Page 36 of Shadows of You

A shiver ran through me as I thought about how cold it had been. “No, I didn’t.”

Ms. Peabody let out a little huff, but I didn’t miss the glee in her eyes. “Tourist, of course. Decided to go hiking in the snow. Got hypothermia and scared his poor wife to death. They’re staying at my B&B, naturally.”

I tried to stifle my laugh. She’d said it as if that garnered her some sort of prize. But I guessed when gossip was your currency, it did.

The bell over the door rang, and I glanced up to greet the newcomer. The wordsWelcome to The Brewdied in my throat. Piercing blue eyes met mine. His light brown hair looked more than a little wild, and stubble dotted Roan’s jaw. He carried a large bag of something, and I knew it had to be heavy because I saw his muscles bulging, even under his jacket.

Ms. Peabody pursed her lips and hurried to a table as Roan strode toward me. He had the kind of energy that ate up space and made everyone sit up and pay attention.

“Hi,” I greeted. Unfortunately, it sounded more like a rush of air than an actual word.

“Brought you some deer feed but didn’t see your car.”

There were no pleasantries with Roan, just straight to business. I admired the authenticity of it in a way. “My station wagon’s at the mechanics’.”

“Good.” Even the word sounded like a grunt.

“Thanks for the food. You can put it in the back if you want.”

Roan jerked his head in a nod and then followed me down the hall to the storage room. I opened the door and flicked on a light. “Anywhere’s good.”

The shelves were packed full of non-refrigerated supplies, so there wasn’t much room. But Roan slid by me and dumped the food in the corner. As he stood, we nearly came nose-to-nose.

I sucked in a breath. That faint sandalwood scent was back. It swirled around me in a tempting tease. Up close, Roan had an otherworldly beauty with a sharply angled jaw and haunting eyes. A faint scar bisected one of his eyebrows, and I had the bizarre urge to trace it with my finger.

Roan’s gaze dropped to my lips. “I can load it into your car later.”

I forced myself to take a step back. “That’s okay.”

“It’s heavy.”

“I know, but I’m used to lifting heavy things.” Hay and feed were never light.

Roan scowled. “You could hurt yourself.”

I rolled my eyes. “Or I’ll just get a workout in.”

Roan opened his mouth to argue, but Zeke yelled from the kitchen.

“Got customers.”

And the cook wasn’t about to deal with people if I was around.

I hurried out of the storage room. “Thanks again.”

Roan simply grunted.

I wondered if I could decipher what each one meant if I studied them hard enough. My lips twitched at the idea.

Roan hovered by the bakery case as I slipped behind it. He looked unsure, uncomfortable.

My brows pinched. “Did you need something?”

He shook his head jerkily. “You got a ride home?”

I felt something squeeze deep in my chest. “I’m picking up my car at three.”

Roan frowned. “Gonna take longer than that to fix it.”

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