Page 5 of Redeeming Harmony

“Nathan is even more of a night owl than you are,” her father said.

She didn’t reply, and after a moment of awkwardness, her dad said, “Well, I appreciate you staying, Nathan.”

“Not a problem. Take some meds for your neck and get some sleep,” Nathan said.

Surprise washed over Harper. Her father’s issues with his neck and back were a closely guarded secret. Until now, she didn’t think anyone knew about it except her, Hal, and her Aunt Savina.

“Thanks again.” Her father smiled at her, but it was strained, and she could see the pain lines formed around it. “C’mon, sweetheart, I’ll drive you back to your car.”

“It can wait until later this morning,” she said.

She didn’t want to wait until later. She’d left the damn thing unlocked, and it had her purse and her phone in it, but she also wasn’t about to make her father drive, not with the pain he was in.

“It won’t take long,” her father said.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said.

She wasn’t too concerned about her stuff being stolen - this was Harmony Falls, after all, where the crime rate was low even though it was a tourist town - but she supposed it was a possibility. The idea of being without her phone for the next six hours, even if she was sleeping, made her embarrassingly uneasy, but she’d survive. Her father’s comfort and health were more important than her addiction to TikTok videos.

“I can drive Harper to get her car,” Nathan said. “If you don’t mind staying here with the dog for a little longer.”

“Not at all.” Relief was written all over her father’s face. “Thank you, Nathan.”

“It’s fine,” Harper said with a brittle smile. “I’ll get it in the morning.”

“Did you lock your car?” her dad asked.

“No, but it’s Harmony Falls,” she said.

“Still not safe. I don’t see your purse or your phone, which means they’re in the car.”

She gave her father an exasperated look that he ignored.

After a moment, Nathan said, “Ready to go, Harper?”

Dammit, why did her name on his tongue make her think of silk sheets and slow, hot kisses?

“Ready,” she said with another icy smile that hurt a little to produce.

With a final hug to her dad, she followed Nathan out of the clinic.

* * *

Nathan hadn’t expectedto meet Harper this way.

He also hadn’t expected to be this damn attracted to her.

He glanced at her as he took the turn out of the clinic driveway back onto the road. She stared woodenly out the window, her blonde hair clinging damply to her neck and her body language practically screaming,don’t talk to me.

He knew she was coming home this week. Warren had mentioned it a few times over the last few weeks. He’d been a weird combination of giddy and sad about Harper’s return, but Nathan hadn’t pried for details. Truthfully, he hadn’t been all that interested in the reason for Warren’s only child to be returning home.

The only picture he’d seen of Harper was the one in a gold frame on Warren’s desk at the clinic. She was maybe thirteen in the picture. And while he knew she was in her twenties now, anytime Warren spoke of her, Nathan pictured the thirteen-year-old with braces on her teeth and pimples scattered across her chin.

He glanced again at her, his mouth going a little dry. She was definitely not thirteen anymore. She was gorgeous with shoulder length blonde hair, delicate features, and stunning blue eyes. The teenage acne had disappeared, leaving soft, smooth skin that he ached to touch. She had a slender, athletic body with small breasts and a spectacular ass. When she’d returned to the clinic wearing a tight pair of yoga pants that showcased her perfect ass beautifully, he’d just about sprouted a damn woody right there in front of her father.

He fervently wished that he’d paid closer attention when Warren spoke about Harper. He knew she’d loved horseback riding as a child, that she was an artist, and that she’d worked at the clinic before moving to New York City. Or was it Rochester she’d moved to? He wasn’t sure.

He wanted to hear her voice again. It was surprisingly deep for her size, and the slight rasp to it did weird things to his insides. Made him wonder how it would sound when she moaned his name or asked him to fuck her.

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