Page 13 of Rescue in Misty Mountain

I lean against my truck, arms crossed, watching Jesse nurse a to-go coffee from The Pink Petal Café like it holds the secrets of the universe.

“She was in line after me,” he says casually, like he hasn’t been tracking Tessa’s movements like a hawk. “And she was still carrying that cat of hers around.”

It’s my fault for not having a better story when my brother asked who the looker was that got out of my truck earlier.

“Thanks for the play by play,” I grunt.

He sips. “She also stopped to talk to Hank. I saw them shake hands.”

That tightness returns in my chest for a second. I force my face blank.

“She was probably asking for directions.”

Jesse snorts. “At the tavern? Yeah, that sounds like something a lost woman with a cat would do first thing in the morning.”

“She’s not lost.”

He raises a brow. “No. She found you.”

Before I can tell him to stop, the door to the café swings open and Tessa steps out. She’s holding a paper cup in one hand and a bakery bag in the other. The wind catches the edges of her hair, and the sunlight shows hints of gold in her reddish brown hair.

Her cheeks are pink, and she’s smiling to herself. I can’t stop the smile from forming on my own face.

Jesse clocks the look and nudges my arm. “You’ve got it bad.”

I shake my head. “She’s just passing through.”

“Uh-huh.” Jesse tilts his head. “And you offered her a guest room why, again?”

“She had nowhere else to go.”

“That all?”

“She’s…” I trail off, not sure how to finish that sentence without giving something away. “She’s different.”

That’s the problem. Different is dangerous.

Tessa crosses the street and heads toward us, pausing for a second to wave goodbye to someone inside the café. Probably Clara. Clara doesn’t let anyone leave without a cinnamon roll or a psychic reading disguised as life advice.

“She’s got a cinnamon roll,” Jesse mutters. “She’s halfway to citizenship.”

I elbow him just hard enough to make a point.

Tessa steps up, her smile bright despite the morning chill. “Clara says hi,” she says, holding up the bag. “And apparently, I’ve been claimed by the town gossip network.”

I nod and gesture to the cup in her hand. “Coffee any good?”

She holds it up like a trophy. “It’s a lavender honey latte. It’s surprisingly delicious. And addictive.”

Jesse gives her his most charming grin. “You must be the latest stray Gage dragged in.”

She raises an eyebrow. “That’s one way to put it.”

I sigh and gesture between them. “Tessa, this is Jesse. My brother. My much older, much ruder brother”

Her expression shifts, slightly in surprise. “You didn’t say you had a brother.”

“I try to forget whenever I can.”

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