Page 17 of Huckleberry Hill
“Let me show you all the new socks and then you let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will. Good to see you, Lucy.”
General Merc was the town’s one-stop mercantile shop for farm and hunting equipment. They sold raw milk and local eggs, too, but for actual groceries you could either go to Dusty’s or to Silver Springs, the next town over. For any serious farm equipment or replacement parts you either had to order it or make the forty-five-minute drive to Coeur d’Alene.
I was in the middle of perusing the socks when I heard the heavy clomp of cowboy boots across the wooden floor.
“These are so you,” Declan said, reaching in front of me to grab a pair of socks with a pink cow print.
“What are you doing here?” I asked with a frown.
“Connor asked me to pick up some trail cams. For the bear.”
“Oh,” I said.
“You buying socks?”
“Yep. I forgot to pack them,” I said.
In my haste to leave New York, I’d thrown a bunch of clothes into my suitcase without much thought.
“Uh-oh,” I murmured.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He raised his brows. “Not nothing.”
“Can you go over there?” I asked, pointing to the other end of the store.
“Why?”
“Because I just realized that I also forgot to pack underwear,” I mumbled. “And I need to buy that too.”
He let out a low chuckle, but thankfully he didn’t say anything flirty. Instead, he sauntered up to the counter and began talking to Lucy.
I snatched a few pairs of socks, along with two packages of plain white undies and headed to the register.
“Welcome to Huckleberry Hill, Declan,” Lucy said. “Here, have a candy.” She held out a glass dish that had saltwater taffy in it.
“How did you know I have a thing for sugar?” Declan asked, looking at me and winking.
I rolled my eyes.
Lucy laughed and then glanced at me. “I can put your things on your father’s tab.”
“Nah, I’ll pay,” I said. I reached for my purse and then realized I didn’t have it on me. “Never mind. I forgot my wallet.”
“Tab it is then,” Lucy said. She took my purchases and placed them in a brown paper bag and attempted to hand it back to me, but Declan took it before I could, adding it to his bag.
Lucy’s sigh was dreamy as she looked at Declan. “Have a good day.”
“We will.” Declan winked again and filched another piece of taffy.
We stepped out of General Merc onto the sidewalk. As I headed in the direction of the bakery, Declan kept pace with me. The sun beat down on my face and I breathed in the crisp, cool air.
“Where to next?” Declan asked.
