Page 41 of Country Charm

Mary’s are not as amusing. More along the lines of, what the fuck? Where am I? Give her details, all the good stuff.

Mary: Text me as soon as you can so we can get the hell out of this town. Trent’s mother will have a coronary if I keep her here another full day.

Better just get this over with.

Me: Hey babe, I know you want all the deets. I’ll get them to you. I’m going to try and get Hunter to drive me into town in about an hr. Can you hold Momzilla off until then?

Mary: THERE YOU ARE!

Mary: Yes, but you owe me.

Me: Ummm, I came to this town already as a favor to you. You owed me. We’re even.

Mary: Fine. See you in an hr.

With that taken care of I look over to Hunter and his watchful gaze. He raises his brows and then smiles warmly at me.

“Think we could leave in a few? I still need to pack and check out before our drive back.”

His smile wavers and he nods slowly. He and I are probably thinking about the same thing. Where is this going? Is this goodbye? Do I want this to be goodbye? I don’t have a single answer and I don’t want to start a conversation with him about it. I decide it’s best to just eat the food in front of me.

I cut up my French toast, which is surprisingly fluffy, and drizzle syrup all over it. Once all my food is cut up and ready, I slip my fork over to my right hand and mindlessly slide my left onto Hunter’s thigh. He sighs and then rests his hand on mine.

We eat in silence; at moments it feels companionable and at other moments it’s tense. These waves pass through us until we finish eating and drinking our coffee.

“Better get you back, Beautiful.” His voice is tight. I feel worse than I ever have after a completely consensual night with a man. I can’t directly pinpoint why though. I don’t regret what happened. I had an amazing time.

Why do I feel so shitty?

“Thanks.”

I walk down the main hall with Hunter on my tail. We make it to the master, and I grab my jeans and bra from the floor. Setting them on the messy bed, I start to dress. Hunter shuffles around behind me getting himself ready to bring me into town.

He tosses on a plain grey tee shirt and some socks before bending down and grabbing my socks for me and handing them over.

“Your shoes are by the front door.” He slips his hand into mine and brings me to the door.

The minute Hunter opens the door, I remember how amazing his land is. All around his home is endless green and fresh air. It’s idyllic.

I listen to the dirt and gravel crunch under my steps as I walk up to his truck, committing every sight to memory. Once I’m inside, I decide to sit in the middle of the bench instead of on the other side. Hunter would likely pull me over to him anyway. I’m buckled in and ready to go. I look over to a large, green-toned barn and smile.

“Is that the original barn your parents built?”

“Sure is. It’s definitively needed repairs over the years, but she’s the staple of this whole damn thing.”

“It’s beautiful.”

Hunter just looks at me and nods in agreement before turning his truck around and heading down the long drive.

Neither of us says a word on our drive to the square.

We’re in front of the B and B and I stiffen as I undo my seatbelt. I’ve done my fair share of walks of shame, Ubers of shame, train rides of shame, but this drive to my destination of shame is not my cup of tea. This is just another way rural life isn’t suitable for me. If any of the small-town folk see me climbing out of Hunter’s truck, they all know damn well I stayed at his house last night.

“Thanks for everything Hunter, I had a really great time.” I turn toward him and kiss the skin of his cheek right above his scruff.

“When is Mary’s wedding?” His voice is perfect. He should take on a part-time gig reading audiobooks.

“Three weeks.”

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