Page 61 of Devoured By the Forbidden Mountain Man

Georgia slipped her hand into mine.

On the desk between us, the copy of Gavin’s active warrant was still lying beneath my legal pad.

In Georgia’s other hand, his message said he was coming home.

Chapter 5

Georgia

By nine Halloween morning, the Lantern House smelled like cinnamon, roasted peppers, coffee, and the first trays of party food cooling in the kitchen. I stood at the appetizer station with a stack of clean black plates tucked against my hip, filling the lower shelf while two servers carried glassware past me and somebody behind the bar tested the opening notes of the party playlist. Orange lights glowed along the shelves despite the daylight beyond the windows, and carved pumpkins waited beneath the front glass with their candles still unlit.

The room was busy, but it was working.

I slid the plates into place, checked that the cocktail napkins were within reach without blocking the serving utensils, and shifted an empty serving platter far enough back that nobody could knock an elbow into it during the first rush. The service lane we had fixed two days ago stayed clear. Kitchen staff came and went without detouring around boxes, and the barbacks had enough room to move between the dining room and storage.

That mattered more to me than anything decorative hanging from the ceiling.

Rex appeared beside the station carrying two wide serving bowls, still in the dark jeans and plain shirt he had worn for setup. He set the bowls where I pointed without asking me to explain why, then reached past me to straighten a stack of small plates that had started to lean.

His hand brushed lightly across my back as he moved behind me, and warmth traveled beneath my sweater anyway.

“Those stay there,” I said, nodding toward the bowls. “The kitchen’s using them for cold service later, so I want the space left alone.”

Rex glanced toward the swinging doors. “Then I’ll keep people from filling it with something else.”

I smiled. “That helps.”

My phone buzzed against the counter beside me, and Gavin’s name appeared on the screen.

For one suspended second, every sound in the Lantern House seemed farther away. I wiped my hands and picked up the phone.

GAVIN: Morning, Sis. I stopped when I got tired like I promised. Back on the road now. Weather looks decent. I should make Whispering Pines this afternoon.

After seven years, my brother was coming home today. I read the message again before answering.

GEORGIA: Drive safe. Text me when you’re getting close. I love you.

I watched until the message showed as delivered, then set the phone beside the napkins.

Rex hadn’t moved away. He stood close enough that his shoulder nearly touched mine, but he didn’t ask to see the screen.

“He’s back on the road,” I said. “Still expecting to be here this afternoon.”

Rex’s gaze stayed on my face. “Good to hear.”

It was such a simple answer, but I knew what sat underneath it because he’d made sure I knew yesterday. The warrant was still active. Whatever Meredith might eventually say about Brad, Gavin had missed court and spent seven years gone. Rex had promised not to hide from me what that could require when my brother walked through the door.

I appreciated the honesty considerably more when the possibility was still several hours away.

The kitchen door swung open behind us, and the owner came through carrying a tray of serving spoons.

“Georgia, when you have a minute, can you look at the front-door setup? I’ve got the wristband table where we planned it, but I want to make sure we’re not creating a bottleneck once the dinner crowd and party crowd overlap.”

“Give me five minutes.”

He nodded and kept moving.

I slid my phone into my back pocket. Work had always been my preferred response to waiting, and today the Lantern House had plenty of it.