Hunter
Ten feet from the motel’s lobby door, my phone rang. Digging it out of my pocket, I cursed at the name on the screen. Nell.
If I didn’t answer, she’d keep calling all afternoon and I didn’t want her distracting me from my time with Maisy. I hit accept and pressed the phone to my ear. “Yes?”
“I was just calling to check on you. See if you’re doing okay. You sounded so down last night.”
“I’m fine. I told you the same last night.”
“Oh, Hunter. I miss you so much.”
What a damn liar. Her gentle and sweet voice was as fake as her nose. “Is there a reason for your call? I’ve got somewhere to be.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come back to Chicago?”
“I’m sure.” Something else I’d told her last night. “My house will be done soon. Work is going great. I think Prescott is the right place for me to settle down and plant some roots.” I knew that last part would get her all riled up, but I didn’t care. She’d been calling nonstop from the moment I’d left Chicago and my patience had worn thin.
“You can’t mean that.”
“I do. I’ll stay here for as long as it takes for you to drop this ridiculous idea.”
“It’s not ridiculous,” she spat.
Now the real Nell was coming out. Her teeth were bared and her sharp claws out. I bet that as soon as I hung up, she’d have an epic tantrum. I felt bad for the housekeeper on days like today because Nell would rant and rave, taking her anger at me out on anyone in the vicinity.
“I’m going to hang up now. Enjoy your Sunday.”
“Hunter, don’t you dare hang up on—”
I ended the call and not two seconds later it rang again.
“Enough,” I answered. “Stop calling me. I’ve told you how I feel and I won’t change my mind. Back off before I’m forced to do something drastic.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Yes. Stop this, Nell. Last warning.”
“Don’t you threaten me, Hunter. Remember who you’re talking to, dear,” she hissed.
I remembered. My loyalty to Nell was weak, but I remembered why I took her shit. We had too much history to overlook, and as much as I’d like to say good-bye forever, I couldn’t find the guts to just cut her out of my life.
But that didn’t mean I’d stand idly by and let her do something so wrong.
“Back off.” My heart was racing but I managed to keep my voice low. “Back off now or everything I’ve been keeping quiet for years will come out so fast you’ll get whiplash.”
“You won’t,” she dared.
“I will. I’m done pandering to you. Don’t push me on this and don’t call me again. Not unless it’s to tell me you’ve fired your slime-bag attorney. Good-bye.”
I ended the call and waited, expecting it to ring again, but it stayed silent. I tucked it away in my jeans and took a couple of deep breaths, settling my heartbeat before continuing down to the lobby.
I’d either made a mistake by threatening Nell and she’d go off the deep end, or I’d done something I should have done years ago. Only time would tell. But I couldn’t worry about Nell right now. Today, I had to fix a different mistake.
I had to reverse the damage I’d done last night at dinner with Maisy.
How had she managed to only ask me questions I really couldn’t answer? My past wasn’t something I could talk about yet. Certainly not my family. I’d felt her pull away after a couple of my brush-off answers and from there, dinner had gone downhill fast.
Which meant today I needed to do some explaining.
Somehow, I had to figure out how to open up without revealing too much.
Maisy
“Hey,” Hunter said, pushing open the lobby door.
He’d trimmed his beard since last night. The image of his shortened whiskers rubbing against my jaw popped into my mind and I shook my head, trying to get it out. That was not the road I wanted to go down today. I was still disappointed in how things had gone at dinner but I was resigned to acting professionally during our outing today. This was official business for the motel, after all. Thinking about his beard on my skin was a no-no.
“Hey back. Ready to go?” I grabbed my purse from the counter and slung it over a shoulder. Mom was upstairs with Coby and I wanted to leave before she came down and harassed us about our plans for the afternoon. I wouldn’t put it past her to force some sort of dinner date and I didn’t want to drag this out.
“Ready,” Hunter said. “Have you had lunch?”
I shook my head. “Just a snack when Coby ate around noon. I thought maybe we could get something to-go from downtown.”
“Sounds great.”
I nodded for him to go out first so I could hang up my sign and lock up the lobby door. He stood close, and when the breeze picked up, his cologne filled my nose. Mindlessly, I took in an extra-long breath, then huffed it out when I realized what I’d done.
Enjoying his smell was another no-no.
“All set.” I stepped away from the secured door and followed him to his white truck. He went to my door first, opening it for me to hop inside, then closing it when I was set. While he walked around the hood of the truck, I glanced around his truck.
