Roots and Wings (City Limits #1)(23)

“I think I’ll take you up on that.”

The conversation with her was great all night. She talked about how she’d always dreamed of opening her own bait and tackle shop with her own lures, which I thought was cool. In turn, I told her about how I got into dentistry because of my crazy awful childhood overbite.

The beers tasted good, but I wasn’t concerned with drinking much. I needed to remember what she was telling me and to say things the right way.

I wanted to kiss her, without any doubt in her mind it was because I’d had too much to drink. She’d slowed down too and the conversation, up until then, had been pretty light.

“So what does the town really think about what happened with Rachelle and me? I know they’re all talking because the ladies in the office keep looking at me like I’m some sad, lost puppy dog or something.”

“You’ll get used to that. Small towns are good for lots of things, but the flip side of that is having everyone know—or think they know—all of your business. Sometimes before you do.”

“So what do they think?”

She looked at me hesitantly, like she didn’t want to admit what they were saying. Like she wanted to spare my feelings, not knowing what was true and what was false.

I didn’t care what everyone else thought. I only cared that she knew the truth. I didn’t want her hearing something and thinking it was true, if it wasn’t.

“Out with it. How bad is it?”

“Okay,” she said and sat up to face me head on. “There are lots of people speculating, but what it boils down to is, you had a girlfriend who was planning on coming, and then she didn’t. But I’m not sure I’m buying all of that. I think something else happened. You don’t seem like you’re terribly heartbroken, or like you’re missing her or you know … upset. Sorry if that sounds bad. It’s not my business, but I’ve been around you, in your house. I just figured that when—or if—you wanted to talk to me—or anyone—you would.”

“Well, some of that is close.” Vague, but close. I think she was sparing my feelings not telling me all of the juiciest gossip.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” she admitted.

Only we did.

I wanted her to know that she was right about a lot of what she said and I wanted her to know why.

“No. It’s fine. You’re right. I’m not that broken up about it. Not now. I was when everything first happened, but after some thinking, it was all for the best.

“Rachelle and I started dating about two years ago. It was fun because we hung out in the same circle. We got along great. About a year after we were dating, we went golfing with another couple, Brad and Cami. And as things sometimes go, Rachelle and Brad got along well. Too well.”

I ran a hand down the back of my neck and squeezed it, catching my breath and giving her time to let it all sink in before I went on.

“He left Cami about a month before I was moving, and that’s when Rachelle came clean and told me she had been seeing him.

“At first, I was pissed about being lied to, cheated on. Then I was frustrated because I felt like a fool, having been friends with Brad and introducing them. Then I realized, if she really loved him, and he really loved her, it was best for Cami and me that they came clean before they got caught—or worse. Cami and Brad were already married.”

“You weren’t engaged?” she asked. “I mean, moving to the middle of nowhere with a guy is a big step.”

“We weren’t. Yet.”

I took a deep breath, ran my hands over my head, and reminded myself that I’d dodged a bullet. I didn’t want a woman who didn’t want me. I didn’t want someone I couldn’t trust. I didn’t want to be someone she’d resent later if she hated it there. And, in hindsight, she would have.

“Oh,” she said quietly. “You were going to?”

“Yeah, I planned on packing the ring in one of her boxes, the box you saw me with on Sunday, and then let her find it when we were moving in. She probably would have hated it. Not dramatic enough.” I hadn’t told anyone that. “But things didn’t work out anyway.”

“Well, for the record, it was a really sweet idea, but I think guys over think it. If you want my two cents, it shouldn’t be have to be staged or planned out so much.” She kicked my leg gently, pulling me out of my daze. Honestly, she was right.

The fire was starting to get low, so I got up to add a few more pieces of wood.

“Okay, now tell me something,” I said. And this little thing had been on my mind a lot. “Mutt?”

She shook her head, and I couldn’t be sure because it was dark, but I think she blushed. Her leg began to bounce slightly as I chucked logs into the pit.

“What?” she asked.

“Why? What’s with the nickname?” I knew she wasn’t embarrassed about the name. I’d heard everyone call her that. In fact, I didn’t even know what her real name was. Her damn file, in the small town dentist’s office, even said Mutt O’Fallon.

Of course, things were a little different than they were in the city. The files were all accurate, but not necessarily done in the most efficient way. I could change all of that, little by little, as needed when I took over. At the moment, I was focused on getting to know the patients, learning how things ran. Then I’d focus on improvements.