Page 24 of Rescued In The Storm

"I should go," I say to Kathryn, grabbing my bag. "Early morning tomorrow."

"Sarah—" She starts, glancing between me and Connor with dawning understanding.

"Thanks for the latte. It's really good." I force a smile that feels brittle on my face. "Put it on my tab."

I turn away, deliberately taking the long way around the café to avoid having to pass by Connor. It's childish, maybe, but I can't bear the thought of a stilted conversation, of pretending that my heart isn't cracking in my chest.

"Sarah." His voice stops me just as I reach the door. He's moved to intercept me, standing close enough that I can smell the familiar pine scent of him, can see the stubble on his jaw that wasn't there when he kissed me.

"Connor." I keep my voice neutral, my eyes fixed somewhere around his shoulder rather than meeting his gaze. "Nice to see you."

"I—" He hesitates again, running a hand through his hair in that frustrated gesture I've seen a hundred times. "About Saturday?—"

"Don't worry about it." The words come out sharper than I intended. I soften my tone, aiming for casual indifference. "It was just a kiss, right? No big deal."

Something flashes in his eyes, but I'm already pushing past him, reaching for the door.

"That's not what I—" he begins, but I cut him off.

"I have to go." I pull the door open, the evening air hitting my face like a reprieve. "I'm sure you're busy with lodge stuff. Don't let me keep you."

I'm outside before he can respond, walking quickly down the sidewalk toward home. Each step feels like running from a fire, adrenaline pushing me forward even as my chest burns.

I will not cry. Not here, not over this. Not over a man who has to think twice about whether he wants to speak to me.

I've spent years watching Connor Callahan walk into my bakery, take what he needs, and leave without a backward glance. One kiss, one moment of connection, doesn't erase that pattern. All it did was make me fool enough to hope for something different.

Well, I'm done hoping. Done waiting. Done being the woman who pines after a man who sees her as an obligation, a responsibility. Another person to rescue and then walk away from.

I won't be his rescue project. Not again.

By the time I reach my house, my eyes are dry and my resolve is set. I jam the key into the lock with more force than necessary, the familiarity of my small home wrapping around me as I step inside.

Tomorrow, I'll be fine. I'll bake and smile and serve customers and forget the way Connor's lips felt against mine. I'll forget the softness in his eyes on that porch, the gentle way his hands cradled my face.

Tomorrow, I'll be the Sarah Miller I was before the storm. Before Connor Callahan ever looked at me as something more than the baker who makes his Tuesday morning coffee.

But tonight, alone in my kitchen with no one to see, I allow myself one moment of pure, unguarded feeling. I place both hands flat on the counter, hang my head, and breathe through the pain.

"That's what I get," I whisper to the empty room.

ChapterTen

Connor

Ibarely taste the coffee as I gulp it down, my mind replaying the scene at The Coffee Loft like a movie stuck on repeat. Sarah's face when she saw me. The hurt in her eyes that she tried to hide. The way she practically ran to avoid talking to me.

It was just a kiss, right? No big deal.

Her words echo in my head, each syllable a precise cut. I've spent the last two days hiding out at the lodge, throwing myself into work, trying to make sense of what happened on her porch. Of what I felt when I kissed her. Instead of talking to her like a rational adult, I disappeared. And now...

"You look like a man who could use something stronger than coffee."

I look up to find my mother standing in the doorway of the lodge kitchen, her keen eyes missing nothing as she takes in my disheveled appearance. It's nearly midnight, the kitchen long since closed after dinner service, but insomnia drove me down here in search of caffeine and solitude.

"I'm fine," I say automatically.

"Mmm." She doesn't contradict me outright, just moves to the industrial coffee maker and pours herself a cup. "That's why you're sitting alone in a dark kitchen looking like you've lost your best friend."

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