The front seat was clean, the leather new and recently conditioned, but the back was a mess. There were empty jerky bags on the bench seat and the floor was scattered with protein bar wrappers. In between all of that were a few crumpled white takeout bags from the café.
“Sorry for the mess,” Hunter said as he slid behind the wheel.
“No problem.”
“I’m not great at cooking for myself so I’ve just been grabbing food from the café or sandwiches from the gas station. I eat in here a lot and haven’t gotten around to taking out the trash.”
None of this surprised me. I was due to clean his room tomorrow but I already knew what I’d find: empty kitchenette cupboards, unused dishes and a refrigerator with various bottles of Vitaminwater.
I bet Hunter regretted sliding into my booth last night at The Black Bull. He’d come looking for a nice meal, an escape from takeout and gas-station food, and instead we’d had an awkward non-date.
I slumped in my seat. Had I gone too far with all of my questions? I probably shouldn’t have gotten so annoyed that he hadn’t spilled his entire life story. I’d let a few vague similarities between him and Everett’s demeanor ruin the night.
Before Hunter put the truck in drive, he looked at me. “I need to apologize for dinner. I’m not used to sharing much about myself, and I didn’t mean for things to get uncomfortable.”
I could respect that. There were things I didn’t like to share either. So swallowing my pride, I sighed. “No, dinner was my fault. I was being intrusive. Forgive me for being nosy?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” He smiled, looking as relieved as I felt. “Ask all the questions you want, just know I might not answer. It’s not easy for me to open up and I’ll apologize in advance because it’s probably going to happen again. Can you live with that?”
“Sure.” I didn’t really like it, but I could live with it. At least Hunter was honest—something Everett had never been. And like Gigi had said, not every guy was a drug-dealing killer. I just needed to give Hunter some time to open up. “Any chance we can forget about dinner and just enjoy the day?” Starting over with Hunter seemed like the best idea I’d had in years.
“I’d really like that.” He smiled at me again and my heart melted to goo. “What do you feel like for lunch, Blondie? The café or the deli?”
“Uh, Blondie?”
He grinned. “That cannot be the first time someone has called you Blondie.”
“No, not by a long shot.” I giggled. “And I’d prefer the café if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.”
For the rest of our short drive downtown, my smile was firmly fixed in place. How was it that a pet name could make me feel so special? Blondie wasn’t particularly unique or creative, but it really worked for me in Hunter’s sexy voice.
By the time we parked and walked into the café, all of the distress I’d felt earlier had vanished. The rock that had taken up residence in my stomach last night turned to dust and my crush on Hunter came raging back to life.
“So what’s your master plan for today?” Hunter asked as we sat at a couple of empty stools by the counter in the café, watching our sandwiches being made in the kitchen.
“I thought we could start here on Main Street. I’d like to do a mixture of iconic places in town and landscape pictures from around the county. We could start down here today since it’s relatively quiet. I was thinking the movie theater for sure. Maybe the café too?”
He nodded. “Good idea. An inside or an outside shot?”
“Either one is fine. I’d also really love to get a shot that looks down Main Street. Maybe something from an elevated point of view if you could manage it?” It was the photo I wanted maybe the most, but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy short of renting an airplane.
He thought about it for a moment. “I wonder if one of the gas stations would let me up on their roof.”
“Would that be high enough?”
“I think so.”
“Sweet! I will call the owners tonight and see if either one would allow it. I’m sure the Gas ‘N’ Go will let you. The owner’s son went to school with me and put gum in my hair once. That family owes me.”
He grinned down at me before he started chuckling. “Do you know everyone in this town?”
“Pretty much everyone.” Everyone except him. Hunter was the most mysterious person to move to Prescott in years.
He chuckled. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Where else are we taking pictures?”
“I’d like to do one of the community fishing pond. It’s where my grandpa and dad taught me and my brothers to fish. I was thinking maybe we could do something with Coby there. I’d like it to be a candid, maybe just his silhouette from behind or something?”
“Wait. You fish?”
“I fish. Worms and all,” I declared proudly. I had my girly girl moments but I embraced my inner tomboy too. “Why do you look so surprised?”
He just smiled wider. “I’ve never met a woman that looks like you but admits she’d willfully touch a worm.”
“Is that a compliment?”
His eyes softened. “A big one.”
With the slightest touch, he plucked a stray hair off my shoulder. Tingles ran down my arm, leaving goose bumps in their wake. How could such large hands be so delicate at the same time? I wanted to know what they could do to my skin in softer places.
