossed her arms. She hoped her teasing snit would cover the nerves bubbling over this dinner. How the hell was she supposed to act tonight? It had been obvious what Ivy thought was going on when she’d issued the invitation. But Laurel wasn’t Sebastian’s girlfriend. They weren’t dating. She didn’t know exactly what they were because, despite their frank conversation to the contrary, he hadn’t done more than kiss her. Wonderful, addictive, toe-curling kisses, yes. But still, just kissing. It wasn’t what she’d expected. He wasn’t what she’d expected.
He’d put her to work the past few days. She had offered, of course, but she hadn’t imagined he’d let her get quite so involved. While he’d been running lessons and working with some of the more problematic rescues, she’d mucked, groomed, polished tack, and ridden. He’d even let her work with a couple of his rescues that were further along, teaching her how to look past her expectations and read their body language and behavior. She’d had the time of her life, even if she’d been feeling aches in muscles she’d forgotten she had. If his master plan was to keep her too busy to dwell on the subject of what came next in her life, mission accomplished. It was probably just as well he hadn’t tried to take her to bed yet. Every night, she fell into a virtual coma as soon as her head hit the pillow. Which was, ad
mittedly, later than planned because of the side research project she’d started.
Sebastian stayed quiet the rest of the drive. He’d been pensive today, and she wasn’t sure why. Was he dreading this dinner as much as she was? Or was something else going on? Had he realized he didn’t want to pursue things with her and was trying to figure out a way to let her down gently? That was a depressing thought. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone. The idea that it could be one-sided made her want to shrink into the seat.
You don’t have enough evidence to prove your case. Stop drawing unfounded conclusions.
“Laurel?”
The rumble of his voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “What?”
“We’re here.”
The generous post-and-beam cabin was lit up like a golden jewel against the winter dark. It was as warm and welcoming as its hostess, who threw open the door and waved them inside, her smile almost as bright as the house.
Laurel unlatched her seatbelt and started to climb out of the truck, but Sebastian caught her hand. “You okay?”
“Fine.” She almost left it at that but couldn’t resist adding, “Are you?”
His eyes widened a fraction. Then his expression softened and he squeezed her hand. “It’s nothing to do with us.”
Us. That one tiny syllable put her mind at ease.
Her shoulders relaxed. “Then let’s go be social.”
“Come in! Come in!” Ivy gave Laurel’s shoulders a squeeze as she stepped into the entryway.
It should’ve been awkward. They didn’t know each other. But Laurel found it impossible to hold on to her discomfort in the face of Ivy’s genuine enthusiasm.
