Page 96 of The Weight Of Falling
After graduation, Hannah went from selling hand-poured candles with names like Luna Moth to spending several years working with animal rescue groups across the country and abroad. She handled midnight callouts during storms and wildfire seasons and volunteered with teams responding to illegal trapping, which put her in some dangerous situations.
To everyone’s relief, she came home to Brown Oaks and stayed. She started The Owl Rescue Center with a single borrowed shed, two crates, and an old perching stand a farmer donated out of his barn. Through vision, sheer will, and determination, she grew it into a well-respected and well-funded sanctuary with proper flight tunnels and a part-time vet on contract.
Hannah takes a sip of her drink. “Status report on the beagle menace?”
I smile. “Turbo is learning to heel. And bylearning, I mean he’s considering it.”
“Progress of sorts.”
“It is.” I take a swallow of my drink, more for courage than taste. “Joel is helping me train him.”
“Is he now?” She leaves a tactical pause. “Joel, the same man who kissed another woman in front of you on your first date and made you cry?”
I shake my head, amused and exasperated in equal measure. “I can’t believe you started that rumor.”
“Just having a little fun. It certainly livened up this sleepy little town.” She gives me a look. “So, when are you and the sinfully sexy photographer getting married for real and producing cute babies I can smother with my love and wisdom?”
“Not happening. You’ll have to make your own babies.”
“That’s not happening either. Every man I meet either bores me to death or makes me want to drive an ice pick through their skull.” She sighs dramatically. “I’ll just have to be satisfied with my owl babies.”
I hide my smile. She’s so fiercely independent it would take quite the man to entice her to settle down.
Hannah picks up her drink, and I glimpse the small owl tattoo on the inside of her left wrist. “I heard Joel helped your dad upgrade your security. That’s love in Ellis land.”
“My dad almost adopted him on the spot.”
Her eyes widen. “Well, well, speak of the man and look who the universe delivers.”
Shock lances through me and my face does the thing it does when Joel’s name comes up.
Hannah chuckles. “Oh, Kenzie, your transparency delights me.”
My head lifts, and I spot Joel on the other side of the bar. Just the sight of him causes my heart to trip over itself. He looks rugged and handsome in jeans and a shirt that molds to all that muscle.
His eyes catch mine. He looks as surprised to see me as I am to see him. Then a rueful resignation settles over his face as we both acknowledge the magnetic pull that keeps drawing us together. Of course, our paths would cross. That’s been the trajectory of us from the start.
Our gazes stay locked for a heartbeat. Then he tips his drink my way and smiles. It’s a different kind of smile. It feels quieter and more dangerous.
“Who’s Joel’s handsome friend?”
I jump a little. I hadn’t realized Joel was with someone. A tall, good-looking guy with dark blond hair. “I’m not sure.”
Truthfully, I wasn’t too sure Joel had any friends.
Hannah flicks her hand in the air. The owl on her wrist catches the light and looks briefly alive. “He’s hot. I don’t usually go for blond guys, but I might make an exception for the rough and sexy type.”
I smile. “Maybe he’s The One.”
“I doubt it,” she scoffs. Then she shakes her head, bemused. “Aaron, Gideon, Joel, and now this guy. What on earth is in the water that the men in Brown Oaks are so ridiculously good looking?”
The next hour slips by easily as we trade stories and laugh. And even though bars aren’t really my scene, I know Hannah shines in places like this.
While I nurse my drink and listen to everything happening in her life, I find myself constantly aware of Joel. Every now and then, his eyes find mine. And every time they do, my breath stalls and a tingle settles at the base of my spine. We’re giving each other space while staying acutely aware of each other. The tension is exquisite.
“I’ll be back,” I tell Hannah after I’ve finished telling her about my latest card design. “I need to use the ladies’ room.”
“Be careful,” she warns me. “Some of these guys can get a little handsy.”
