Page 58 of Now and Then

“I’ve got work tomorrow. Let me walk you out.”

His quick dismissal feels like a punch to the gut.

“The sun hasn’t even fully set,” I say, forcing a light tone. “You’re already kicking me out?”

“Nope.” He smirks, a glint in his eye. “I’m giving you time.”

I narrow my eyes, my cheek pulling my mouth into a half-smirk of my own. “You’re giving me time? Time for what?”

“To decide.”

“Decide what?”

Hunter doesn’t answer, just reaches out and wraps my hand in his. Warmth blooms at the contact. He walks me to my car and holds the car door open. I slide into the driver’s seat and look up at him.

“Are you mad at me?” My voice sounds softer.

“I could never be mad at you.” He leans down, his face inches from mine, resting his forearm across the top of my car. “But maybe I haven’t been clear enough. I want you,” he says, voice low, eyes intense. “And it’s time to decide what you want.”

My heart rate accelerates as his eyes hold my own.

Without moving, he says, “I want you to give us a chance.”

12

Hunter

The sun crests over the horizon, spilling hazy light across the meadow. Wind rustles my hair, snaking down the back of my jacket, and I shiver.

“Goddamn it,” I say, rubbing my hands together and doing my best to control another yawn.

Luke chuckles. “I told you to bring a coat.”

I release an annoyed breath and pull my jacket tighter around my neck. You’d think I’d be used to this by now.

“Here.” Luke digs out a pair of gloves from his pocket and passes them over.

I quickly put them on and bury my hands back into my pockets. “I’m going to be honest,” I say, “I think I’m coming down with something. I probably won’t be able to make your elk hunt.”

“It’s not until December.” He catches me with a glare.

“Exactly.”

Luke rolls his eyes and turns his focus back on glassing the side of the hill. We’ve been scouting this area for months.

It’s only been a few days since Sutton and I cleaned out the house enough to allow Easton and his guys to begin demo. I value sleep. Demo crews apparently do not, because they’re at my door with their drills and saws by six every morning. Between my late-night shifts and their early morning ones, I’ve barely slept at all.

“What are you dressing up as?” Luke asks.

“Dressing up?” I rub my eyes, then pour myself a new mug of coffee from our thermos. “What are you talking about?”

“You forgot about Greer’s Halloween party, didn’t you?”

Shit. I splutter down a gulp of blazing hot coffee. Between work, the house, and Sutton, something was bound to fall through. “Um,” I say, “I’m not not saying I forgot, but . . .”

Luke shakes his head, groaning in annoyance. “But you forgot,” he says. “I swear, man, you’re more scatterbrained lately than normal. You okay?”

I sit in my camping chair, taking a moment to consider his question.