Page 30 of The Runaway Bride of Blossom Branch

“Did you talk to him?”

“No. Not really. I wanted to ask him if he had changed his mind about getting married, but I didn’t have the nerve.”

“You were subconsciously picking up on cues.”

“Probably.”

“Didyoueverthink about changing your mind?”

Her throat hurt. “Yes. Once or twice.” She had never admitted that, even to herself. “But honestly, it seemed like an impossible proposition. We were so far down the road I couldn’t see a way back. I told myself everything was fine...that I was letting my anxiety run away with me.”

Harry shook his head slowly. “I suppose there’s plenty of blame to go around. Your parents should have given you more guidance. And I had let myself get too busy with work to spend much time talking to Jason.”

Cate turned and stared at Harry, her chin up. “Go ahead and say it. I was young and immature, and I let an unforgivable disaster unfold.Iwas the bride-to-be.I’mthe one to blame.”

She practically shouted that last bit.

Harry’s face went still, the lines and planes wiped clean of emotion. She hated it when that happened. She had no clue what he was thinking.

Was he judging her again? Or inwardly shaking his head at her stupidity?

Why had she let him come with her to Blossom Branch? The one person who knew for a fact she was a screw-up. Was she a glutton for punishment? Or was she simply afraid to be alone?

Without warning, Harry leaned forward, put his hands on her shoulders and placed a kiss on her forehead. Then he released her to slide back into his seat. “Don’t make a bad situation worse, Cate.”

The tension in the car—and that kiss—made her feel all wobbly. “How do you mean?”

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “You’ve reached a point where it’s time to move forward. Looking back might give you answers and closure, but your future is on the line now. You can’t change what happened. I know it will be a long time before you forget. But you don’t want to ruin your new life by...”

“By what?” she demanded. Harry was so seldom at a loss for words, she was startled.

His crooked smile flashed briefly. “By wallowing in the mud.”

They got back on the road after that. In twenty minutes, they reached the outskirts of town. Cate pondered Harry’s words of advice even as they passed subdivisions that hadn’t existed five or six years ago.

Thankfully, the central core of Blossom Branch remained the same. “Let’s drive around and look at things,” Cate said. “Before we go to my grandparents’ house.”

“Aren’t you hungry?” Harry said.

“Getting there.”

“Is the Peach Dogstill in business?” he asked.

“Not during the winter, but maybe now that it’s summer. Let’s find out.”

They were in luck. The old-timey hot dog stand was little more than a wooden shed painted pale orange and white. The sign on top boasted the business’s mascot—a basset hound wearing a crown of peach blossoms. In addition to the usual toppings of chili and onions and condiments, the Peach Dog offered mouthwatering peach salsa, the ingredients of which were a well-kept secret.

Harry didn’t strike Cate as the type of guy to eat in his car. Fortunately, there were two rickety picnic tables nearby. Cate grabbed bottles of water out of the trunk while Harry paid for their dinner.

When she sat down across from him and took her first bite, she groaned. “This is the taste of my childhood,” she said.

“Mine, too,” he said, carefully stuffing one end of the hot dog into his mouth. “Though it’s been far too long since I’ve indulged. How old is that guy, anyway?”

“At least a hundred. And tell me why the health department hasn’t shut him down a long time ago. That setup can’t meet code.”

Harry chuckled, wiping ketchup from his chin. “I’d say the health inspector would get run out of town if he or she tried to close this particular establishment. It’s an institution.”

The heat of the day had abated. A breeze from the nearby river carried the scents of honeysuckle and newly mown grass. Cate loved the city, but the pace of life in Blossom Branch was undeniably sweet.

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