Page 42 of Love in the Wild

Hadley’s heart was under the impression she was running for her life, and maybe she should be. Gage wanted to see her again, and she was wholly unprepared for this development. “I don’t have any updates for you.”

“I’m sure we can find something to talk about.”

There went her whole plan to guard her heart. Gage wasn’t the kind of man you bring home to Mama, but a nagging in Hadley’s heart said there was more to him than just pretty words.

“Okay. I can be there around noon.”

“Good night, Hadley. Sweet dreams,” Gage whispered.

Oh, that tugging in her chest wouldn’t stop. She was being drawn to Gage Howard, whether she liked it or not.

“Good night. Sweet dreams to you too.”

When the call ended, Hadley rested the phone beside her on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

Hadley pulled up at Beau’s garage ten minutes before noon, and Gage was already waiting at his truck. He adjusted the ball cap on his head when he spotted her. He wore the same T-shirt with the sleeves cut out, despite the cold weather, and his jeans were covered in grease.

Gage met her at her door and offered her a hand. She pressed her hand into his, and a warmth rushed up her arm. His larger hand completely wrapped her up.

Uh-oh. Maybe touching should be off-limits.

He released her once she was standing, and she said a quick prayer for peace.

When she met him at the tailgate, he was pulling out two plastic containers. He opened one and set it in front of her before opening the other. “Hope you like pork roast.”

Hadley’s mouth watered as the spiced meat aroma hit her senses. “Did you make this?”

“I know it’s shocking, but I’ve been feeding myself for years.”

“I mean, this smells good enough to be a family recipe passed down from your grandma or something.”

“Ha. My grandma was awful. She didn’t have any family recipes to share.”

Hadley gasped. “I can’t believe you’d talk about your grandma that way.”

“If you’d spent two minutes with her, you’d agree with me.”

“So, you’re a self-taught cook.”

Gage raised his fork. “Guilty.” He opened a cooler in the bed of his truck and pulled out two bottles of water.

He offered her one, but she shook her head. “I have a drink in the car.” She ducked into her car and grabbed her drink before joining him back at the tailgate.

He watched her intently as she sipped her drink. “Wish I knew who I was stealing you away from every day.”

“My boss,” Hadley said as she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks to the Lord. When she opened her eyes, Gage was chewing on his first bite and watching her.

“How’s your day been?” he asked.

Hmm. So he wasn’t going to comment on her prayer. At least he didn’t feel the need to belittle her or make a rude comment. She hadn’t run into that much since becoming a Christian, but she had tough skin, so she was ready to defend her new beliefs as needed.

“Great, actually.” She started to tell him about helping Brett and Jess at the barn but shoved a bite of the roast into her mouth instead. It was surprisingly delicious. Why was it so difficult not to talk to Gage?

“You’re not gonna tell me what you do for a living?” Gage asked.

“Nope. I’ll tell you it’s something that I love and I have the best boss and co-workers ever, but that’s all you’ll get.”

“Not sure I’ve met anyone who loves working like you do.”

---