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“Oh, sorry, are you okay?” he asked, and I felt a couple of large hands reach over to steady me.

“I think so,” I said before the words died in my mouth. The silver fox from the day before stood in front of me. Damn, why do attractive men have such a visceral impact on me?

I felt my face flush before all the blood rushed from my head down to my lower regions. I immediately shook it off, or tried to.No more men!I chastised myself.

“I-I’ve got to go,” I said, slipping out of the man’s grasp.

“Wait, what’s your name?”

I almost didn’t answer, determined not to get involved. I knew no one put their hands on someone like he had if they weren’tinterested in exploring more. His touch had lingered a little too long, and damned if I didn’t like the feel of it.

“Clyde,” is all I said as I darted past him, forcing myself not to look back.

I could almost feel the silver fox’s eyes on my back. If I were lucky, he’d only be a town visitor. He certainly didn’t seem to fit in this part of the world with his fancy haircut, perfectly trimmed beard, and designer clothes. No, he was a tourist, and damn, it’d be better for me when he moved on from Crawford City.

I knew I was being silly, thinking Crawford City would be anything but a stopover for me as well. Nothing lasted long when it came to me and small towns—cities, too, for that matter. I always made some bad decision, almost always regarding some loser, and then I’d be off without any foundation to keep me stable.

I sighed as I closed the door of my motel room and began stripping out of my clothes. I needed a shower after working all day in the hot, sweaty kitchen. I’d let myself indulge in thoughts of being able to stay put for a change. Crawford City seemed nice. If Mrs. Cole was correct, it was even nice to people like me. That still seemed off to me. I couldn’t imagine any small Tennessee town tolerant of gay people.

The world was changing, though. Maybe I was wrong. Anyway, indulgences were for quick showers, then it was time to get your head back on straight. Although anything straight for me was impossible, I’d try in this case.

Images of the man I’d run into forced themselves into my head as I scrubbed off the day. I’d always dreamed of having a loving husband who cuddled me after a long day of work. Those dreams had been behind all my troubles, though. Sorry, sexy silver fox. Starting now, there will be no more men to keep me from finding peace.

I dried off, hung my towel over the shower rod, and climbed into bed. I thought about watching some TV, but I needed rest more than anything. Unfortunately, my stubborn brain thrust images of the man front and center, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Who was he? Where was he from? So many questions. All stupid shit that would sink me again. I banged my hands against the mattress and sighed. You’d think someone who still had the bruises from his last mistake would know better than to obsess over the next bad choice.

I guess that’s just what I am, a loser who couldn’t learn from his past mistakes. “Well, screw that!” I yelled into the room.

Banging on the wall shocked me enough to calm my inner thoughts. I closed my eyes and, this time, fell into a fitful sleep. Fitful was better than none, though.

nine

Ruther

Real estate was inmy blood. I knew it was foolhardy. I wouldn’t be in Crawford City long enough to start or manage a new project, but I couldn’t help myself from looking. The little motel facing the local bar at the edge of town was for sale, and it’d caught my attention.

Well, not so much the motel as the fifty acres that came with it. I could tell the property wasn’t attractive to most investors because, behind the motel, the land dropped down into a ravine. There was also an old railroad track that separated the land from downtown.

A quick search online told me it was unlikely the rail line, which came out of Nashville, would ever be restored. More likely, it would go the way of so many other abandoned railways across the country in becoming a running and biking trail.

Of course, that just made it that much more appealing to me.

When Corey looked over my shoulder to see what I was looking at, I quickly closed my laptop, but not before he caught sight of the search.

He squinted but didn’t say anything. I did a lot of research when it came to property. Corey knew it was just how my mind worked. Being stuck here in the little town where so much had happened to me, things I’d far from overcome, it helped to keep my brain busy.

Corey got up to take a phone call, and since I was just across the road from the property, I decided to look for myself.

There was a trail around the motel into the woods—too many years in New York told me not to enter the woods alone. Crawford City didn’t strike me as a place where a lot of dangerous street people posed a threat, but one could never be sure.

Not only that, but lessons from my childhood told me there were snakes. No, I’d just explore from the street.

The ravine wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. It descended quickly, but because of it, there was a natural separation between the land and the commercial development of the motel property. That made a potential residential development possible. I’d have to ask Emanual and Amos what the town needed.

I also remembered that Amos said his son was in construction. Maybe this was something I should consider. I was just about to walk back to the condo to ask Corey to get in touch with Jake about renting the condo long-term when I collided with the handsome guy from the restaurant.

When he bounced off me and hit his head against the building behind him, I immediately reached out to steady him. I can’t say I got romance novel electric shocks as I touched him, but my body certainly took notice.

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