Page 32 of Her Hometown Man
“They all just watched the big red fire truck with the very tall ladder go by in the parade, plus the selectmen see the town budget, so I’m pretty sure they know we have one of those in Stonefield.”
He snorted as another text message followed the first. “Apparently the fire truck is too long to get into the space they have.”
“Of course it is.” Gwen smiled. “I guess I’ll go talk to the popcorn guy and then head back to see how Evie’s doing.”
That’s not at all what Case wanted to happen. He wanted to walk around the square with her more, even though he knew she wouldn’t hold his hand out in public. Especiallythispublic, since everybody would be talking about it before their fingers were even fully linked. But there was still nobody else here he wanted to spend the day with more than with her. There were booths to explore and games to play. He wanted to play them with her.
“Thanks for lunch,” she said, standing and balling up her trash to toss in the can. “Maybe I’ll run into you again.”
“Definitely,” he said, and the look that passed between them felt like a promise.
A promise doomed to be broken, as it turned out. The rest of the afternoon seemed to pass by in a blur of not talking to Gwen. By the time he’d gone to Laura’s to get the boom truck and retrieved the drone, Gwen had gone to the thrift shop to give Mallory a break because Ellen was off with her friends. Then he hung out in a shady spot on the lawn with Jack, Eli and Boomer for a while because too much excitement and junk food had worn them all out. When they finally rallied and went off to have more fun—minus the junk food on strict orders from Case—Gwen was at the library, signing a few more books and talking to people.
Before he knew it, it was time to wrap up the celebration, and by the time he’d helped the birdhouse artisan break down and pack up her van, Gwen was gone. They never even got their cotton candy. To say he was disappointed was an understatement, and he and Boomer brought the big truck back to Laura’s. When he’d swapped it for his pickup, though, with its excellent air-conditioning, the heat and activity of the day started catching up with him.
He meant to have a quick bite to eat and then text Gwen. Maybe they could sneak out to the carriage house for more stolen kisses. Or maybe, if he wasreallylucky, he could talk her into popping over to his house for a little while.
But as soon as he and Boomer hit the sofa, he was out. And by the time the dog’s snoring and kicking feet from chasing something in his dreams woke Case from his accidental nap, the house across the street was quiet and Gwen’s window was dark.
Maybe tomorrow, he told himself. Tomorrow he’d kiss her again.
Chapter Ten
Good morning, Stonefield! Yesterday we celebrated a beautiful day on the town square, so you know what that means. It’s lost and found time! The Old Home Day committee says it was a record year for items left behind, so if you’re missing anything, stop by town hall during business hours. Unless you lost several pocket-size bottles of bourbon. Those were confiscated by the cleanup volunteers.
—Stonefield GazetteFacebook Page
Case blinked at the text message from Lane that had lit up his phone at an unreasonable hour on a Sunday morning.
I have to give the women a tour of the cellar today.
Then he blinked at the clock and saw that it was almost eight thirty. So maybe not totally unreasonable, unless a person didn’t fall back asleep until the wee hours because they were thinking about Gwen Sutton.
Thank you for updating me on your plans for the day.
He typed the response, hoping Lane would hear the sarcasm, and tossed the phone back onto the nightstand. It missed the wireless charging mat and bounced onto the floor.
It chimed a few seconds later, but he ignored it. Even though it was well past the time he usually got out of bed, he knew if he closed his eyes, he’d have no trouble going back to sleep. When the phone chimed again, he groaned.
Then he heard Boomer’s footsteps padding up the hall and knew he’d be getting up in a few minutes. He had a dog door into the fenced backyard if he needed to get out, but Boomer much preferred the company of his person and once Case opened his eyes, he was fair game.
The dog jumped onto the bed and settled next to Case, staring down at him. And he had the cell phone in his mouth.
“Really, Boomer?” He took the phone, thankful the dog wasn’t of the slobbering variety and read the text messages.
I want you to come with us.
Of course he did.
Please.Thepleasewas hard to ignore. Obviously Lane wasn’t looking forward to hosting all four Sutton women in his brewing space. As he chuckled, another text message popped up in the thread.
Things are a little rough with Evie and me right now. I need all the buffers I can get.
What did you fight about yesterday?
The three dots hovered in the thread for a long time, appearing and disappearing, before another message came through.
Something stupid. We only fought because we almost kissed. Arguing was easier.
