Page 39 of Blame It On Midnight

Collins and Benton stared at each other like a couple of lovesick teens, and it took Nora yanking on his arm to break the spell. “Come on, Daddy, we don’t want to be late.”

“Okay. Let’s go.” He nodded to Willie. “Nice seeing you again.”

The woman smiled and returned to her spot at the desk. “I’ll try to pop over to the picnic later.”

Nora, the unfiltered, sweet thing that she was, reached for Collins’ hand. “Are you my daddy’s girlfriend?”

Collins didn’t skip a beat. “I’m a girl and I’m a friend. Does that make sense?”

Nora nodded, and the two of them walked out the door. He took a moment to get his head on straight—seeing Nora with Collins didn’t feel wrong, just different. He’d never introduced her to a woman friend before.

With one last nod to Willie, he followed them into the sunlight.

Chapter Thirteen

Big Bend was like a great big hug that kept you close and didn’t let go. Collins had never felt so welcomed, anywhere, ever. Not even the first time she’d flown to Paris for work and had stayed in a quaint Bed & Breakfast outside the city run by an older couple, who barely spoke English, but smiled at everything she said and sent up fresh bread and wine, and pastries.

She’d been in town for a week now and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. The church picnic was held at the park on the other side of town, and the ride over from Duffer’s Place was filled with covert glances (between Benton and Collins) and sing-a-longs provided exclusively by little Nora.

The girl was an absolute gem. Open and happy with a smile that didn’t quit and a love of laughter that was adorable. It was obvious she was the apple of her daddy’s eye, and it was another thing that made Benton irresistible. There was something insanely attractive about a man strong enough to let a little slip of a girl wrap own his heart.

Once they parked and got out of the truck, Nora grabbed her hand, and Collins was happy to let the little girl lead her to the park. The were games being played on the grassy areas, as well as arts and crafts along the far side. Trees provided more than enough shade, and there was a large tent set up with tables, which made sitting easier for some of the older folks.

The three of them were greeted by nearly everyone they passed. Young. Old. And every age in between. Everyone knew everybody, it seemed, and most folks were genuine and nice. Collins only noticed a few covert glances or conversations hidden by a hand or a hat.

“Daddy, there’s Cameron and Ryan.” Nora broke free and ran over to a couple of girls, obviously twins, and a good amount of squealing ensued. Collins recognized the woman who stood nearby holding onto a toddler as Scarlett, Benton’s sister. The handsome man standing a few feet from them must be her husband, Taz. He was deep in conversation with none other than Mike Paul and Ivy, one of her brother’s best friends.

Collins smiled when she spied them. “Shall we?” she said, glancing at Benton. His eyes were ahead, focused intently on the group. For the first time, that little doubt weasel that sat on her shoulder poked at her, and she felt her confidence shrink. “Are you having second thoughts?” she asked softly, moving until she was directly in front of him.

He slowly met her gaze, his dark eyes glittering and intense. “No.” A pause. “You?”

She shook her head. “I probably should be, but I’m not. It’s all I’ve thought about since Thursday night.” She blushed, felt the heat stain her cheeks. “Well, that and some other things.”

He bent toward her, so close she could count his eyelashes if she were so inclined. “We should keep things PG, considering this is a church picnic and all.”

“If you insist,” she replied.

“Come on.” They walked beside each other. He was close enough that his hand swung by hers. Close enough for her to want to grab hold of that big, warm hand. Close enough for her to realize this was going to be a very, very, long day unless she somehow managed to keep her emotions in check.

Think about lambs and baby unicorns, she thought as they came up to Scarlett. Do not think about the hot man at your side.

“Hey, you,” Scarlett said with a smile.

Benton hugged his sister and stepped back. “I’m not sure that you’ve met, but this is my friend, Collins.”

“You must be special, Collins.” Scarlett chuckled. “Benton doesn’t have any friends.”

“Says you,” he replied, then offered his hand to Taz. The two men shook hands, and Taz winked at her.

“I think we met last Christmas,” Taz said. “But it’s good to see you again.”

“Likewise.”

Mike Paul and Ivy said their hellos. Ivy’s eyes were big and full of questions. She immediately tugged on Collins’ arm. “Hey, I want to show you something. Do you mind if I steal her for a minute?” The question was for Benton, though she didn’t bother to wait, and led Collins toward the French fry truck, which was out of earshot.

“Holy cow. You and Benton? I mean, Kip told me you were hanging around Big Bend and I wondered why, but he never gave a reason. He just said you needed some downtime and Big Bend was as good a place as any to relax. But then, you’re working at the Sundowner, which is crazy, am I right? Like, why would one of the world’s top models want to work at a bar? That’s what I wanted to know, and now I think I get it, but you have to spill. Where. How. When. Why?”

Ivy said all the words without taking a breath, and by the time she finished, she’d run out of air, and Collins barely heard them.

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