God, I am crushing hard on this guy. Harder than ever before.
And judging by the heated look in his eyes, he was crushing on me too.
“Here you go.” Our waitress plopped a white sack on the counter, breaking our moment. “That will be eighteen fifty.”
I peeled my eyes away from Hunter’s and dove into my purse for my wallet.
“I’ve got it.” Before I could fish out my wallet, Hunter had left a hundred-dollar bill on the bar and tucked the bag under his arm.
“I can pay for these. Really. I should. This is a business expense—”
“Maisy.” He cut me off. “I’ll always pay for meals. It’s just one of those things I was raised to do.”
Dad had taught my brothers the same thing. Mom had taught me to let them. “Okay. Thank you.”
I’d pay Hunter back with a home-cooked meal every day for the next two weeks. Hunter’s room would be fully stocked with Tupperware by the time he checked out of my motel.
Waving good-bye to the small late-lunch crowd in the café, I followed Hunter outside to the sidewalk where he handed me my turkey sub, then dug out his ham. Each of us unwrapped and rewrapped the deli paper around our sandwiches so we could walk and eat at the same time.
“All right, so we’ve got the theater, the café, the Main Street shot and the fishing pond,” he said after chewing. “What else?”
I swallowed my bite and rattled off the rest of my wish list. “I’d like one of the Jamison River but I’m not picky on the spot. I’d like to do one of the inn but not until I get flowers planted. Oh, and there’s an old homestead barn on my friend’s ranch that is really cool. I thought we could go check it out. And then I was hoping to do one up at Wade Lake.”
“That’s only eight. You’ve got, what, fourteen rooms total?”
“Yeah, but I can just double up.” It was a lot to ask that I get fourteen unique photographs at fourteen locations, and since he was doing this in his free time, I didn’t want to impose. I’d just make do with eight.
“No.” Hunter stopped on the sidewalk. “You’re not doubling up. You need to think of another six spots.”
“Since we never discussed price for your time, let’s just go with eight. I don’t want you to feel obl—”
With his free hand, Hunter touched my arm. “Six more spots, Maisy. We’ll hit those up next weekend.” His voice was gentle but firm. “However long this takes, it doesn’t matter. I’ll give you all the time in the world until you get this exactly the way you want.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I’m sure. I want to do this. Please let me?”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.” How had I gotten this lucky? How was it that this man, a photographer, had walked into my motel? I’d be thanking my fairy godmother for years to come if this all worked out right.
We ate a few more bites of our sandwiches as we strolled downtown. With Hunter’s food demolished, he tossed the wrapper in a trash bin and wiped his hands free of crumbs. “I think I’m set down here unless you had something specific to show me.”
“Nope,” I shook my head, “nothing specific here.”
“Okay, then how about you take me up to Wade Lake and show me around?”
“Sounds good.”
We turned around and walked back to his truck, me eating quickly and disposing of my own trash. As we pulled onto the highway and out of town, I decided to brave asking Hunter a question. I didn’t want to pry into his personal life but I did want to get to know him more. Ever since we’d left the motel, our conversation had been so genuine and natural.
I didn’t want it to stop.
Crossing my fingers on my lap, I took a deep breath. “Is talking about your new house a safe topic? Or should I stick to the weather?”
He chuckled. “The house is safe.”
I smiled at my small victory. “How’s it coming along?”
“It’s going to be great, but I went by this morning and there’s still a lot to do. I called my contractor and he said they’re behind.”
“Yikes. How long?”
“He thinks two weeks, which probably means four. I don’t suppose you’ve got an open room for another month.”
“Sorry. Two more weeks and I’m in full-blown tourist season. The only empty space I have is an old housekeeper’s room, and it’s more like a closet than an actual living space.” There wasn’t even a window. It had come as no surprise when the previous owners had told me that no housekeeper had ever chosen to live in that room.
“I’ll take it.”
My head whipped around. “What?”
“The housekeeper’s room. I’ll take it.”
“Oh, Hunter, no. I was kidding. That room is awful.”
“Hey, I’m desperate here. I don’t want to rent out a house and I can’t stay in mine until it’s finished. How bad can it be? It’s only for a month.”
“How bad can it be?” I repeated. “I’ve only ever used it for storage. It’s smaller than my college dorm room. And the finishes are . . . gross.” Hunter exuded class and stature. He would clash in every possible way with the seventies floral linoleum, carrot-orange bathroom counter and twin-size bed.
