took a closer look at her, slipped an arm around her shoulders and guided her down to the sidewalk. “Walk. Talk. Tell me what’s wrong.”
How could he know with just a quick glance that she was teetering on the edge of another meltdown? He didn’t give her time to answer him before he guided her along the sidewalk, his arm around her shoulders drawing inquisitive looks from people they encountered along the way—people who knew them both and were clearly stunned to see them together.
And were they
together
or was he just being nice again? How the heck was she supposed to know? But God it felt good to be surrounded by him and the scent of class that clung to him in the form of cologne that was probably ridiculously expensive. She barely knew him but had no doubt he didn’t go for the cheap stuff. That wasn’t him.
His arm was heavy and muscular around her, holding her against his side as he walked with no apparent destination in mind. As they passed Nolan’s garage, Hunter’s new brother-in-law stopped what he was doing to watch them go by. Hunter didn’t seem to notice Nolan watching them, but Megan did.
They continued along Elm Street, past the art gallery and coffee shop, the pizza place and the barn where Hunter’s brother Lucas did his woodworking. As usual, Lucas was out front, watching the world go by as he created his masterpieces. When he saw his oldest brother with his arm slung around Megan’s shoulders, Lucas froze, his mouth open in surprise as they went by. Hunter seemed as oblivious to Lucas as he’d been to Nolan. His entire focus was on her and wherever he was taking her.
Megan had to admit it felt pretty good to be scooped up by Hunter Abbott and escorted through town with his arm around her. At some point during their walk—or forced march or whatever you wanted to call it—she’d forgotten that she’d been on the verge of tears when she left the diner.
With the way things happened in Butler, by the time she returned to the diner in the morning, the questions would’ve shifted from the diner closing to what was she doing with Hunter Abbott’s arm around her. That thought brought a small smile to her face as she ventured a glance up at him. His handsome face was set in an unreadable expression. It stayed that way until they reached the playground at the far end of town, where he directed her to a bench and encouraged her to sit.
CHAPTER 6
H e came down next to her, his arm stretched along the back of the bench as he turned to face her. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
She wasn’t sure if it was the swift walk through town, his nearness or the intense way he looked at her that left her breathless. She suspected it had far more to do with his nearness and the way he looked at her than with the walk.
“Same thing as last night. It was a tough day at the diner. The word is out that we’re closing, and people are upset.”
Hunter reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, the gesture so tender and intimate that Megan found herself wanting to lean into him again, to breathe in that scent, to let him comfort her, to make her feel something other than devastated by yet another sudden, unexpected change in her life.
“You were about to cry when you nearly crashed into me, weren’t you?”
She stared at him, amazed by how well he understood her. “Maybe.” Megan cleared her throat and forced herself to look at him. “I’m not usually so quick to cry. It’s just this whole thing has been … It’s hard to imagine life without the diner. I know it’s just coffee and eggs to the rest of town, but to me … To Nina and me, it’s been like a family.”
“I understand that. I feel the same way about the people who work with us at the store and the customers. They’re part of my life the same way my parents and siblings and grandfather are.”
She appreciated that he understood why she was upset and didn’t seem to judge her for being emotional about a diner,
How could he know with just a quick glance that she was teetering on the edge of another meltdown? He didn’t give her time to answer him before he guided her along the sidewalk, his arm around her shoulders drawing inquisitive looks from people they encountered along the way—people who knew them both and were clearly stunned to see them together.
And were they
together
or was he just being nice again? How the heck was she supposed to know? But God it felt good to be surrounded by him and the scent of class that clung to him in the form of cologne that was probably ridiculously expensive. She barely knew him but had no doubt he didn’t go for the cheap stuff. That wasn’t him.
His arm was heavy and muscular around her, holding her against his side as he walked with no apparent destination in mind. As they passed Nolan’s garage, Hunter’s new brother-in-law stopped what he was doing to watch them go by. Hunter didn’t seem to notice Nolan watching them, but Megan did.
They continued along Elm Street, past the art gallery and coffee shop, the pizza place and the barn where Hunter’s brother Lucas did his woodworking. As usual, Lucas was out front, watching the world go by as he created his masterpieces. When he saw his oldest brother with his arm slung around Megan’s shoulders, Lucas froze, his mouth open in surprise as they went by. Hunter seemed as oblivious to Lucas as he’d been to Nolan. His entire focus was on her and wherever he was taking her.
Megan had to admit it felt pretty good to be scooped up by Hunter Abbott and escorted through town with his arm around her. At some point during their walk—or forced march or whatever you wanted to call it—she’d forgotten that she’d been on the verge of tears when she left the diner.
With the way things happened in Butler, by the time she returned to the diner in the morning, the questions would’ve shifted from the diner closing to what was she doing with Hunter Abbott’s arm around her. That thought brought a small smile to her face as she ventured a glance up at him. His handsome face was set in an unreadable expression. It stayed that way until they reached the playground at the far end of town, where he directed her to a bench and encouraged her to sit.
CHAPTER 6
H e came down next to her, his arm stretched along the back of the bench as he turned to face her. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
She wasn’t sure if it was the swift walk through town, his nearness or the intense way he looked at her that left her breathless. She suspected it had far more to do with his nearness and the way he looked at her than with the walk.
“Same thing as last night. It was a tough day at the diner. The word is out that we’re closing, and people are upset.”
Hunter reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, the gesture so tender and intimate that Megan found herself wanting to lean into him again, to breathe in that scent, to let him comfort her, to make her feel something other than devastated by yet another sudden, unexpected change in her life.
“You were about to cry when you nearly crashed into me, weren’t you?”
She stared at him, amazed by how well he understood her. “Maybe.” Megan cleared her throat and forced herself to look at him. “I’m not usually so quick to cry. It’s just this whole thing has been … It’s hard to imagine life without the diner. I know it’s just coffee and eggs to the rest of town, but to me … To Nina and me, it’s been like a family.”
“I understand that. I feel the same way about the people who work with us at the store and the customers. They’re part of my life the same way my parents and siblings and grandfather are.”
She appreciated that he understood why she was upset and didn’t seem to judge her for being emotional about a diner,
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