Page 16 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

But why?

We should just be friends.

She groaned. Her own words haunted her.

What had she been thinking?

She didn’t want to be just friends. But what she wanted she couldn’t have.

That’s what she’d been thinking.

But maybe her sisters were right? Maybe he wouldn’t break her heart? Maybe he could give her more? Maybe…so many maybes.

And so what if hedidbreak her heart? She’d survived that before; she’d survive it again.

She was making herself crazy, and her body felt like a tightly wound spring ready to break. The way he’d kissed her…touched her…nothing about that saidjust friends.

So why had she?

Steph threw her head back against the pillow, a move that Tink took to mean play time. The puppy, who was getting bigger and bigger every day, pounced on her head and started to attack Steph’s hair, starting a wrestling match that Tink ultimately won when Stephanie escaped out of the bed. “Okay, okay. I give up. You win. I’m up. Come on. You probably need to go out for a pee.”

The dog jumped down off the bed and followed Steph to the front door of the cabin. Before she opened it, Stephanie couldn’t help but glance at the couch where Travis had slept. It was small, not even a full-sized couch. And for his six-foot-two frame, it couldn’t have been a comfortable sleep. Still, he hadn’t protested or complained once.

Her lips twitched up into a smile.

She wrapped the sweater she’d put on the night before to cover herself up tighter around her body and opened the door to the pouring rain. Unaffected by the terrible weather, Tinker Bell leapt off the porch and proceeded to nose around in the wet grass in search of the perfect place to do her business. While she was waiting for the dog, Stephanie texted Travis.

You left Tink behind.

There were probably a hundred different things she could have said. Hell, that sheshouldhave said. Like,thank you for coming last night. I hope the couch wasn’t too uncomfortable. Or…I don’t want to be just friends.Mentioning the dog was easier.

I thought you could use her more than me.

The response came in and she smiled. She did like Tink. But as a guard dog? She laughed at the idea. The puppy might lick an intruder to death.

I can swing by and grab her later. Just headed into town.

Her smile faded and her stomach tightened in anticipation. Of course he’d come by to get the dog. And then she’d see him again. It was stupid, because obviously she was going to see him again. They were neighbors and he worked for her, and they were…friends of a sort. But now it was different. That kiss had been different.Verydifferent. In all the best ways. Before she could sort her thoughts enough to respond, another text from Travis came in.

I checked the fence line. All good,Travis added.How are you feeling about it all this morning?

Oh, nowthatwas a loaded question. She started to respond with a pat answer, but deleted it. “Tink!” She called the dog. “Come on. You’re getting soaked.” To her surprise, the dog did as she was told and bounded up the stairs to the porch, where she shook off. All over Steph. “Really?” She laughed and returned to the coziness of the cabin before looking at her phone again. She exhaled a deep breath and responded honestly.

Pretty dumb actually.

There was a lot of ways that could be interpreted. And no matter what he thought she meant, he’d be right. She felt stupid for reacting so dramatically to the alarm in the middle of the night when it was her own fault it went off. She felt really dumb for calling him, crying, so that he ran all the way over to her just to tell her it was a fox. And more than anything else, she felt really,reallydumb about how she’d let things get out of control between them last night. Sure, she could blame it on her heightened emotions and how vulnerable she’d felt and then how perfectly safe and protected she’d been in his arms. But that wasn’t the truth. The truth of it all was that—

Don’t. There was nothing dumb about last night.

Stephanie stared at the text for a few minutes, waiting for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, more confused than ever, she put her phone down and headed for the shower.

Water flowed like little rivers down the gutters of Main Street, overflowing the storm drains in some corners, and Travis was careful to navigate the increasing puddles as he emerged from the grocery store with an armload of supplies. On his way into Glacier Falls, he’d noticed the roads already getting muddy and slick. If the rain kept up too much longer, they would be a nightmare to navigate in his four-wheel truck. Not impossible, but not enjoyable. He might as well stock up while he could and eliminate the hassle of dealing with muddy roads.

With the groceries stowed in the truck, Travis ran across the road to the Knot to dry off and warm up with a bowl of soup and a cold pint before heading back. Maybe there’d be someone to chat with. He almost laughed at himself as he jumped over a puddle. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actively searched out someone to “chat with.” In fact, for as long as he could remember, it was exactly the opposite. He preferred to be on his own. It wasn’t that he wasn’t friendly. He knew a lot of people. Had gone to school with them. Butfriends?He preferred not to have too many attachments.

Usually.

Inside the Knot, it was warm and muggy. The pub smelled of beer and fried foods. Immediately Travis’s stomach reminded him he hadn’t eaten yet. For a Wednesday afternoon, the pub was pretty busy, not that he had any real idea how many people were usually inside at that time of the day, because he was almost always either working or out in the woods fishing, and generally avoiding people.

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