“I don’t care. Does it at least have a bathroom?”
“Yes, but there’s no kitchen.”
He laughed. “Considering that I don’t know how to use nine out of ten kitchen appliances, I think I’ll be fine.”
“Nine out of ten? Really?”
“Really.”
I opened my mouth to explore that further but didn’t let myself go down that bunny trail. “Anyway. I’ll tell you what. Tomorrow, I’ll go clean up that room a bit and you can check it out. If you still want to stay, you’re more than welcome. But if you don’t, I get to say ‘I told you so.’ ”
He looked over at me and grinned. “You’ve got a deal, Blondie.”
“I can’t wait to say ‘I told you so.’ ” I caught a look at my unbridled smile in the side-view mirror.
How crazy was this? I had expected today to be awkward after our dinner last night, but this was, hands down, the best possible outcome for today. And the afternoon wasn’t even over yet.
“So how’d you come to own the motel?” Hunter asked as he drove. “Was a career in hospitality always the plan?”
“Actually, I went to college for nursing. I did the four-year program, came home and started working at the hospital, but it wasn’t for me.” That was a bit of an understatement, but I kept going. “The previous owners of the motel were looking for a manager so I said, ‘What the heck?’ and gave it a shot. We got along really well, and when they decided to retire, they made me an offer to buy it from them.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Three years in June. The previous owners are now traveling the country in their RV, sending me postcards along the way, and I’ve spent those three years updating the inn.”
“Oh, yeah? What kind of updates?”
I smiled and shifted in my seat so I could face him better, then I launched into stories about remodeling projects, spending the rest of our drive to Wade Lake talking about the Bitterroot.
The gravel road got bumpier the closer we got to the lake, and the trees that bordered the road were so thick you couldn’t see more than fifty feet into the forest. But as we coasted over one last rise, the trees opened and the lake appeared.
Hunter parked the truck in the wide gravel lot that met the lake’s shore. “I can see why you’d pick this place.”
“It’s hard to beat.” I kept my eyes locked on the scenery as I pushed open my door and stepped outside.
The water’s surface was covered with small ripples today. The breeze swished in the trees that sloped down steep hills to meet the water’s edge. With the sun shining brightly, the wavelets’ tips glittered as they rolled.
Picking up a flat rock, I flicked it toward the water, counting three skips before it sank. Hunter did the same, his rock going twice as far as mine.
“What kind of a photograph are you looking for up here?” he asked.
“How about a sunset? Or a sunrise?” I stepped over to a thick piece of driftwood and sat down.
“Sure.” He nodded and followed, taking a seat next to me as we both looked out over the water.
We sat quietly for a while, enjoying the view and the cool, clean air. It was just us today, the weather still too cold for much lake activity, but soon that would change. People would flock to the lake to enjoy camping vacations as my free time evaporated with the summer sun.
“Did you ever find out what happened to that guy you were supposed to meet last night?”
“Yeah.” I frowned. “I guess he showed but took one look at me and left. Apparently, I reminded him too much of his ex-wife.”
“Ouch.”
“That’s not even the worst of the dates I’ve had lately.” I smiled and told him my worst blind-date tales from the last few years. “How about you? Have you had any booger-eating first dates lately?”
He shook his head. “No. My ex-girlfriends were better about hiding their crazy. My most recent ex didn’t let hers show until we’d been dating for six months. She started stealing money from my wallet and telling people we were engaged. After I broke it off with her, she snuck into my house at night and crawled into my bed. I had to change my locks and get a restraining order.”
“Yikes.”
He shrugged. “It’s over now. Anyway, sorry about the guy who ditched you. He’s an asshole.”
I sighed. “I’ve been on an asshole streak lately.” A five-year streak, to be exact.
“I hope I’m not included in that streak.”
“Well . . .” I leaned over and playfully bumped him with my shoulder. “Since last night wasn’t a date, I guess you don’t count.”
He chuckled. “This is true. Maybe one of these nights you’ll let me take you on an actual date and I can try and break that asshole streak.”
My smile fell. Did he just ask me out?
Hell yes, he did!
I swallowed the urge to jump for joy—and by some miracle from above—managed to play it cool. “I’d, um, really like that.”
“Me too.”
Smiling again, I turned back to the lake, still unable to believe how incredible this day had turned out. Last night was all but forgotten, Hunter was nearly as excited about my art project as I was, and he’d asked me out on a date.
“Thanks for bringing me up here today,” he said.
