Page 19 of Falling For You

My brother smiled, and I realized what he was thinking.

I didn’t shoot out of the booth, waiting for an excuse to leave. If I didn’t act now, the news would be all through the family, and I’d be treated like Liddie.

“Actually, I should get going,” I said, glancing at Owen and my brother.

“Oh, sure.” Owen nodded and smiled as I dug into my purse.

“I’ll just leave some—”

“Nope. I’ve got it covered.” Owen shook his head.

The way his eyes caught mine made my tummy knot into something unexpected. Curiosity had become mixed up with attraction, and I only knew I wanted to learn more.

“Actually,” Liam interrupted, “I covered all of ours. It was just easier that way since you started at our table.”

My heart squeezed with love for my brother as I stood from the booth.

“Thanks, Liam.”

Owen stood, holding his beer. “Nice to meet you, Liam. Thanks for the drinks. Since we haven’t officially met, I’m Owen.”

“Good, you have a name.” Liam flashed his familiar and friendly grin. “Those puppies you shot over to us probably cost twice as much as the two I picked up for you. No prob.”

I squeezed my brother. “Great. Then we’re all even, and we can go about our merry way.”

“Nice to see you again, Violet.” Owen’s voice sent a happy shiver through me as we turned to exit.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Liam said, turning to Owen. “If you treat my sister like you did earlier today, a few free drinks won’t be allyou’ll owe us.”

Chapter Five

Violet

The stillness in my tiny cabin made for a peaceful sleep. No honking horns, blaring sirens, or dump trucks roaming the streets. The crisp morning air seeped through the tiny cracks in the cabin’s log walls even though my brother spent eons trying to fill them all.

I stretched beneath the blankets, feeling the thick flannel against my skin, my limbs still heavy with sleep. After yesterday’s events, I found it hard to fall right to sleep, and worse yet, stay asleep.

Owen kept flickering through my mind—specifically, what led him to my little part of heaven.

Everything about him was both infuriating and intoxicating. He was tall, quiet, confident, and had brilliant green eyes that held steady. He seemed out of place in the rustic supper club, but I saw the potential, the ruggedness, nipping at the edges of refinement that was hard to shake.

None of it mattered, though. He was here on business, and I intended to find out whatthat business was.

I pushed the blankets aside, dangled my feet over the side of the bed, and rested my tootsies on the bare, cold wood floor. I peeked out the large window overlooking the woods, which had turned overnight. The amber spread like a carpet rolled across the deciduous trees with crimson pops beneath the towering Jack pines.

This was where I was meant to be for now. I loved waking up to a chill in the air, pulling on my robe, and climbing down the ladder to have my first cup of coffee.

My mom always made breakfast for the guests in the main lodge, and my sisters and I covered lunch and dinner. It took me a few weeks to get into the cadence of my days, but now I couldn’t imagine anything else.

Thanks to my automatic coffeemaker, the smell of coffee drifted through the air. I always set it for thirty minutes before I woke up so that I could smell the aroma. Once I arrived back in Buttercup Lake, I tried to stop being such a planner, but certain things were hard to shake.

I tugged the belt a little tighter on my robe, walked to the kitchen, and poured myself a cup of coffee before I put some wood in the woodstove as I hummed a little song. The place was so tiny that it didn’t take much in the way of wood to make the place feel like a sauna.

Tucking my feet underneath me on the couch, I stared at the stove and smiled, thinking about my day.

We’d planned to make a turkey BLT with homemade potato chips with chives and a veggie wrap as an alternative. I also planned to photograph the items for my blog. I really needed to get back into posting regularly.

What better place than the lodge for a backdrop?

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