Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
But I wasn’t continually busy; it happened in waves. Still, it was nice of him to say, even though he seemed a bit annoyed while he was explaining.
“Chief, I—”
“Just Lorne or Lor or something like that will do,” he snapped, sounding decidedly irritated now. “All that Chief and Mr. Corey polite crap, just forget it.”
“Oh?” This was a surprise.
“Don’t say oh like it’s a big deal. We were both attacked by a wolf, no matter what the people around here think, and your cat likes me, so whatever.”
I couldn’t lie and peddle my deer story even one more time. “Okay,” I whispered. “How have you been?”
He shook his head, and I was suddenly worried. He seemed rattled, so I did a weird thing and put my hand flat on his chest. His exhale, and the immediate drop of his shoulders, made me feel good, like comfort had been needed and necessary. “Now, what did you want to talk—”
“Do you know that guy?”
“What guy?” I asked, a bit lost because for one, I could feel the heat from his body even through two layers of clothes, his uniform and the T-shirt underneath, and second, his eyes were locked on my face. How was I supposed to know what we were talking about?
“The guy at your stall, waiting for you.”
I checked to see if there was more than one guy. There wasn’t. Declan smiled at me when I glanced over, and when I looked at Amanda, she mouthed the words Come here.
Back facing Lorne, I said, “No.”
“No?”
“Well, I know he’s Declan Grant and that he opened a bakery and sandwich shop in town, but I haven’t actually met him. You interrupted that.”
“But beyond that, you don’t know him?”
“Weren’t you lis—” I groaned. “Never mind. The important part is that Amanda is trying to set me up with him,” I explained, about to move my hand, but the chief covered it with his, holding it where it was.
“Why?”
“Why what?” He was touching me, and the warmth of his skin made me want his hands all over me.
“Why is she trying to set you up?” It was funny how he went from normal to annoyed with me so very quickly. “You’re a grown man. You can find your own dates.”
“It’s a nice thing friends do. They set their friends up with people they know. Surely, you’ve had this experience at one point in your life.”
“Why do you always have to sound so sarcastic?”
He was back to scowling, and I had no idea why, but on him, it was sexy. And the fact that he was still holding on to my hand… What was happening right now?
I cleared my throat softly to buy myself a moment because everything I was going to say to him in response went hop, skip, and jump right out of my brain like a rabbit running out of my garden.
My reaction to him made zero sense. And yes, again, there was the sex factor—as in, I had not been in bed with anyone in nearly a year—but really, that couldn’t be all it was. Because I walked around town, I saw other men, and when I went to Westfield or farther, to Buffalo, there were many handsome, beautiful men out there. And now, with Declan Grant in town, another stunning creature in closer proximity, but still…still…not one of the others made me catch my breath like Chief MacBain. I seemed starstruck by him alone.
The why of it was odd. When I first saw him, at the event to welcome him to our town, I had thought yes, handsome man, but he didn’t light me up the way he did now. The times we’d spoken after that, he was questioning me, scolding me, and giving me unsolicited advice, which was maddening. But while he was driving me crazy, I also noticed something more about him each time. The way his brows furrowed when he was talking to me and he got a little crinkle above his nose, the deep laugh lines at the edges of his eyes, and how his shoulders always relaxed after a few moments in my company. All of these things made my little crush a bit bigger. And I knew better, I did. But ever since the day he was in my house, I couldn’t get him out of my mind. The only thing that made sense beyond my libido waking up and thinking the man looked yummy was that there was something more at work. Like my magic recognized something in him I needed beyond getting laid.
“I have to talk to you about something else,” he said, letting go of my hand and taking hold of my bicep. He walked me farther away, near the trees, at the edge of the preserve. Stopping, he released my arm and crossed both of his as he stared down his nose.