Page 72 of Falling

“You mean youhavebeen there more recently than 1972?” I tease.

He laughs. “Aren’t they a trip? Mar gives me a hard time if I’m not in there once a week. I haven’t been since you got here…therefore, the dramatics.”

“I loved them. Is there anyone in town I should avoid? Everyone I’ve met seems so nice.”

“Nah. Cecil is an old codger—he owns the grocery store—but you’ll have him wrapped around your little finger in seconds flat. He gets meaner as the season gets busier, but I can’t say I blame him for that.”

Someone passes and waves when they see him. He lifts his hand and nods. It happens more than once and makes me smile every time.

“I didn’t check to see if Scarlett is free. Want to stop in and say hey anyway?”

“I’d love to.”

“You haven’t met their dogs yet either, have you? Lucia and Delgado.”

“No.”

“You’re going to flip when you see how cute they are.” He swipes a hand over his face. “Seems like you should already know everyone in my life. I can’t fathom that I’ve known you for such a short amount of time.”

“I can’t either. I’ve never…” I crinkle my nose and almost lose my nerve to say more, but then decide to go for it. “Does it scare you for me to say that I’ve never felt like this?”

I lift my coffee to my lips, partially to hide behind it. But I don’t turn away from him and since we’re stopped at a light, he’s laser-focused on me.

He reaches out and puts his hand on my thigh, squeezing it. “When it comes to you, I think the only thing that could scare me is if you weren’t feeling the same way as I am,which is something so fucking big, I can’t put it into words. And the thought of you not staying,thatscares me,” he adds.

Traffic starts moving and he squeezes my thigh again, keeping his hand there as we continue down the street, barely making any progress.

“I shouldn’t have said that last part. I never want you to feel pressured to stay,” he says.

“Would you mind if we go to the lodge another day? I don’t think I can keep my hands off of you for much longer.”

He looks in his rearview mirror and ahead to the oncoming traffic and suddenly cuts into the right lane and turns down a side street.

“You’re reading my mind, Ruby Sunshine.”

He makes a few more turns and I lose all sense of direction, but everywhere I look is something else beautiful. I feed him more bites of the turnover and have to restrain myself from groaning with each bite of the chocolate croissant. I can’t tell for sure—I think we’re going away from his place, but he gets past the traffic and winds back through side streets until I recognize where we are again. Still, it’s a surprise when we’re on his street and driving down his driveway.

“It might take me a while to figure out how you got us back here.”

He grins and picks up the pastry box. “A while, I like the sound of that.”

I can’t contain my huge smile as we get out of the truck and Callum groans when I stop to pet the cows and goats and Dolly when they all rush toward the fence.

“Cockblocks, every single one of you,” he mutters, but he doesn’t hesitate to scratch Irene’s ears as she nuzzles up to his hand.

The air is buzzing between Callum and me, so even when I’m giving Dolly and Irene and Delphine love, I’m aware ofhis eyes on me. The way my legs and arms feel like they’re underwater, buoyant and every nerve ending crackling with awareness.

Someone waves in the distance and starts walking toward us. A really attractive woman. I stand up straighter when she calls out and Callum turns and waves.

“That’s Hilary,” he says softly.

When she gets closer, she smiles at me and lifts her hand up in another wave.

“You must be Ruby,” she says. “I’m Sofie’s aunt and she said you and I would hit it right off. She couldn’t say enough nice things about you.”

“Aw, she’s so sweet. I kind of blew into town and created a lot of chaos, but everyone has been so welcoming.” I laugh but cringe when I hear it out loud because it’s the truth.

“Seems like the perfect amount of chaos from what I can tell,” Hilary says, looking between Callum and me with a smile.

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