Page 18 of Loving Hard on the Highway

Her hand found mine, the one not being tugged by the rambunctious labradoodle puppy. Her fingers were warm, with a slight trembling, too.

“I knew there was something special about you, Sean.”

My breath caught. The world narrowed to the cool summer breeze, the warmth of her hand in mine, and the look on her face that made me feel like maybe love could happen between two strangers.

I leaned in slowly, tentatively, almost reverently. She didn’t pull away. Her lips met mine like an answer.

The kiss was quiet and steady. Fireworks burst within my core. It was the kind that makes me feel like this girl could ask me to swim in lava for her, and I would do it without question.

Chapter 9

Gabbie

The blacktop was a steady rumble beneath us as the sign reading Rustic Junction, next exit, came into view. The sun was setting over the distant mountains, painting the sky in soft streaks of amber and violet. We were singing to whatever song was on Sean’s playlist, but I wasn’t really paying attention to any of it.

Our kiss kept playing over and over in my mind.

The hiking trail. The way the light had softened around us, the feeling like the whole world was holding its breath for that moment between us. The way he’d looked at me. It didn’t feel like he was making a move, but like he was opening a door he’d been guarding for too long. I could still feel the warmth of his hand in mine, the gentle press of his mouth against my lips. The way I was coming apart so beautifully inside.

My fingers wandered aimlessly through Ollie’s soft, light brown curls as we drove, only a console between us. From the corner of my eye, I watched the way his chiseled jawline moved while he sang, and the fluid motion of his mouth. That same mouth had kissed me as if it meant everything.

I looked back down at Ollie, then out the window, and smiled, barely. I could feel the echo of the kiss still humming in my chest. And it wasn’t the kiss that had softened my heart, making it open to the possibility; it was what came before it.The confession. That soft, faltering vulnerability in his voice. The way we had opened up to each other.

He’d risked something.

And now, here we were, in the quiet hum of reality again as we pulled into the hotel in Rustic Junction, on the cusp of another night together. The thought crossed my mind: What if there was only one bed tonight?

I glanced sideways again. He was looking at me as he put the car in park.

Our eyes met, and for a second, nothing moved except Ollie. I wondered if Sean was thinking the same thing I was.

“This is…different,” Sean said, glancing around.

That was when I noticed this town was something out of an old western. I literally felt like we’d stepped back in time. The stagecoach by the hotel front door was the showstopper.

“The Rustic Love Hotel? Really?” I asked. “And is that a saloon?”

We both shook our heads and laughed.

“Let’s see if this place has a room,” Sean said as he hopped out of the car.

I was tucking Ollie back into my bag when my car door opened. Sean held out his hand for me, and I took it. My mind raced. He had also gotten the car door for me after our walk earlier, and I didn’t mind one bit.

“Welcome to the Rustic Love Hotel. I’m Wynona, but everyone calls me Wy,” chimed the friendly receptionist, an older woman with short blond hair and diva looks.

“I’m hoping you have a room available. And is the place pet friendly?” Sean asked.

“We are pet friendly, and you are in luck. I have the perfect room for you. How many nights?”

“Just tonight. We have to get to California,” I said as I looked around. The place was a strange Rustic Victorian cross that oozed of western charm.

She signed us in and handed us the keys. “Your room is up the stairs on the left. It’s a shame you’re not staying for a few days. You’ll miss the High Noon Gun Fights. It’s quite a show. But the entertainers will be working at the saloon tonight. It’s a hoot of a time.”

I looked at Sean, then at my puppy. “As fun as that sounds, we have Ollie to look after.”

“Oh, you can leave the precious dear with me,” Wy offered. “How often do you come to a town like this?”

“Never,” I admitted.

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