Page 37 of Broken: Taylor

Chapter 16

As the weeks passed, Allison settled into a routine of sorts. A strange numbness of going through the motions took over and she hated every minute of it.

Even after Eric came to inform her the suspect had been arrested and confessed to the murder, it was hard to sleep some nights.

In an effort to shake the strange emptiness, she went to spend a week visiting Jaden and his girlfriend in Seattle. The visit although enjoyable, was overshadowed by not knowing what was going on with Taylor.

The family had been very silent about where he’d gone or what had happened to him. All she heard from Leah was that Taylor had gone to Billings for surgery on his hip and was living there with family while going to physical therapy.

It helped somewhat to know he and his ex had not reconciled. If anyone knew where Taylor had gone to after Wyoming, they’d not said a word.

Right after returning to Laurel Creek from Seattle, Allison was swamped with holiday orders and upcoming festivities. She’d joined the town’s decorating committee. Along with Tori and Mindy, they’d oversee the street and city hall decorations as well as manage decorating the town’s Christmas tree.

Now as she primped in the mirror, her gaze moved to the bed. Each time the picture of making love with Taylor struck her and her heart warmed. The time with him was special and she’d never regret it. However, today she was going on a date. It was time to move on.

Hope that a relationship with Taylor would blossom had been just that, wishful thinking and nothing more.

The man had not bothered to call her once in almost six weeks. So yes, she understood he was no doubt going through the painful process of recovery and physical therapy. However, when a person cared at least a little about furthering a romantic connection, some effort was required.

Her date, a veterinarian named Ben had asked her out after stopping by one day to pick up flowers for his sister.

Ben was cocky, bold and fun. They’d spoken over the phone a couple of times and he’d made her laugh. It was obvious by the mentions of “having a good time” Ben was after a casual relationship.

Needing to move on from a long-term situation with David and her tryst with Taylor, something casual was just what she needed. It was best to ease back into the future by dating and being more realistic in what kind of men were out there.

The ding of the doorbell made her heart jump and Allison giggled at the childish reaction. What the hell was wrong with her?

She opened the door to find Ben wearing a blue and white plaid shirt, jeans and a sexy smirk.

Caught checking him out, she shrugged. “I’m ready.” She stepped through the door and ensured it was locked.

He didn’t take her arm, instead walked ahead and opened the passenger door of his Jeep. “Hope you like steak.”

A flat gaze met her questioning look. “I do. Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.” The vehicle came to life and Ben guided it down the center of town and kept going.

“I assume you do a lot of on-call visits around here.” Allison decided to make conversation since her nerves were beginning to take over.

“Yeah, it’s hard to get horses to come in for appointments,” Ben replied with a smile. “You have a pet?”

“No. I like dogs and cats. After my cat died last year, I haven’t gotten another pet. Thinking about it.”

They continued with small talk until arriving at a ranch. To the side of a large home was a group of people gathered around a large bonfire.

Allison instantly relaxed. “Whose house is this?”

“Eric Hamilton’s. We usually get together a couple of weekends a month and hang out before it gets too cold.”

Her blood froze. If Taylor was there, she was going to die. Then again, what difference did it make? She’d not heard boo from him since he’d gone. It’s not like they’d made some sort of commitment.

Ben was looking at her as if expecting a reply. It was then she realized he’d asked her something.

“It’s already freezing,” she said shaking her head. “Good thing they have a bonfire.”

“Are you okay? Disappointed? I thought this would be a good first date. No pressure.”

“I’m sorry. I was looking to see who all was here.” She met his gaze. “It’s a perfect first date. Great surprise.”