Page 49 of Fall for You
Willow nibbled on her lip, and he couldn’t look away.
“What happened to Charlie?” he asked.
Her brows drew together, and she shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s the same for us—I mean, we didn’t have a fire, but other than recipes and those diaries I found, no one was big on keeping records.”
She looked so heartbroken over this fact, he found himself compelled to make excuses on her ancestors’ behalf. “They were probably busy. You know…surviving dysentery and fording rivers and whatnot.”
Her lips twitched and her eyes sparkled. “Since when did you become a historian on American pioneers.”
He kept his expression blank. “I’m a very knowledgeable man. I thought you knew that already.”
She held his gaze for a long moment and then burst out laughing. “Okay, fine. So maybe they were too busy, but this—” She shook the letter in her hand. “This is proof that I was right and you were wrong.”
He kept his voice bland despite his urge to laugh along with her. “You sound like you’re twelve.”
She ignored that. “Admit it. I was right. They were in love.”
He turned to walk away, smiling when he heard her chasing after him. “Oh come on, just admit it.”
He ran a hand over his mouth before turning to face her. “I have to get back to work.”
“Fine.” Her sigh was so over the top, it had him stifling another laugh. But when he turned to walk away again, she shocked the heck out of him by reaching for his hand. “Just do me a favor.”
Anything. He bit back the word before it could escape. “What favor?”
“Look for Charlie’s letters. They’ve got to be on your property.”
“Willow—”
“Please?” She squeezed his fingers, and it took everything in him not to brush his thumb over her soft skin. “I just know he was in love with Rose and would never have done anything to hurt her.”
He tilted his head to the side, studying her. “This means a lot to you.”
“Of course it does.” Her eyes snapped up to meet his. “It means a lot to you too.”
He couldn’t bring himself to deny it. Clearly at some point, he’d lost his mind and become oddly invested in Rose and Charlie’s story. But it was Willow standing before him right now, and it was the plea in her eyes that had him softening.
“Fine.” He squeezed her hand before tugging out of her grip. “I’ll look for them.” He started to walk away, hiding a smile as she squealed with excitement.
He cast one last look over his shoulder and found her dancing again. “But no promises!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
No matter how fast he went, Dallas couldn’t seem to burn off his frustration.
He rounded a corner on the walking trail that cut through downtown Paradise Springs. He could have gone for a hike in the woods near the inn, but today he’d needed to pound the pavement and run at a steady clip.
He tucked his head and picked up the pace until sweat dripped down his neck and his lungs ached.
But it didn’t help. The worst part was, he couldn’t even focus. Normally a workout helped him clear his mind, but not today. His dad had called to discuss another issue they had to handle at the boutique hotel. It wasn’t a real problem—just a nuisance, really.
And that was the problem. Dallas was bored. So freakin’ bored. His father had given him grief for still being at the inn rather than his office.
Not that it mattered. He still got all his work done. No one actually needed him at the office. It was only that being in the office from 9 to 5, wearing a suit, and taking long lunches or meetings on the golf course…
That was how his dad had done it. And his dad before him.
And so now, obviously…
