Page 7 of Moonlight With Maddox
“I’m hardly the subject you’d want in your photos.”
She snorts with laughter, and immediately claps her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. It’s both adorable and sexy at the same time.
“I can’t capture the beauty of Maple Ridge and the Fall Festival without including at least a little bit of eye candy.”
Heat creeps up my neck, and I’m suddenly glad it’s dark to hide it. Eye candy? No one’s ever called me that—not like that, anyway.
The tractor brakes with a hiss, and we all wait while everyone gets off the ride. We get the all clear to load in when the driver waves us on. The wagon is already crowded with bales of hay being used as makeshift benches, but we wait our turn as families and other couples get on. I step up first, offering my hand to Leni. She takes it, her fingers soft and warm against my palm, and I help pull her up.
There’s just enough space at the back for the two of us, shoulder to shoulder on the hay. Her thigh brushes mine as she settles in, tucking the camera safely against her side.
“Pretty crowded,” I say, mort to distract myself from how close she is.
“Guess everyone wants a moonlit hayride,” she answers.
The wagon lurches forward, rattling over the uneven dirt lane. Leni gets knocked into me from the bumpy ride and I have to fight the urge to wrap my arm around her and pull her close against me.
Across the wagon, I see my fellow park ranger, Randy, sitting with his wife and two little boys. He smiles and nods subtly toward Leni, and I know I’m going to get peppered with questions the next time I see him.
“Do you know him?” Leni asks, clearly having caught our little exchange.
“Co-worker,” I explain.
“I thought you were just acknowledging your old teammate.”
“Well, yeah, he’s that too, but—” I turn to look at her in surprise. “How did you know we used to be teammates?”
“Please,” she scoffs. “Everyone knew who all the football players were in school.”
“We went to school together?” I ask, before I can stop myself. I know how much of a dick that makes me sound for not realizing this sooner.
“Yeah.” Her laugh is soft. “You were a senior. I was a freshman. Our lockers were close to each other.”
I search her face, trying to summon a memory of a younger version of her in my mind, but all I find is an image of myself at seventeen, worried about our next game and the girl I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
“I don’t remember,” I finally admit.
“I’m not surprised.” She shrugs. “I was kind of a frumpy nerd. And you were busy being one of the most popular guys in school.”
“I may have been popular then, but I was also an idiot, apparently.” Her eyes widen in surprise, and I lean closer to add, “For not noticingyou.”
Her smile falters into something softer. The wagon hits a smoother stretch, and the laughter from up front fades into the cool night air. For a heartbeat, it’s just us. The warmth of her body pressed up next to mine, and the scent of vanilla in her hair makes it impossible for me to think clearly.
I lean a fraction closer. She mirrors me, her breath catching. Our lips hover a breath apart and I move to close that final bit of distance.
But just as our lips brush, the tractor jerks into a rut, and the wagon lurches. Leni tumbles away from me with a start gasp, but I grab her before she hits her head on the metal rail.
“You okay?” I ask, probably more concerned than I need to be.
“I’m fine,” she says chuckling, and I can’t help but join her.
I wonder if the driver has any idea how close he came to ruining, or starting, something bigger than I could have hoped for tonight.
8
Leni
“Thank you for agreeing to take me to the festival,” I say as Maddox walks me up the porch steps. “I know that Aunt Connie can be pushy—”
