Roots and Wings (City Limits #1)(22)

A rush of air left my chest and it collapsed like it was going to cave in.

“You are?”

I couldn’t misunderstand that, right? Attracted to you means the same thing everywhere, right?

“I am. Since the moment we met, I’ve wanted to talk to you. Know about you. There’s something about you that stays with me when you’re not around. I think about you a lot.”

His thumb was circling mine and it was nice, comforting. I was nervous as hell, and, in this small way, he was soothing me.

“I think I like you a little, too,” I admitted.

His eyebrow teased me, rising on the end. “A little?”

“I said, I think.”

Why was I so embarrassed? We were adults. He was attracted to me, by the grace of God himself. And I was attracted to him, a lot. We weren’t the first humans to encounter such a thing, but, for the life of me, I didn’t know what the hell to do about it. I didn’t want to make a wrong move and have him realize he’d just been lonely or sad or on the mend.

“Well, it’s a good start. I hope you’ll be a little more certain after tonight. How about I start a fire? I saw you have a pit. That’s actually something I’m pretty good at. Then we’ll see if there’s anything I can do to help you officially like me.”

If he only knew that he’d already done it. I just needed to figure out if I was purely attracted to him, or if this was something else.





I have no clue where any of that came from, but I didn’t regret saying it. It was all true. I am attracted to her and I’m so damn curious about her.

When she came out of the bathroom, I could tell she’d fussed with her hair. Her lips were shiny. Then when I got closer I smelled something sweet that hadn’t been around her before. I knew it was all right to tell her, in plain words, no pretenses, no expectations, what I was thinking.

That was one of the things about her that was growing on me. She was easy to talk to, easy to be honest with, because she was. She was authentically her and I was drawn to it.

What came with that honesty was this fleeting flash of vulnerability she had around me. I’d seen her with other people, but with me she was quite different. A little more calm. A little softer. A little less on guard. A little less protected.

If she was willing to do that for me, then so could I.

O’Fallon had wood piled in neat rows under the cabin, only a few steps away from a really great fire pit. I wondered if she chopped all the wood herself. I didn’t think I knew a single woman who did stuff like that. The fire pit looked a little worn, but I wondered if she built that too.

She was so capable. And something about that challenged me. Made me think about what I could do to impress her. What I could do for her that she couldn’t do for herself. What she would need me for.

I knew one thing—I was going to do my best to find out what that might be tonight.

I built a fire, remembering I’d seen a lighter in the console of the Astro. When she came down, a few minutes after the flames really took off, she pulled her chair over to the fire and then found another in the back of her truck. She set them close to each other near the flames and placed the cooler in between them.

There wasn’t a single aspect to the situation that I was familiar with. All of it was new to me. The cabin. The river. It was a Tuesday. I was with a fascinating woman.

She was even more beautiful in her element. That fact alone was exhilarating.

We both sat, opened new beers, and then she asked me, “So how do you like Wynne so far?”

I was glad she asked me a question, because then it opened up an opportunity for me to ask a few of my own.

“I like it. It’s always a little strange in a new place, but so far I’m glad I took a chance on it.” It was my turn. I decided to start small. “Have you dated anyone in town?”

Subtle, Vaughn. Real subtle. But I had to know what I was strolling into. I’d, obviously, had a recent relationship. It was only natural to wonder if she’d had one, too.

She laughed and said, “Back to this?” Then she kicked my foot on purpose as she crossed her legs.

“No. Not really. I mean in high school I dated a few town guys, but nothing serious. I’ve never been a real relationship kind of person.” She took a drink, and I watched her face in the firelight, the sun having completely disappeared. “Not that I wouldn’t, I’ve just never been in one. You know? It’s just kind of worked out that way.”

“I get that.”

“At first, I thought all of the guys in town were scared of my dad. Then I thought maybe I was just too much of a tomboy to hit anybody’s radar. But eventually, I realized I really didn’t see anything I couldn’t live without walking around here either. Then I got used to it.”

However, she looked uncomfortable talking about it, not looking me in the face as she spoke, and that wasn’t my intention, so I changed the subject. “Do you have a boat?”

Immediately, she lit up.

“I do. I have a nice jon boat I troll around in—it’s at home in my shed—but last summer I bought a Rinker and I’m excited for it to warm up and take it out. It’s fun down here on the weekends. There are a few sandbars just south of here and people congregate there. Cook out. Socialize. Have a few drinks. It’s a good time. You’ll have to come out with me.”