Page 5 of Wild Mountain Ma n

“I’m sorry.”

His features stayed pretty neutral, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Warmth. Compassion. I found myself staring, trying to figure it out. Once I realized I was staring, though, I quickly jerked my gaze away.

“No, it’s okay,” I said. “I mean, it’s not okay, but life goes on, right?”

In a pathetic effort to hide my awkwardness, I jerked the door open and unbuckled my seatbelt at the same time. I forgot my phone was in my lap, though, and it dropped to the floorboard with athunk.

“I’ll grab that,” he said.

He reached over at the same time I did, his hand landing on the phone and my hand landing on top of his. The unexpected contact sent a heat wave through my body, and I immediately pulled my hand back, then worried he thought his touch bothered me.

But as he handed the phone to me, seemingly careful not to brush my hand again, I knew he’d felt the same thing.

Our eyes met and held, and a different sensation washed over me. It was like cold chills, only more like sparks of electricity.

What was going on here?

“There you go,” he said, letting go of the phone.

He quickly turned his head and climbed out of the truck. I was left standing there, wondering what had just happened.

4

KREBS

Iwasn’t immune to the stares we got as the hostess led Teagan and me to a booth on the other side of the restaurant. I had to keep reminding myself that none of these people knew who I was. They didn’t know my past, which meant they couldn’t define my future.

That was how I looked at it, anyway.

“Is something wrong?” she asked after I sat, scanning the restaurant instead of opening my menu.

I should just say no, nothing was wrong. I wasn’t even sure why being stared at triggered me, anyway. It didn’t make much sense. But despite the fact that she’d returned her attention to the menu, I felt the need to open up to her.

“I should tell you something,” I said.

Her smile faded as she lifted her head to look at me. “What is it?”

I had no idea why I was opening up to her about this. I’d never discussed it with anyone. Ever. I just felt the need to let her know everything about me. If it disgusted her, at least I’d know before I got to know her better.

I took a deep breath and plunged in. “I was kind of a troublemaker when I was a kid, mostly my teenage years. I got into some hot water with the law. Spent some time in juvie. Mostly, I lacked discipline and structure in my life. And that was why I went into the military. They kicked my ass into gear.” I winced. “Sorry. I’ve always had a potty mouth.”

She smiled. “Just hearing you call it a potty mouth makes my day. Exactly what kind of trouble? Nothing serious, I assume.”

“Well, it’s all serious, but most of it was petty crime. I started some fights, shoplifted…basically anything I could do to get my mom’s attention. Childish, I know.”

“But you were literally a child,” she said.

“Tell that to the people in my hometown. That’s why I moved here. I couldn’t take the judgmental stares everywhere I went. I’d walk into a place and women would guard their purses. I never robbed a person in my life. Not that what I did was okay, but I would never take something directly from a person.”

It was all still so fresh, even though twenty years had passed. But just as my former friends and neighbors had continued to gossip and judge me when I came back as an adult, I could never forget the way they turned on me. The way they refused to acknowledge that military life might’ve finally gotten through to me when my mostly absent mom and completely absent father hadn’t even tried.

We paused the conversation to place an order with the server who approached. Teagan ordered a BLT while I got the cheesesteak.

As the server walked away, I made a conscious decision to shift the conversation. This might not be an official date, but I sure didn’t want to spend it talking about my past.

“So, you’re a baker,” I said, sitting back in my seat.

She nodded and instantly lit up. Her smile filled her face, and her eyes were practically sparkling.

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