Whispers of You (Lost & Found #1)(44)

I glanced over his shoulder and, sure enough, Ms. Peabody had peeked her head out of the front door of the B&B and was even now watching us like a hawk.

I groaned. “Why is she the worst?”

He chuckled. God, that sound—it was just like I imagined it would be. Deeper. Richer. Like a smoky whiskey that heated you from the inside out. I wanted to drown in that chuckle.

“She has taken it as her personal mission to know everything that happens in this town.”

“And to disseminate the information to every person she comes across,” I grumbled.

“Yeah, I’d like to get out from under that surveillance. Especially since I’m sticking around for a while.”

My traitorous heart picked up its pace. “How long?”

Holt’s thumb swept back and forth across the stubble below his lip. “For the foreseeable future. I need someplace to stay until I can find a longer-term rental.” His deep blue eyes swirled as they bored into mine. “And I hate the idea of you being out at the cabin alone. Especially after today.”

A riot of emotions warred inside me. But that seemed my new normal as long as Holt was around. “It’s not your job to protect me.”

I didn’t say it to be cruel, and that much came across in my tone. It was a simple fact. I’d loved how Holt wanted to care for and protect me a decade ago, but he’d given that away when he let me go. In some ways, it had been a good thing. I’d learned to stand on my own two feet and take care of myself. If Holt had stuck around, I wasn’t sure I ever would have done that.

He stared at me, not looking away. “I know it’s not. But let me do it anyway.”

Those eyes that I had gazed into for over half my life pleaded with me now. They were the same ones that had danced with laughter as Grae and I reenacted scenes from Little Women, forcing him and Nash to play Amy and Meg in our band of sisters. The same ones that had filled with tears the day we’d almost lost Grae. The same ones that had shone with love the first time he’d said those three little words to me.

There was only one thing I could say now.

“Okay.”





My bare feet plodded along the grass as I walked toward the water, Shadow at my side. The sun sank lower in the sky, painting it a beautiful cascade of colors. This time of day usually calmed me, but now my body was strung tight, on alert, listening for any hint of sound.

The crunch of tires on gravel wound my muscles tighter. I didn’t turn around. I stayed focused on the horizon.

Shadow let out a bark, and I patted her head. She would have my back always.

A vehicle door opened and shut.

Shadow let out another bark, this one happier, and then took off running. That had me turning. I watched as my dog happily leaped at Holt’s arrival.

He let out a laugh that carried on the breeze. That sound had barely changed, a little deeper now maybe, but the sound itself, the way it was shaped, was just the same.

Holt gave my girl a good rubdown and then picked up a stick and tossed it in the direction of the lake. Shadow took off running as if she were on a single-minded mission. Holt grinned. “She might make a good SAR dog.”

“Law said the same thing. I keep meaning to do some training with her, but there never seems to be enough time.”

He nodded as he moved in my direction. “I could start her on some stuff. I’m rusty, but I bet my dad would help.”

My brows lifted at that.

“We talked,” Holt said. “It’s far from perfect, but it’s better.”

“I’m glad.” And I meant those words. I wanted healing for Holt and his family. Healing for all of us.

“Whatcha got in the bag?” Holt asked hopefully.

I glanced toward where I’d set the takeout bag and an array of drinks on the edge of the firepit. Four Adirondack chairs circled it. This spot had become one of my favorites since buying the cabin. And now I was opening it to him.

“Burgers and fries.”

Holt eyed the drinks. “That a root beer float for me?”

My cheeks flushed. When I’d walked into Dockside to order, knowing that Holt was coming here, I couldn’t stop myself from placing the order I had done before too many times to count. I hadn’t missed the way Jeanie’s eyes had flared at hearing the words pass my lips, but she hadn’t said a thing.

“It’s a preemptive measure. I don’t want you trying to steal any of my milkshake.”

A smile stretched across Holt’s face that hit me right in the stomach. “You’re a goddess among mortals.”

I rolled my eyes and began pulling food out of the bag as Shadow ran back for another round of fetch with her new best friend. “Just a smart mortal who doesn’t want her dessert stolen.”

“That, too.”

Grabbing Holt’s burger and fries, I offered them to him. His hands closed around mine, a brush of skin against skin that I’d felt so many times before. Only now, I didn’t take it for granted. I soaked up the buzz of awareness, letting the hum of sensation soak deep into my bones and hoping I’d be able to keep it there forever.

The slight tightening of his fingers around mine told me that Holt felt it, too. “Thank you. I’m starving.”

His voice was just a little deeper, huskier.

I hurried to pull my hands away, took the rest of the contents out of the bag, and then retreated to my chair, taking a long pull from my milkshake. “No problem.”