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  He swallowed hard. Every fiber of his body wanted to go for it, except for his bruised heart. It was reminding him how this story ended. It said that if he wasn’t careful Hailey wouldn’t only break his heart this time, but she’d destroy Lori too. “There isn’t anything between us anymore.”

  “That kiss meant nothing to you?”

  Why is she doing this to me now?

  He started to shake his head no but stopped. He believed picking up where they left off was courting disaster, but that didn’t mean he could lie. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been so turned on by just one kiss,” he whispered. “But—” He scrubbed his face with his hand, looking for the right word. “We did what we were supposed to do after high school. We went our separate ways and started living our own lives. Can you honestly say I’ve ever crossed your mind in all that time?”

  Hailey reached across the small table and clasped his wrist. He’d been trying to protect his heart by keeping eye contact to a minimum, but her touch demanded it. He looked into the stormy blue pools.

  “Only all the time.”

  She pounded on the slammed door of his heart until he had no choice but to open it up. “A do-over, huh?”

  “I know we can’t go back in time. But, I’m going to be here for a while and it seems like we’ve both had a hard time letting go of the past.”

  This was too much to hope for. People didn’t separate at a road’s fork, only to come back together somewhere down the line.

  Did they?

  He turned his hand in hers as he stood. Guiding her to her feet, he steered her closer to him, sliding a hand around her waist. “This is crazy. You know that, don’t you?”

  “I think a little crazy is just what I need.”

  He pulled Hailey in tighter, and she curled her body to his. He laid his cheek against the top of her head, let his body absorb the closeness of her, taking a minute to enjoy everything he’d always wanted. Even if by doing so, he was opening himself up for more heartache.

  Chapter Ten

  For the next two hours, their conversation wandered through the past eight years. Hailey talked about her apartment in the city, her favorite park nearby—and how it reminded her, if only in a small way—of the one in town.

  Nate talked about how he handled the transition from working in the diner to running it. He shared stories of raising Lori, the challenges and the moments of pure joy and celebration.

  They were still lingering over their coffee when the doctor found them to update Hailey on the surgery. On the promise that Bill would be sleeping for several hours, Nate convinced her to go home to do the same.

  As he turned down the road that led to her house, he couldn’t help but wonder how this night was going to end. Her fingers had been sliding up and down his arm for the entire ride, and about a mile earlier, she leaned her head against his shoulder. Still, they hadn’t really discussed or defined how they were going to move forward.

  Maybe because he wasn’t responding to her gentle touch, Hailey decided to clarify those lines—or lack thereof. She unbuckled her seatbelt, pulled her knees up onto the cushion, and scooted closer to him. Her arm wrapped around his shoulder. She pressed her body tighter to his as her lips nibbled at the side of his neck.

  The temperature in the truck seemed to rise; he tugged at the collar of his shirt for air. “Uhhh… you should have your seatbelt on.”

  Sliding her tongue against his chin, she moved closer to his ear, nibbling on his lobe. “Come inside with me.”

  He turned the truck into her driveway, and she had to brace her hand against the dash to keep from falling. After pushing the gearshift into park and turning the key to off, he swiveled toward her. “I thought you weren’t going anywhere soon.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Then there’s no rush.”

  “We’ve waited eight years for another night together. I don’t want to waste a moment more.”

  She’d been chipping away at his walls since the moment she’d come into the diner that morning. Earlier, they’d both been reluctant, but the moment she had declared her intent in the cafeteria, she’d pushed forward and acted as if the last eight years had been simply a brief moment.

  So what was he fighting?

  Having his heart shattered again.

  Hailey had creased it once, just like Lori’s mom. The walls he built had given him time to heal, but, damn it all, he was lonely.

  Just like Hailey professed to be.

  Was it wrong for them to keep each other company? He just needed to remember that no matter how steamy it might get, she was leaving in six weeks—maybe sooner.

  He reached up and gripped a piece of the silk blouse she wore, giving it a light tug. She got the message and moved even closer.

