Page 5 of The Lyrics of Love

“I will work on my speech on my way back to the Cove,” she told him, laughing.

“The Cove. I’ve got to remember to call it that.”

She climbed from the truck. “Enjoy your time here. There are all kinds of hiking trails. Biking ones, too. The beach. Surfing and SUP—stand-up paddleboarding. You’ll enjoy it here.”

“I’m going to be here a couple of months,” he volunteered. “It would be nice to see a friendly face.” He pretended to assess her a moment. “Hey, you’ve got a friendly face. Maybe you’d like to come over to my place for dinner. It’s... hard for me to... go places.”

She pictured how he must be mobbed everywhere he went. “I’d like that,” she told him.

“How about tonight?”

CHAPTER 2

What had he just done?

Nash looked at Rylie Robinson, her lips slightly parted as she considered his question. He had told himself he would never again be taken in by a woman’s looks—and this woman had looks into next week. Lightly tanned, with long legs and startling periwinkle eyes, the curvy brunette appealed to him in every way. He had sworn off all women, beautiful or ugly and everything in-between. He hadn’t been with a woman during this past year of heartache and upheaval.

He told himself he had come to Maple Cove to heal and not become involved with someone. Yet Rylie was more than a pretty face. She had a sweetness about her, almost an innocence. She was very up-front, playing no games, and not flirting with him once, although she had admitted that she recognized him and kept it to herself. Well, he was going to be here at least a couple of months. That was how long the lease ran on the cottage Billy had booked for him. If he wanted a little female company, then he deserved it. He knew not to get seriously involved with a woman again, much less give his heart to her. Nash hadn’t given it to Luna, and still his ex-wife had trampled it.

“We could do takeout. Several places on the square are good.”

“I’ll cook,” he told her. “I’ve done a little of that the past few months and have come to enjoy it. Don’t laugh—but I’ve become a fan of the Food Network. That Pioneer Woman has taught me a few things.”

She smiled, warm and inviting, and he mentally threw up a barrier so as to not let her close.

“I have a friend who shot a pilot for them. He’s a former firefighter and now vlogs.”

Nash couldn’t help but grin. “You mean Carter Clark? I discovered him on YouTube. He’s fantastic. So, he’s a friend of yours?”

“Yes, Carter grew up in the Cove. I’ve known him forever. I’m also friends with his wife, Tenley. She’s a writer and will have her first novel in a fantasy trilogy released around Thanksgiving. That’s the same time Carter’s first cookbook will come out.”

“I’ve already preordered that off Amazon,” he admitted. “I thought it would be good to do more than just watch him, but actually have his cookbook to refer to. Do you think I could meet him while I’m here?”

“Carter would love that,” Rylie declared. “In fact, you could come to Game Night this Friday. He and Tenley are hosting.”

Suspicion filled him at the sudden offer. “I don’t think so,” he said abruptly. Already, he was regretting asking her to have dinner with him tonight. He had spent the past year mostly being alone and didn’t want or need to be around people.

Especially a beautiful woman.

“If you change your mind, just let me know,” she told him, picking up on his mood. Then she offered an explanation. “We get together, a small group of us, about once a month to have dinner. Play a few games. Catch up. It’s three married couples, all newlyweds, and Gage and me.”

“Gage?” he asked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were seeing anyone,” he apologized. “Forget dinner.”

She studied him a moment, and it was as if she saw past the walls he had thrown up, ones he had so painstakingly erected to keep out others.

“I’m not seeing anyone, Nash. Gage is just a good friend. More like a protective older brother.”

“Another homegrown boy?”

“No,” she said thoughtfully. “Gage came to the Cove to heal. He’s a former Navy SEAL and now is a personal trainer. I don’t know what happened to him during his time in the military. He hasn’t shared that yet, and I would never press him. But Gage is more open now than when he first arrived in the Cove. His business is going well, and he’s made friends. If you’re interested in working out on a regular schedule, I can put you in touch with him. He does group classes, but he also trains individuals.”

She paused and then added, “I think it would be good for you, Nash. Being outdoors in Oregon, nature just finds itself seeping into your soul.”

Rylie placed her hand on the truck’s door. “Forget about dinner, I can see you regret asking me so spontaneously. No hurt feelings. Stop by the store sometime if you’d like. It was nice meeting you.”

She closed the passenger door and walked toward her SUV, unscrewing the cap on the gas can and then opening her door to pop the lid on the gas tank itself. She moved with a confidence and efficiency that he respected.

He also regretted the way things were ending now between them.

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