Page 44 of Love on the Run

Then he broke the moment, inhaling. “It should be easier on the way back. But you tell me if you need any help.”

Callie nodded. They made their way back to the truck, not saying much. She tried to hold the picture of the view in her mind so she would have something to remember when she had to go back to LA.

She was shaking a little when they got to the vehicle. Jake helped her into the cab with the kind of attention that only made her shakier. “Don’t think you’re fooling me, honey. You’re hurting from the hike.”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him, though she was glad to be sitting down.

He leaned over her for just a second, studying her, his eyes intent.Was he going to kiss her?She almost thought so, she almost wanted him to.But then he reached out and touched her hair, pulling back a long, thin pine needle held between his fingers.

“Got it.” He smiled oddly, dropping the needle to the ground.

“Am I grubby?” she asked, trying to regain her sanity.Of course he hadn’t been about to kiss her. She was the only one thinking about kissing.

“You’re just fine,” Jake responded as he shut the door.Callie wished he thought of her as more than just fine.

* * * *

They swung through Hazelton once more, since Jake had to pick up some groceries. He pulled into the lot of the store and flashed her an apologetic glance.“Will you mind waiting here? I’ll be quick.”

“I’m just fine,” Callie said, waving her hand languidly.“Go on.”

Jake hurried in all the same, determined to get in and out before anyone cornered him to ask about Callie.He got as far as the dairy aisle before the plan was derailed.

“Afternoon, Sheriff,” an older man greeted him by the milk case.

“Ron, how’s it going?” Jake groaned inwardly.Ronald Tupper was almost as bad as Laura for keeping tabs on what went on in town.

“Oh, it’s goin’.Hey, did you hear someone’s buying the resort at Sunset Mountain?” Ron asked eagerly.

“No,” Jake said, surprised.“I hadn’t heard that.I didn’t even know it was for sale again.”

“Well, there’s been some people in and out of the property over the last couple of days, I guess.Figured it must be folks looking the place over. Maybe someone will build a new hotel.Be nice to get some jobs back, keep all the kids from leaving after school.” Ron coughed then, remembering Jake had been one of those kids.But Jake didn’t notice his last comment.

“I hope no one’s going inside those buildings.Some of them are falling apart.”He frowned.When he’d driven past Sunset Mountain only a few days ago, he hadn’t seen any new For Sale sign.As far as he knew, the old owner hadn’t changed his mind about selling.

“Heard you got a friend staying with you.”Ronald’s faded blue eyes gleamed as he said it.

“She’s not a friend. It’s work-related,” Jake said shortly, hoping to stamp down any nonsense. “Couple of days and I’ll be back to routine.”

“Oh,” Ronald looked crushed. “Are you sure?”

“What do you mean, am I sure? Of course I’m sure.”Jake grabbed a gallon of milk.

“It’s just that Laura said she was a real beauty.” Of course Laura had talked. Everyone had undoubtedly talked, their speculations fueled by the glimpses of Callie in the diner and the doctor’s office.

“Laura says a lot of things,” Jake noted sourly. “You should know better than to believe them all. Excuse me, Ron.” He went around the store, grabbing what he needed, and few things he didn’t—he was flustered.The folks around town weren’t mean-spirited.Just the opposite, really.But they wanted to make a story out of everything.Of course Callie’s appearance was going to stir things up. He’d known that. But it didn’t make it any easier to deal with.

And they didn’t even have the story straight! Callie wasn’t some romantic interest.Well, he amended, she was plenty interesting, but she wasn’t his girlfriend in any way.He didn’t know if that made the current round of gossip even worse.Because he knew Callie could never be a girlfriend, since he could never attract—let alone keep—a girl like her.Natalie’s behavior three years ago had proved that clearly enough.He had tried to give her everything she wanted, but his generosity hadn’t stopped her from cheating on him. And Natalie hadn’t been anywhere near Callie’s league. How could he ever expect a true beauty like Callie to look at him seriously, especially now that he was living in the heart of Montana?

At the checkout, the girl ringing him up—one of the highschoolers, he didn’t know her name—kept glancing at him, as if she too was in the on the gossip. But she didn’t say anything, and Jake escaped to the truck outside.

Jake kept an eye on Callie all the way home, watching for any symptoms of pain. Bruiser greeted them at the door, barking happily. Callie stumbled on the walk inside, but Jake was waiting for it, and he steadied her instantly. “I shouldn’t have stressed you like that. I want you to sit down and rest. Will you take some codeine?”

Callie shook her head. “Don’t need it. But if you have some Tylenol or something, I’ll take a couple.”

“Okay.” Jake found the pills and watched as she took them. Callie sat back on the couch as he made dinner, a simple meal of steak and mashed potatoes. He wouldn’t even let her move to the table. Instead, they both ate on the couch, Jake dragging a coffee table close enough to rest the plates on. He stretched out comfortably beside her, his long legs resting on the coffee table. Callie, by contrast, carefully tucked her feet under her legs and sat crosswise on the couch, close by but not touching him. She was feeling strangely shy, more aware than ever of how she reacted whenever he came into contact with her.

“The potatoes are yummy,” said Callie, appreciatively.

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