Page 29 of Hero Unbound

At her agreement, Becky let out a friendly squeal then hugged Eva. “Okay, I’ll send you my address. Is something wrong with your phone? I was trying to call you once I heard about Wildfire.”

Eva grimaced. “I, uh… It died. But it’s working. It’s in my car.”

She just didn’t want to look at it if she didn’t have to. When she’d checked it a few days ago, she’d had twenty-seven more messages and texts from Gareth.

She’d deleted them all without listening or reading. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say. She already knew.

You’re confused. Come home.

We can work this out. Let’s talk.

I don’t understand why you left. Can’t we discuss this? I miss you. I miss us.

Those were the ones he’d left in the first few weeks after she’d left. So reasonable, never angry. Nothing that would ever provide hard proof of what type of person he really was.

“Okay, well, get it out of your car so I can text you. See you tonight!” Becky brought her in for a quick hug. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

As Becky left, Eva walked to Theo and the dogs. They were still eating up his attention.

“Looks like you’re winning them over.”

He stood from scratching Spice’s head. “They’re good dogs, that’s for sure.”

They ran over to her, and she squatted down to pet them. “They’re the best.”

She looked up to find Theo watching her again.The smolder. Was that really what she was seeing, or was it what she wanted to see?

Certainly, that was what Gareth would say if he were here—that she always only saw what she wanted to see.

She jumped up. “I have to get a few things finished in the barn. Becky invited me to go out with her and the girls tonight, so I better get going.”

She half ran into the barn without another word, but when she turned, she found him right behind her.

“Are you running away from me, Evie?”

“Evie?”

“I feel like it suits you. I don’t mean any disrespect by it—it’s just a softer version of your name.”

“I don’t mind.” The way he said it sounded gentle in his mouth. She definitely didn’t mind.

She took out the medicines that would need to be given to various animals over the weekend and began organizing them. “I’m not avoiding you. If anything, it’s the opposite.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back.

“I’m not avoiding you. Why do you think that?”

“I just…you know. I hope you’re not uncomfortable by what happened on your couch the other day. The kiss.”

“Kisses,” he corrected, taking a tiny step closer.

“It was just a thing. We shouldn’t make more out of it than that.”

“Yeah, but it was a very nice thing.”

That she couldn’t argue with. Her eyes dropped to his lips. “I don’t want to make things complicated between us.”

“I don’t think kisses do that.”

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