Page 6 of The Stone Family Warrior

Liberty stopped and surveyed his face. “I think you actually feel bad about it.”

“I do.” It was the truth.

“It’s okay.” She turned and continued walking. “It was … twelve years ago.” She let out a light laugh. “Crazy.”

He caught up to her again. “Hey, just wait.”

“Can’t.” She glanced over at him. “I’m meeting my brother. I lost track of time hoping you would leave sooner.”

“O-kay.” He was intrigued by the appearance of this beautiful woman who clearly hated him. “Then I’ll walk with you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“So you’re married?” he asked, ignoring her dismissal. “Hamilton?”

Her expression turned sad. “I … was. I don’t want to talk about it.”

It was too late. She had piqued his interest, and her unmarried status only made him more curious. “So what do you do now?”

“You can just do your thing, you don’t need to talk to me,” she told him, frowning.

“Hey, even though I was kind of a jerk at your goodbye party, we were friends, right? All those summers we hung out with the beach crew. I mean, we were friends a long time.”

She cracked the ghost of a smile. “True. We were.”

Her admission encouraged him. “Soo … friend, what have you been up to in your life?”

She sighed. “Since you’re clearly not going to leave me alone and I’m pretty sure I can’t outrun you … I teach high school students in California. If we were in high school now, I wouldn’t have slapped you, but I would have ‘swerved you.’ That’s what the kids call it these days.”

“So you put the swerve on me.” His head bobbed from side to side in a grooving motion.

Her smile increased a tiny bit. “You’re the same, aren’t you?” She walked faster. “Always teasing.”

It wasn’t Trent’s style to chase down a woman. Typically, they just came to him. “I’m somewhat the same, but … I’m older and clearly better-looking.”

She rolled her eyes. “Older, maybe to the other part.”

Her attention kept darting back to him. Was she checking him out? He could see why; he had war paint decorating his face and his chest, creating a stark contrast with his pair of shorts and tennis shoes.

She wagged her finger at him. “Okay, you got me. What were you doing out there with all the chanting and the headdress? That was … a bit much.” Again, her eyes traveled up and down his body.

“Hey, eyes up here.” He mimicked the words she’d used earlier.

She grinned at him. A real smile, finally. It felt like he’d won a prize at the fair. “You wish I was checking you out, but I was simply taking in your attire.”

“It’s your story. I’ll let you tell it.”

“I remember how you and your brothers used to take any opportunity to flex. Lucy and I used to rail about it.”

He sputtered out a laugh. “Lucy still doesn’t appreciate these guns.” He flexed to demonstrate.

“I’m not looking at the show, so you don’t have to do one.”

“Ouch. Way to hurt a guy’s ego.” He needed neutral ground to walk on with this beautiful woman. “So, does Cheryse know you’re in town?”

They emerged from the caves and headed toward the parking lot. Liberty’s pace faltered for a second at the question. “We lost touch. I’m not here for social calls.”

“Brr. Guess you don’t need friendship these days.”

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