Page 35 of Moonlit Colorado

“Cash donations are anonymous, so you can’t be sure.”

“I’msure. But you deserve to get credit. They’ll be able to fund the whole toy library project with that money. The Hart County Children’s Center will be thrilled.”

He tilted his head, his smile growing. “Then why do you sound angry?”

“I’m not!” Fine, I did sound angry. “You’re just…infuriating.”

“Because of an anonymous donation?”

“No, because I don’t know how to act around you!” I confessed.

Whoops. I hadn’t meant for that to come out.

“Believe it or not, I don’t entirely know how to act around you either,” he said. “It’s been awkward between us the last couple times we saw one another. I’d like to get to know you better. As a friend.”

“You said you needed a favor.”

“I do. A friendly favor.”

My mouth quirked, wanting to smile, even though I was still frustrated. “Are you going to tell me what it is?”

“Take a walk with me, and I will.” Another grin.

Ugh, it was useless fighting him.

He’d compared me to Superman the night of the party. But Dane Knightly’s lopsided smile was my kryptonite.

“There are woods behind the center,” I said. “With a creek winding through the trees.”

“Sounds beautiful.”

We walked in that direction. I had to admit, it was a lovely day for it. The sun was just now sinking, leaving a deeper chill in the air that made goosebumps rise on my skin beneath my sweater. But it wasn’t unpleasant. Now that it was early October, the fall colors were really popping. Maroon, yellow gold, and vivid red.

We stopped in the middle of a wooden bridge that crossed the small creek. Fallen leaves floated and eddied in the crystal-clear water. Polished stones lay beneath.

Dane rested his elbows on the railing, gazing down. “Reminds me a little of Central Park.”

“Is it pretty this time of year?”

He turned his smile on me again. “It is. You’ve never been?”

I shook my head and glanced back down at the water. “Except for a road trip to Wyoming with Piper once, I’ve never even left the state.” Dane was looking at me, so I searched for something to say to fill the quiet. “This is Aspen Creek. It starts all the way up near your ski resort and winds down here through the town.”

“Gorgeous.”

“The summer after third grade, Piper and I tried to hike all the way to the source of the creek.” I laughed, remembering that day. “They had to send sheriff’s deputies on ATVs to find us. Our brothers were so pissed.”

Dane’s smile softened. “I got lost in Central Park once. Totally my fault. I decided to search for dinosaur bones. My mother was terrified.”

“I bet.”

“Once she found me, she grounded me for a week. Spanked my butt too for scaring her so much.”

“Did you behave better after that?”

“I wish I could say I did, for my mom’s sake. But no. Not really.”

That, I did believe.

---