Page 2 of Moody Mountain Man
He looks at me then, full-on. “You kept your head. That matters.”
I look down, suddenly warm all over. “You came.”
“You called.”
By noon, he’s halfway done and hasn’t stopped moving. I bring him lunch; he waves it off. I leave it anyway.
Chief swings by and signs off on the repairs. “Redmond’s got you in good hands,” he says, and I pretend my heart doesn’t stutter.
When Cal finishes the wiring, he wipes his hands and glances at me. “I’ll be back at six to do the tile.”
“Six? Like… a.m.?”
His mouth twitches. “You want to trip over wet grout mid-morning?”
“Fine. Six.”
I mean to leave it at that. But I follow him to the door, words rising in my throat before I can stop them.
“Do you remember when you used to come in for muffins and glare if I thanked you?”
He pauses. “I paid.”
“You glared.”
His voice drops. “They were good.”
We stare at each other, heat curling in the space between us. I don’t say anything about the kiss he never mentioned after. About the months of silence. About how my chest still tightens when he walks into a room like this one.
“Cal—”
“Don’t,” he says. Not sharp. Not unkind. Just final.
I nod, even though everything in me leans toward him.
He steps out into the cool afternoon air. “Six,” he says again.
“Bring coffee,” I toss after him.
He pauses, glances back. “You make better coffee.”
Then he’s gone.
Later, my phone buzzes.
6:00. bring coffee. black.
I laugh out loud.
Yes Sir
His reply lands a moment later.
See you in the morning, Annie
And damn it, I already can’t wait for morning.
Chapter two