“You’re welcome.”
“I wish my dad was still here. He’d love to see a place like this.”
His statement caught me so off guard I didn’t know what to say, so I just stared up at his profile, hoping and waiting for him to keep opening up.
“Dad loved to fish,” he said. “Living in the city, he didn’t get to go much, but whenever he had the chance, he’d bring me to lakes like this one. Something quiet and secluded. We spent a lot of time fishing in Michigan but this would have been right up his alley too. He passed almost six years ago but sometimes it feels like just yesterday.”
“I’m sorry.” I hadn’t lost a parent but could imagine that it was extremely painful, especially if Hunter and his father had been close. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did he pass?”
“Cancer. He had pancreatic cancer. By the time he told me, it had progressed to stage four and he’d only had a few weeks left.”
“I’m sorry.”
Hunter looked down at me with a sad smile. “It’s okay. He was actually the one that got me hooked on photography. He always brought a camera with him whenever we went fishing.”
Now it made sense why he hadn’t wanted to talk about his photography mentor last night. And rather than respecting his boundaries, I’d gotten frustrated when he hadn’t wanted to share something painful. Guilt—a feeling I hated second only to fear—settled in my gut as words started pouring out of my mouth.
“I’m so, so sorry. I shouldn’t have brought up your family last night. No wonder you didn’t want to talk about them. How inconsiderate!” My hand slapped against my forehead. “I’m so sorry, Hunter.”
I was the worst date. Ever.
Even worse than the nose-picker.
“Hey.” Hunter chuckled and lifted my hand off my forehead. “You didn’t know.”
“Still. I’m sorry.” Mentally comparing Hunter to Everett was exceptionally unfair. “And I’m sorry about your dad.”
“Thanks. We were close, me and dad. My mom died in a car crash when I was seven, and we only had each other for a few years until he remarried.”
Two parents. Hunter had lost two parents.
“I keep saying it, but I don’t know what else to say. I’m so sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. It’s just that seeing places like this makes me think of him. And I guess . . . I just wanted you to know.”
“I’m always glad to listen.” Anytime he wanted to talk, I’d make sure I was there to lend an ear.
Staring out at the water, we resumed our silent appreciation of the scenery. Then and there, I made a decision. I wasn’t going to push for information or interrogate Hunter with personal questions. Gigi had given Jess time to come around from his jackass ways and now they were one of the happiest couples I knew. Maybe all Hunter needed was time too. I would fight my natural instinct to pry, and I would respect his privacy. I’d give him some trust that he’d tell me about himself on his own timetable.
And stop being such a total flipping hypocrite.
My closet was full of skeletons, skeletons I had no intention of letting out this early in a potential relationship. I couldn’t expect him to reveal his secrets when I was keeping my own.
It was time for me to chill out and just let things develop.
We sat quietly until a cluster of clouds blew in and took away the water’s sparkle. I was just about to suggest we head back to town when Hunter surprised me with a random question.
“How old are you?”
“I turned twenty-nine in March. Why?”
He shrugged. “Just curious. I’m thirty-four. My birthday was yesterday.”
My mouth fell open and then snapped shut with a click. With a full arm swing, I back-handed him in the chest. “What the ever-loving hell, Hunter Faraday?”
“What?” He shied away, clutching his chest to keep me from hitting him again.
His guard didn’t work. I wound up again, this time smacking his rock-hard bicep. “Your birthday was yesterday? And I’m just now learning this?”
“You had my driver’s license.”
I smacked him again. “I don’t study those. Do you know how many driver’s licenses I have copied? Hundreds. Now don’t make excuses. Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday at dinner?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Well,” I huffed. “You’re in trouble. As soon as we get back to the motel, I’m going to tell Mom it was your birthday yesterday. That’s your punishment for not telling me last night.”
“How is that a punishment?”
My grin was evil. “You’ll see. Come on.” I stood up from the log and held out a hand to help him up. When he slipped his large grip over mine, consuming my slender fingers, an electric current shot up my elbow.
Hunter felt it too, because he stuttered a bit as he stood. “Um, uh, where to now?”
I slipped my hand out of his so I could form coherent sentences. “Back to the motel. How would you feel about a redo birthday dinner?”
“You want to brave another night at The Black Bull?”
I shook my head. “How about a home-cooked meal instead?”
He smiled. “Sounds even better. Got any peas?” With a quick wink, he started back toward the truck.
Heavens above. That wink had just ruined me for all other men.