Page 10 of Coming Home

He puts his hand on my arm again, and I can’t stop myself from tensing up.

He sighs in frustration but forces a smile onto his face. “How did you end up in Whiskey Run?”

“You don’t want to know.”

He gives me a look, and I know he definitely wants to know.

“I saw the job opening online and thought I’d be a good fit. Plus, I researched the town a little. I liked that it was on the East Coast and it was a small town, so I came here.”

“You moved here before you even got the job?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but yes, I did. I had to leave Texas—don’t ask me why—and I thought even if I didn’t get it, I could find something else. It was probably the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done, but it’s worked out for me.”

He nods. “And your family?”

I walk past him with my house keys clenched in my hands. I don’t want to see the look of pity on his face. “I don’t have a family.”

He trails behind me, close but not too close. He’s quiet as I put the key in the lock and open the door. He looks down at me with a blank face. “No family at all?”

I shake my head.

“So you moved all the way across the US to a job you weren’t sure you’d get, in a car that has duct tape holding your fender on. And you did all this on your own without help from any family.”

I shrug my shoulders.

“Look at me, Ellie.”

I lean my head back to look up at him. He lifts his hand but drops it quickly. “So not only are you beautiful, but you’re brave and courageous too.”

I stutter the words out. “I’m not beautiful—”

He interrupts me. “You’re breathtaking, honey.”

My cheeks blaze. “I’m not brave or courageous. If anything, I’m the opposite.”

“You can try and spin it any way you want, but the fact remains. You’re a brave woman, Ellie. And it makes me mad to think about what you’re running from.”

Panic sets in. “I’m not running.”

He laughs, and the sound does something to me. He lifts his hand but doesn’t touch me. He puts it on the door behind me beside my head. “Oh, you’re running, Ellie. You’re definitely running.”

I don’t deny it again. The heated look he’s giving me almost makes me forget what we’re even talking about. He leans in and inhales. “Now, are you going to tell me what you’re running from? Are you going to let me help you?”

I suck in a breath. “I don’t need help.”

He just smiles at me. “I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

My eyes widen. “No, I can walk.”

He shakes his head. “You live five miles from the office.”

I shrug. “It’s not bad. The first week I got into town, my car was in the shop. I walked to work every day.”

“And my brothers let you?”

I rear back. “Let me? I’m a grown woman.” I raise my hand up. “And before you say something to them about it, they didn’t know.”

He leans back and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’ll be here in the morning. What time do you normally leave for work?”

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