Page 36 of Country Charm

Hunter chuckles as he bends slightly at his knees and slides his forearm under my ass. He hoists me up, my hands falling onto his shoulders as I gasp in surprise.

“Do too. It ain’t your fault, darlin’. You haven’t had a real man show you how to kiss. It’s a shame, too. Your lips are made for kissin’.” He moves closer to try and kiss me, but I use my hands on his shoulders and push him back.

“If I kiss so badly, I might as well call it quits. I’m thirty. Ever heard that saying? Can’t teach an old dog new tricks?”

“You’re not an old dog. Thirty-one is old. I got to you just in time.” Hunter slams his mouth against mine and I immediately open to him.

We kiss like this for what seems like an eternity. Me, held up his arms, my arms draped around his shoulders. I’m beginning to worry that his arms are tiring from holding me, but he never shows a sign of it. I pull back and catch my breath.

“Show this city girl the inside of that farmhouse,” I demand.

“Can I show you around tomorrow? It’s too big and will take too long. We can skip the formal room, kitchen, libr?—”

I jump out of his arms. “Oh my God! Hunter! The library!” I start jogging toward the house.

“—and go straight to the bedroom.” I hear him finish his sentence, but I just shake my head.

“You show me the book room, right this instant!”

Hunter chuckles to himself and starts walking down the hill toward me. I’m waiting to hop the fence with him, but my excitement has me hopping from one foot to the other.

“You really want to see it that bad, huh?”

“I have never seen a personal library, Hunter Hill. Wait, yes, I have. I’ve done some architectural tours in some really fancy houses, but never like personally. I wasn’t allowed to touch anything before. Can I touch stuff?”

He just continues to laugh at me before he hoists me up onto the fence. I sit on the top rail and brace my hands on the post. He tosses himself over with ease like he does it every day, whereas I climb over more carefully. I wonder how I jumped over it so easily earlier, but I don’t think I was as concerned with Hunter’s watchful eye. Now I am acutely aware that Hunter is around me and watching myevery move. The new environment and firefly excitement consumed me for that moment.

“Come on in.” Hunter grabs my hands and walks me up the porch steps. Once he gets me through the door a sudden warmth runs through me. It feels like a warm blanket around your shoulders and a cup of steaming hot cocoa on a cold winter day. It feels like weekend barbeques and laughter. I can imagine Hunter and his brother running across these wood floors wreaking havoc on his parents.

The floors are old wood but in a good way. They are a mixture of light and medium planks with just the right amount of scuff and scrapes. The kind that are earned not made in a factory. There is a long hallway ahead of me and a large open staircase to my right. Simple thick railings run along one side and the other is a white-planked wall filled with frames.

I can’t even take it all in before Hunter is pulling me up the wooden stairs. I want to look at the pictures, but we’re moving too fast. When we hit the second floor, he takes me to two huge French doors with a sign on one that says “Shhhh… or else”. A swift giggle leaves me because I totally get it.

This is going to be legit, I already feel it. Hunter opens the door and ushers me in.

My hands cover my mouth as I gasp. “Oh, Hunter.”

I wasn’t ready for it.

Chapter Eighteen

Hunter

Inever realized how valuable this room could be until this moment. It was always nostalgic and comforting, but right now this room might as well be the sun.

Cassidy’s face is awestruck. The moonlight is coming in through two huge windows, so she’s only seeing a little bit of it. She’s going to be blinded if I turn on the main lights, so I walk in and turn on a few lamps. There is a lamp over the chaise that is strictly off-limits to children. There are another two lamps on the sides of a huge, cushioned leather couch. And the last lamp is by the large fabric armchair. The seats are openly spread around the room so that if the whole family was in here, we all had our own space but could hear each other as we spoke.

Rugs are artfully thrown on the floor and there is one large desk off to the side. The walls—aside from the two large windows—are all covered in built-in bookshelves. They are tall and intricately carved. My father hired a carpenter from two towns over to come in and do this for my mother.

With the look on Cassidy’s face, I can see why.

“Does it meet your expectations? I’m sure those toured libraries were somethin’ else.”

Cassidy’s eyes look a bit misty and I’m frozen. She just shakes her head, her hands still covering her mouth. I look around the space again to try and see it with her eyes, but all I can see are my childhood memories. I still come in here to grab books on occasion, more last week to find a good poem to send Cassidy.

“This is amazing. I would never leave.”

She takes another step in but stops herself. After untying her laces, she slips her shoes off and then proceeds forward. She starts with the bookshelves to her immediate left and starts skimming through titles. I walk over to the large armchair and sit lightly on its arm.

---