Chapter 11
HUNTER CLIMBED THE steps to Allie’s cabin and knocked on the door. It was five minutes to nine, and he was really hoping that she wasn’t one of those women who are chronically late.
The door swung open and Dex stared out at him, a hammer in his hand.
“What’s up, buddy?”
Hunter arched a brow at him as he stepped inside. “It’s awfully early to be working on repairs, isn’t it?”
“There was a raccoon invasion last night, so I am being a good landlord and dealing with the issue.”
“I thought she wasn’t paying you.”
“She’s not, but she will be soon.”
“Hi,” Allie said, coming into the kitchen with a puppy in her arms. She was decked out in leather boots, tight blue jeans, and a blue long-sleeved top. Her golden-blond hair fell around her shoulders in loose waves and he was struck again by how pretty she was.
For some reason, Hunter glanced toward Dex, and he stiffened as he recognized his friend’s expression.
Hunger.
Dex had been adamant about having no interest in Allie, but … as Hunter took a long time to process everything that was happening around him, he decided that Dex was simply looking at Allie the way he did every beautiful woman.
Relaxing, Hunter stepped forward and kissed Allie’s cheek. “You look amazing.” Taking the puppy from her arms, he held him up until he was at eye level. “And who’s this handsome dude?”
“This is Kermit. Dex found him yesterday and I am keeping him. Isn’t he adorable?”
“Real men don’t say adorable,” Dex grumbled, but Hunter heard him.
“Oh, he’s definitely adorable.” He waited for Dex to give him shit, but his friend silently climbed the ladder under the hole in the ceiling, ignoring him. “I figured we’d start off by taking a drive around town, and I can show you all the places I love around here. Then we’ll stop for a picnic.
“Then I was thinking later we’d go by the Grizzly and have dinner,” Hunter said. “So is it all right if we put Kermit in his cage tonight? You’re not really living until you’ve had a pulled pork sandwich and a frothy mug of BearFaced Brown.”
“I’m afraid to ask what that is,” Allie said.
“It’s this awesome potato ale made in Idaho, by the Bear Island Brewing Company. It’s tasty, you’ll like it.”
“I’m in.”
“Is it cool if you watch Allie’s pup for now, Dex?”
Dex grunted, and Hunter called up again, “You okay?”
“Fine. Why don’t you two get the hell out of here so I can work in peace?”
Something had definitely crawled up Dex’s ass and died there, but Hunter wasn’t going to pry it out of him now. Allie grabbed her jacket, a hat, and gloves and gave Dex a withering look.
After going to the front door, Hunter held it open and waved Allie through.
Once she was outside, he shot one more glance at Dex, who finally looked his way.
“What the hell, man?” Hunter mouthed.
Dex didn’t answer him, just went back to hammering. Shaking his head, Hunter closed the door with a thump.
Dex slammed the hammer down on his thumb for the third time in an hour and hollered. “Shit!” Throwing the hammer down, he climbed off the ladder and wished that he had something to swing at. He had no idea what had set his teeth and temper on edge, but he was pretty sure the blame sat at Allie Fairchild’s sweet little booted feet.
Dex could chalk it up to the feeling of wanting what he couldn’t have, but there had been women in the past he’d backed off of for a friend and been happy to. And seeing Allie look so relaxed, with her hair soft and touchable, had thrown him. Especially when he started imagining Hunter running his fingers through it.
She’s just one woman. A woman who doesn’t even think you’re good enough for her, anyway.
The voice in his head was right, of course. What he needed was to keep his mind focused on someone else.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he scrolled through his contacts, finally landing on Iris Jacobs, a recent divorcée with a wild streak a mile long.
And his finger hovered over the Call button.
After exploring Bear Mountain for several hours, Allie and Hunter sat at the base of a mountain, eating their picnic lunch. A river bubbled and broke fifty feet away, and the view of statuesque mountains and pine trees was beautiful. The sun was out, and warmed the air slightly, but Allie still kept her coat on. So far, the date had been going very well. Hunter was funny, charming, and a gentleman.
“I found this spot when I was out driving and, I don’t know, it just became my place. I haven’t brought anyone else up here.”
Hunter’s words were romantic and right. They were sharing a lovely picnic and the sounds of rushing water from a river nearby were positively soothing.
So why didn’t her heart flutter the way it had when Dex had stared at her this morning?
I need to put that man from my mind for one afternoon. Why is that so hard?
“Well, I’m honored,” she said.
“If you want to feel even more honored, grab a brownie from the basket. I know it’s not manly, but baking is actually the one thing I can do outside of the OR on rare occasions.”
“You bake?” A man who was gorgeous, successful, and baked? Hunter was beyond the total package.
Allie grabbed one of the brownies and took a bite with relish. “Mmmm, seriously, you should patent these bad boys.”
“That would require sharing my great-grandmother’s recipe, which would be a mortal sin,” Hunter said.
Allie popped the rest of the moist, chewy goodness in her mouth, humming with pleasure.
“Uh-oh, I forgot to pack something,” he said.
Trying to swallow the chewy bite, she took a drink from her water bottle. “What?”
“Napkins.” He scooted closer. “And you’ve got something right”—he reached up and trailed his finger over her lips—“there.”
Allie knew what was about to happen before his lips closed over hers, brushing and tasting her softly, as if he was savoring her. Allie kissed him back, opening her mouth to his tongue.
The sound of something screeching overhead brought Allie scrambling away and glancing up toward the sky.
“What the heck was that?”
“I didn’t hear anything,” Hunter said.
Allie’s cheeks warmed at the insinuation. He hadn’t heard anything because he’d been too busy kissing her, while she …
She’d been distracted by a bird.
It wasn’t that Hunter wasn’t a good kisser; he was. There just wasn’t any …
Spark.
Yet. She couldn’t judge Hunter based on her experiences in her past relationships. Those had been crazy hot in the beginning, but fizzled out quickly. She wanted something that was going to last.
“Sorry, I’m not used to the great outdoors.”
Hunter, easygoing and nice, just smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”
Allie figured she’d blown it after that, especially since he started packing up their food. But after he picked up the basket, he took her free hand and held it all the way to the car. Even opened the door for her and gave her a sweet, chaste peck before closing her door.
Everything was perfect about their date, and yet, she wanted to roll her eyes.