Don’t be ridiculous, Hope.
There is nothing, and there will never be anything more between you.
“Yeah, well. A burger would be good. I’m starving.” Jacob gave me another strange look. “Go grab the mag and salt. I’ll come find you once I’ve put this in the truck.”
“Okey-dokey.”
Jacob rolled his eyes. “Why are you so chipper all the time? It’s annoying.” Not waiting for my reply, he hoisted the feed onto his shoulder and strode toward his already loaded truck while I traversed the large warehouse to the attached building where smaller, more valuable things were stored.
Cooler air wafted over me as the sliding doors welcomed then closed behind me, hushing up the sounds of old farmers and forklifts.
Shelves upon shelves of drenching, stock vitamins, wet weather clothing, and milking supplies created a maze.
Where on earth will I find mag and salt?
“Hi, you look a little lost.” A soft chuckle whipped my head to the left where a guy about my age smiled. He wore scruffy Wranglers with a red shirt depicting him as staff. His hair matched mine in colour but he had blue eyes, not green.
He was cute, and I blushed as he studied me a little too closely.
“Um, actually, I’m looking for powdered mag and Epsom salts.”
“Horsey chick, huh?”
I puffed up with pride. “Yup.”
“I used to ride when I was younger. Fell off, though, and never got back on.”
“That sucks. They do say you should get back on after a fall. Otherwise, you might never.”
The guy laughed. “Well, maybe you could convince me to give it another go sometime.”
I froze. Did he…did he just ask me out, or was this small-town flirting?
“Yeah, maybe.” I smiled brightly so I wouldn’t hurt his feelings. “So, can you, eh, show me where to go?”
He swiped a hand through his hair. “I’ll do you one better. I’ll escort you there myself.” Striding forward, he looked over his shoulder for me to follow. “Come on.”
“Okaaay.” With a hesitant look behind me, mainly to see if Jacob had finished stockpiling, I chased after the red-shirted guy.
He guided me around a few shelves before stopping in the middle of one with a sign saying equine supplements. Tapping his lower lip with his finger, he scanned the bags of different minerals and vitamins before selecting two and handing them to me. “There you go. All sorted.”
“Cool. Thanks so much.” I opened my arms to take the bags. “Right, then. I guess I’ll go pay.” I scanned the store for the checkout.
Before I could leave, the guy asked, “You new in town?”
“Um, kind of.”
“Moved here or just visiting?”
His smile was eager and eyes approving. The fact he didn’t know who I was, who my father was, and most likely had never read a tabloid or gossip magazine in his life was refreshing. I wasn’t used to being flirted with. Brian, back in Scotland, had been the only one to approach me, and I suspected only because he thought he could marry into money.
I’d never been normal enough or left un-chaperoned by my father or Keeko to be at the mercy of flirty shopkeepers.
I blushed. It was nice to be appreciated. To be noticed.
To be liked for just being me.
“Just visiting, but if I had my way, I’d move here in a heartbeat.”
“Move to a small town like this?” He shrugged. “Why?”
“Why not? It has everything you need. A cinema, small shopping mall, restaurants. And miles upon miles of open spaces. It’s heaven.”
“I guess.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “So you’ve seen the local sights then? Someone’s shown you Clover Waterfall and taken you to Sock Gully?”
“No, not yet.”
He perked up. “You should. They’re awesome. The waterfall has some great swimming holes farther downriver, and in the gully, someone has created a walkway in the treetops. You have to strap on a harness so you don’t fall, but the adrenaline rush is awesome.”
“Sounds great.”
Why had Jacob never told me about those places?
The guy held out his hand. “I’m Carter.”
Awkwardly, I shifted the two bags into one arm and reached out to shake his hand. “I’m Hope.”
He squeezed me with warm, strong fingers. “Nice to meet you, Hope.”
My cheeks heated as he held on for a little too long before letting me go.
He glanced at the ground before catching my gaze with determination mixed with worry.
I knew that concoction well. I approached Jacob that way most of the time. Brave enough to want something from him but fearful enough of the consequences.
“You’re really pretty, Hope.”
Shock and embarrassment ripped a stupid giggle from my lips. “Um, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He grinned, growing a little more confident. “I’d love to take you out sometime. You know…if you’re keen? I don’t have a horse, but I do have a car, so I can take you some places and show you around.”
“Wow, that’s—” I stiffened. Prickles danced down my back, and I knew, just knew we were no longer alone.