Page 17 of Mountains Divide Us

I didn’t respond to that, but the thought flitted through my head that maybe she was a little nuts. She’d lived through one Wisper winter. She should’ve known better than to not have proper protection from the cold in the middle of February.

She looked up at the side of my face and, in a quiet voice, said, “It’s weird that you’re so forward.”

“Weird?” I wasn’t forward. I just didn’t want her to stop touching me.

“Yeah, because you don’t really talk. I thought you were shy, but—”

“I ain’t shy.”

“I’m getting that.”

She squeezed my arm and faced forward as we walked past Henly’s Gift Shop on the north end of Main Street. Henly’s was a longtime Wisper staple, but we’d had a few new businesses like Paulo’s pop up around town since Theo Burroughs had opened up the community center, Ace’s House, in the middle of downtown, next to the station. He was rumored to be a billionaire, and apparently, he had a lot of rich friends. The Italian restaurant really was too fancy for our small town, but I’d heard the food was good.

“So,” she said, “did you grow up here?”

“No.”

“Oh.” It took a minute, but she continued, “I guess I assumed because of your accent.”

“Grew up in Texas.”

“Where in Texas?”

“Little town called Risk. East Texas.”

“I’ve never been there.”

Not many people had. I’d lived other places in Texas before my mama died, but I worked hard not to think about them. Or her.

We crossed Washington Street, and Samantha’s grip on my arm got a little tighter. Not that there was any traffic for me to protect her from, but I liked that she knew I would.

Stopping in the middle of the road, she pulled ever so gently. “Frank?”

I turned, and we were face to face. Seeing her in my leather jacket was some kind of turn-on. The jacket dwarfed her, but she’d settled into it like it was her own. I didn’t think she noticed me watching out of the corner of my eye when she’d sniffed the collar. I was glad I’d made the decision to grab another shower when I’d taken Grumbly home. I’d even used the aftershave that had been sitting on my bathroom counter for more than a couple years, untouched.

“If you’ve changed your mind, it’s okay. We don’t have to go to dinner.”

Pulling the sides of the jacket together to keep the warmth in when she shivered again, I stepped closer, a little confused. “Haven’t changed my mind.”

“Okay, it’s just…” Her eyes were big and bright as she looked at me. Was she nervous? “You’re barely talking to me. You give one-word answers, but even that feels like pulling teeth.”

Barely talking? I’d just said more to her than I had to anyone in the last year, or at least, that was how it felt. Dammit. I needed to salvage this, or she’d change her mind.

Checking behind me for traffic that still wasn’t there, I turned back to her and lifted my hands to her face. I held it, feeling my warm hands heat her cold cheeks. “I haven’t changed my mind, Samantha. I’m quiet. I reckon it’s just my nature, but I promise you, there’s nowhere on earth I’d rather be.”

CHAPTER SIX

SAMANTHA

Whoa.

Frank Sims was intense. It felt like he wanted to be on a date with me, but seriously, I was doing all the work, trying to coax basic information out of him. But when he looked in my eyes and promised there was nowhere else he’d rather be, I felt it in deep-down places. My core heated and zinged, and my mouth went slack.

Having his attention focused on me now that we were actually engaging in conversation—sparse though it was—felt really good.

His eyes zeroed in on my lips, and I wanted him to kiss me. I’d been dreaming about him kissing me for forever. Since that first day, when I’d fallen into his arms. It seemed like he wanted it, too, as he leaned even closer, but then he cleared his throat, turned us, and he dragged me to the sidewalk. “C’mon. You’re freezin’.”

“Okay.” It was true. I was so cold, I thought my legs would freeze like popsicles. Whose bright idea had it been to walk to the restaurant?

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