Page 34 of Red Hunt

What an exhilarating feeling, being the sole focus of a man like him. When I reached him, he gently clasped my chin and forced my face up until our eyes met.

“What’s the verdict?”

I grinned. “Everything is going to be fine—only minor damage. Rest for a week and then they recommend physical therapy. Lucky we have a therapist in Moon Lake.”

He nodded once, and the expression on his face didn’t change. Was he happy or not?

He walked beside me while I limped to his truck, and then he lifted me inside. Without question, without hesitation as if we’d done the same thing for far longer than the last twenty-four hours we’d known each other.

He was quiet on the way home, quieter than before, and the subdued reaction when I told him everything was going to be fine made my insides queasy. “What’s wrong?”

He hesitated before talking, just for a second, but I saw it. “The guy who was shot didn’t make it.”

I inhaled sharply. Wow. That was a low blow. “I’m sorry.” I laid my hand on his forearm, but he released the steering wheel and intertwined our fingers.

“It’s always hard to lose someone.” He squeezed my hand before he let go and put his back on the wheel.

“What about the girl?”

He shrugged. “They couldn’t tell me anything. Probably didn’t know.”

We arrived at the exit to Moon Lake and suddenly I became antsy. Would he leave? Would I see him again? Of course, I would. This was Moon Lake. He would go on a grocery run every now and then. Right?

Only not when he wanted to avoid me. Then I probably wouldn’t see him again.

“What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon? Veg out on the couch?” he asked.

“I…ahem, I’m probably opening the store for a little while.”

His features darkened, and I immediately realized my error. I should have told him yes and let him be on his way.

“Didn’t the doctor tell you to rest?”

I shrugged. “I’ll take it easy.”

He fell silent again, but there was a pulsating vein visible on his forehead—not amused. Now he probably felt obliged to stay with me.

“I’m taking care, I promise. And I can’t thank you enough for what you did today.”

He shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

Oh, but it was. We did none of his shopping, so the entire trip was essentially him wasting his time by getting me to the hospital and back.

He helped me out of the truck. “Do you need to go upstairs, or do you want to open the shop immediately?”

Going upstairs would be a pain. I didn’t have the crutches anymore, but hobbling up and down the stairs would take forever. “I’m good. I’ll start downstairs right away. Thanks for bringing me home and everything.” Would a peck on the cheek be appropriate? Or should I shake his hand, which would probably feel awkward?

But he took the choice right out of my hands when he walked to the door and opened it with my key. “I got nothing better to do, so if it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay for a bit. I worked at a grocery store as a teenager, re-stocking stuff like that. So, you can put me to good use.”

“Max.” I laid my hand on his upper arm to stop him.

He turned around, his mesmerizing green eyes full of intent. “Please. Give me this.”

He said nothing else, just looked at me. I didn’t expect that. Didn’t expect him to be so vulnerable all of a sudden. So, I just nodded. We walked inside and turned the lights on. I gave Max the lay of the land, and he immediately checked on the dairy case while I stood around and watched him.

“Why don’t you sit down at the cash register, and I’ll get you some ice for your knee? You were on your feet for a couple of hours. It must hurt by now.”

I groaned. Somehow, I was stuck between wanting him here with me and not wanting him to feel responsible for me. “I can do that myself.”

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