Page 35 of All Autumn
“The senator is just an all-around impressive guy, hm?”
It took a second, but then it hit me. Connor was jealous. Was he afraid I’d go for a man like Lucas Blanton? Granted, Lucas was extremely good-looking. His amber-colored eyes were the most intriguing thing about him. They were beautiful and full of intelligence. I supposed he had to be smart to be a senator.
But he didn’t make my heart flutter the way Connor did. I did like thinking Connor was jealous. That knowledge gave me a little thrill. Although it was tempting to test my theory when Lucas returned, I didn’t play games like that.
I trailed my finger down the buttons of Connor’s shirt. “I suppose, but I have to say, he’s not nearly as impressive as you.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, in my humble opinion, anyway.” That got a bone-melting Connor smile.
“Yours is the only one that counts.”
“I’m sorry, but Taren’s sleeping,” Lucas said, walking up to us. “They have her pretty drugged up.”
“But she’s going to be okay?” I slipped my arm around Connor’s.
“I think so. I’m still waiting to talk to the doctor to learn how much damage the bear did.”
“Will you tell her we stopped by?”
“Of course.” Lucas glanced at our linked arms, then lifted his eyes to me. “Again, thank you both. I hate to think what would have happened to her if the two of you hadn’t been there.”
“What was she doing out there by herself?” Connor asked.
“That’s going to be one of my first questions when she’s awake.” He stared down at the floor for a second, as if considering his next words. “You’ve probably heard that Taren’s husband and baby girl were recently killed in a car crash.”
I had. It had been all over the local news a few months ago. “Yes, and I can’t imagine how hard that must be for her.”
“She . . . she’s been very depressed, which is understandable. Our family has been fussing over her, trying to take care of her. Maybe she just needed some time alone and decided to go for a hike. She’s always loved the mountains.”
“I’ve always found peace in the mountains,” Connor said. “If there’s anything we can do, please ask.”
“Actually, there is. I’d like you both to come back and see her when she’s a little better. I think she’d want to thank you.”
“We’ll do that,” I promised. We took our leave, and when we walked out of the hospital, it was to a torrential rain.
Connor and I came to an abrupt halt under the overhang. “Stay here. I’ll go get the car,” he said.
“Guess dinner on the sidewalk in Asheville is out.”
He laughed. “You think?” Then his laugh faded as he brushed a thumb over my bottom lip. “I know how much you love doing that. Take a rain check on another night?”
A shiver of pleasure streamed through me at his touch. “You bet. How about we go back to the valley and have dinner at Vincennes?”
“Sounds good.”
When we walked into Vincennes, arguably the best restaurant in the valley, the place was packed. Jenn saw us and came over. She’d started as the bartender, but Angelo, Vincennes’s owner, had recently promoted her to manager. These days he pretty much stayed in the kitchen where he was happiest and let Jenn run the restaurant. Smartest thing he ever did.
“Mary and her new squeeze are leaving. Go grab their seats,” Jenn said.
Connor glanced over at the bar. “Who’s her flavor of the month?”
“Gerald Ferguson from over in Waynesville. Widowed a year ago. Three children, oldest son’s in his fifties.”
I laughed. “Good for her.” Mary referred to herself as aplayer. According to her, no man could measure up to her dear departed husband, so no more wedding bells for her. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun. Since—again according to her—men couldn’t help falling in love with her, they only got thirty days with her before she moved on to her next flavor of the month.
Connor put his hand on my back as we headed to the bar. Jenn noticed and raised a brow. I’d definitely be getting a phone call from her, but I didn’t know how I was going to explain something I didn’t understand myself.
