Page 83 of 5 Golden Flings

She tried to steel herself against the softening she felt inside, but there wasn’t any harm in shared sympathy. Right? “My father died seven months ago.”

“Itishard.”

She didn’t really want to talk about it, but how uncomfortable would they be in total silence? “So you just, what, rescue?”

He flashed a half grin. “I’m on call with the local rescue group, which is mostly small stuff with the occasional tragedy thrown in. Accidents on farms and the forests here can get ugly. But for my day job, I help manage a local BBQ restaurant and bar.”

She could somehow see him working very well with customers. That smile would certainly charm any woman but also make men feel liked and included. He probably brought in plenty of tips.

“It gave me time when I needed it to be with my granddad.”

Silence reigned for a moment, but Brynn forced herself to take a quick drink of sweet tea. Even though she’d laid out her ultimatum, she felt like they were at a crossroads. She could go on being stubborn and make this whole stay very unpleasant, even though one quick look at the pelting ice outside the kitchen windows reassured her he couldn’t control the weather or getting stranded here.

What happened had happened...she still had to protect herself somehow. But she still found herself saying, “My name is Brynn Asher.”

His glassthunkedas it hit the counter. “Brynn Asher? Old farmer Asher’s daughter?”

“He wasn’t actually that old.”

“To a ten-year-old, he was. Wow. Little Brynn all grown up.”

Why did that make her feel both uncomfortable inside but also sparked a thrill that he also remembered her name?

“I’ve had a lot going on since my dad’s death. I’ve spent a lot of time working through my dad’s estate, including decisions I had to make for his business?—”

“Oh, what did he do after y’all moved?”

“He was a nature photographer and I helped him sell his stock to galleries and private collectors.” Colby didn’t look turned off by that so she added, “We’d recently licensed some of his work for products that are sold in national park gift shops, so I have had some work to do.”

Which was an understatement. Because her father had kept his illness a secret, she’d had no way to prepare for what would happen after his death. And his denial seemed to extend to not preparing for it himself, thus the legalities had been quite complicated.

“Maria thought I’d enjoy the quiet here.”

Colby’s sudden skeptical look caused a tingle of worry. “But why here?” he finally asked. “It’s nowhere.”

True if you weren’t looking for the things she was. “If you think it’s nowhere, why are you here?” Better to focus on him. But his answer surprised her.

“Honestly, I haven’t figured that out yet.”

Brynn felt like she was standing on the edge of some deep philosophical waters that she wasn’t ready to dip her toe into, especially since she had enough questions and uncertainty of her own.

And a mission he was standing in the way of.

Considering she needed to start searching, how was she going to do that with him here? Her simple explanation of taking a vacation didn’t jive with checking for hidden photographs in the house.

In that moment, it was all a little overwhelming. Brynn liked being in control. Nothing about this current situation was under her control. She didn’t like that one bit.

“Let me get you some blankets.”

He nodded. “So where are you planning to sleep?”

“Upstairs. And you’re sleeping on the couch.”

“Hmm...guess my school bus buddy still doesn’t think she knows me well enough?”

Not enough for him to be upstairs with her. If he was up there, she definitely wouldn’t be able to search for anything.

“I know a few things, Big Boy.” More than enough considering what she’d seen in the shower, but not nearly enough to trust him with her secrets.

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