As they turned to head into the diner, Piper stumbled on the top step. Braden reached out to save her from falling and quickly pulled her against his chest. Instinctively, Piper raised both of her hands against his body in order to catch herself. Braden’s chest was like a sheet of iron, with an abundance of muscles. She looked up at him, sucking in a deep, steadying breath at the sudden physical contact between them. Her hands seemed clumsy.
“Are you all right?” he asked, worry imprinted on his face.
Piper nodded. Her throat felt thick and heavy. She didn’t trust herself to speak at the moment. Although she’d tried to dismiss it before, once again something electric was humming and pulsing in the air around them.
Braden was looking down at her with surprise radiating from his eyes. She took a step backward, wanting to distance herself from this unsettling reality. She couldn’t pretend anymore that things hadn’t shifted between her and Braden. Surely he must be aware of it too even though he’d brushed it off after the tender kiss they’d shared. Perhaps it had been his way of coping with something neither one of them seemed ready to face head-on.
“I—I better get back to the kitchen and check in with Clara,” she said in a low voice, interrupting the silence.
She practically scampered inside, desperate to get back to running the diner rather than experiencing uncomfortable moments with a person who’d always felt like family. Piper didn’t bother to turn around to see if Braden had come back inside. She didn’t trust herself to even look at him. It felt risky. For so long now she’d been telling herself to focus on saving the diner. But lately, her attention had been diverted by all her issues with Braden. She’d tossed and turned a few nights just thinking about the distance between them. And now she found herself worrying about the moments where it seemed as if an attraction was brewing between them.
He was important to her—in some ways now more than ever. Braden had stepped in to help her rescue her family’s business from financial ruin when she had no one else to rely on. He was the closest thing to a hero she’d ever known. She cared about him more than almost anyone else in her life, except for Mama and Hank.
She couldn’t help but worry that she was going to lose her best friend, and there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening.
* * *
“Let me stay and help you lock up,” Braden offered as the last customers straggled out and Clara and the wait staff bid them good-night.
“Honestly, I’m so tired I can’t even pretend not to need the help. I may need to get a better pair of shoes,” Piper said, her shoulders slumping. “I’d love a cup of coffee, but I’m afraid it would keep me up all night.”
“You need to go home and get a good night’s rest. Maybe
soak your feet in a footbath. You’ve really been pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion. You need to take a day off to rejuvenate.”
Piper raised a hand to her mouth in mock surprise. “A day off? What’s that?” she cracked. “I can’t remember the last time I took off work.”
“I’m glad you’re training Jorge to have more responsibilities, because you need someone who can serve as a backup. What happens if you’re sick or want to go on vacation?”
Piper let out a brittle sounding laugh. “Vacation? The last one I had was a day trip to Homer. Hank subbed for me that day if I remember correctly. He grew up in the diner so he knows it inside and out. I trust him completely.”
“I’m happy he could be there for you, but Hank is town sheriff. He has his own full-time job, as does your mother. You need someone on staff who can lighten the load off your shoulders.”
She let out a ragged sigh. “I know. There’s got to be a better way. And once I get over this hurdle, I’m going to fix those staffing holes, starting with promoting Jorge.”
“It’ll make your life easier,” Braden said. He reached out and ran his finger across her forehead. “I don’t like these little worry lines here. I’d rather see laugh lines on your face.”
Braden’s cell phone began to buzz insistently. He looked down at the screen. He’d been waiting for this call all evening. Now that he’d decided to stay in Owl Creek he was going to move forward with rebuilding his life here. “I need to answer this,” he told Piper before moving a few feet away. “Hey there, Maya. I can meet you outside the diner in a few minutes. Just locking up the place now. Okay. See you in a few.”
Seconds later he hung up and pulled his coat on, eager to meet Maya. Piper already had her coat, hat and boots on, clearly ready to call it a night. He walked out with Piper, pausing as she locked the door and placed the Closed sign on it. Light snow was beginning to fall from the sky, although it didn’t appear to be sticking on the ground. Braden stopped at the bottom of the stairs as he spotted Maya walking toward them with Rudy by her side.
“Here’s your very special delivery,” Maya said as she reached them, handing over the leash to Braden.
He grinned at the sight of the Siberian husky. He bent over and slapped at his knees, beckoning Rudy to his side. In response, the puppy began to wag his tail and lick Braden’s hands.
“What’s going on?” Piper asked. She was looking at him suspiciously.
“I figured since Rudy needs a good home and I love dogs more than I do people, I would be a great candidate for adopting him since you can’t.”
Piper’s mouth hung open. “You’re adopting Rudy?”
“He is.” Maya confirmed with a grin. “I have a bag of treats and dog food you can pick up tomorrow.” She handed him a small bag. “This is enough until the morning. You can swing by the practice at your leisure to get the rest of his stuff.”
“Thanks for everything,” Braden said, leaning in to give Maya a hug. “I promise I’ll do right by him.”
“I have no doubts about that, Braden. Merry Christmas,” she said before walking back toward the vet clinic.
“Happy holidays!” Braden called out in unison with Piper, who couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the Siberian husky. She was kneeling down beside him, talking to Rudy in a sweet tone. Her love for dogs was as great as his own. Her expression was one of pure wonder.
