Page 5 of Christmas with Hope

The kitchen was like the nursery rhymeOld Mother Hubbard –bare. So, I found myself sitting next to Colton in his truck. We rode in silence for a few miles.

“So… where do you live?” Colton asked, glancing at me and then back at the road.

“Connecticut,” I replied, looking at him.

“I forget that that’s a state,” he teased, making me laugh.

“Before I moved there, I had forgotten that it was a state, too.”

Colton chuckled then nodded.

“Well, I travel a lot, but I call New York home,” he stated.

“New York, eh?”

He didn’t strike me as a New Yorker. Not sure where I thought he was from, but I would never have guessed New York.

“Wait…” I looked at him. He glanced at me then back at the road. “You’re from New York and forget about Connecticut?”

Colton nodded and laughed.

“I know, but like I said I travel a lot and Connecticut isn’t on the flight path,” he chuckled.

“You’re a pilot?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“That’s awesome!” My words came out way too loud and way too excited. “Ugh. Sorry,” I groaned.

“No worries. I’m glad one of us is excited about my job,” he laughed.

“Don’t like being a pilot?”

My question opened up a long conversation between us. We talked all the way to town, which consisted of a gas station, courthouse, police/fire station, grocery store, hardware store, and that was about it. If there was more in the town then it was hidden under a rock somewhere.

“Hold on,” Colton said as I reached for the door handle. Colton hopped out of the truck and made his way to my door. He opened the door, making me smile.

“Aw. You’re a gentleman. I like that,” I smiled then carefully climbed out of the truck.

“Watch your step,” he said, taking hold of my arm keeping me balanced.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, beautiful.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. Did he really just call me beautiful? My heart raced and butterflies fluttered in the pit of my stomach.

“Ready?” he asked, looking down at me.

Earlier, I hadn’t really noticed how tall he was. He had to be at least six-two. He was the perfect height to wrap my arms around and snuggle against his chest.

“Are you okay, Hope?” Colton chuckled, snapping me from my cuddling thoughts.

“Ugh,” I groaned quietly. “I think it’s the high altitude that is making me dingy.”

“High altitude can make people act unlike themselves,” he grinned and then led me over to the sidewalk. “Watch your step.”

He waited for me to step on the sidewalk before stepping onto it next to me. I continued holding his arm and we walked the few short steps to the grocery store’s entrance. He held the door open for me.

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