  With his assistance, she moved to his lap, wedging herself between him and the steering wheel. She hovered over him for a moment, before lowering her mouth to his.

  Her hair fell forward and he worked his fingers through the blonde tresses, accepting her affections. He returned the kiss with all the longing he’d struggled to suppress for so many years.

  She looped her arms around his neck and pressed her knees tight to his hipbones. He slid his hands up her back as she pulled him tighter, kissed him deeper.

  “This is crazy,” he mumbled against her mouth. “What are we doing?”

  “Trying again,” she mumbled the words against his lips before reclaiming the lead, capturing his mouth with hers again. Lowering her bottom, she rested on his legs. Arching her spine, she let her head fall back, exposing her neck.

  Accepting her invitation, he mouthed the supple flesh, dragging his tongue against her collarbone and thrilling at the low growl she uttered in response.

  When her hands dipped under his long-sleeved t-shirt and climbed up his chest, the realization of exactly where they were headed hit him like a bucket of cold water.

  It was one thing to see if the fire still burned between them. It was quite another to recreate the past.

  He pressed against her shoulders. “Not here, not like we’re teenagers.”

  Hailey moved back on her heels, looking into his eyes for a few moments before shifting off his lap to the seat next to him. “This isn’t exactly like that night. It was July. A lot warmer.”

  Nate twisted so he was facing her. Reaching out, he let a hand graze her shoulder. “It meant something to me. I just think you should know that.”

  A soft smile tipped her lips upward. She leaned into his touch. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

  “Stop apologizing. Okay? It’s over. We don’t have to talk about it anymore.” He wrapped her up in his embrace, and her body softened, melting into his.

  Tenderly, she kissed his neck. “Stay with me.”

  The painful memories of his past tried to chain him to the seat, urging him to refuse her offer. “I don’t think I should.”

  “Why? We’re not hurting anyone.”

  With one arm he tightened the hold around her waist, with the other hand he gently stroked her hair. “You’re in pain. About a lot of things. I’ll come inside and stay with you. I’ll hold you like this for the rest of the night. But, as far as the rest of it goes, I need a little time.”

  If Hailey had an argument for that, she didn’t make it. Instead, she slid out of the truck and waited for him to exit and meet on her side. She then offered him her hand and led him up to the door.

  Inside, she hung up their coats on the hooks of the mudroom wall and led him to the living room. As they walked through the kitchen, she offered him something to drink, but he refused.

  On the couch, she sat on the opposite corner he took, but when he opened his arms to her, she came to him with the same urgency she’d shown in the truck. She laid her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his chest. Reaching for the afghan that lay across the back of the couch, he covered the both of them and let his eyes drift closed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Nate was startled
awake by his cell phone vibrating against his hip and the sound of his alarm slowly growing louder.

  Five o’clock in the morning.

  Crap.

  As he moved, Hailey stirred in his arms. He tightened his hold and kissed her forehead. “I have to go to work.”

  She burrowed herself tighter to him. “Can’t you stay a little longer?”

  Sleep hadn’t been immediate for them, but they’d laid close in the darkness and whispered softly to each other between brief moments of slumber. He couldn’t deny how nice it had felt to have the company, and more than once she’d thanked him for staying.

  “I can’t,” he replied.

  She sat up, wrapping the afghan tighter around her shoulders when he slipped out from under her. “Can I see you later?”

  He leaned over her, sliding a hand under her chin and leaning in to kiss her sweet, soft lips. “Why don’t you come by the diner after a bit and I’ll make you breakfast?”

  She nodded before laying back down on the couch. “I will. After I go to the hospital and check on my dad.”

  He smoothed the cover over her, kissed her cheek again, and then headed for the back door.

  Nate was almost out of the room when her groggy voice hit his ear again.

  “I’ll call my uncle too. See if we can take Lori over to see the pony sometime.”

  “Sounds good,” he said, but her offer twisted his stomach in knots as he walked out into the cutting winter air and toward his truck.

  The harsh reality of dawn had him questioning the logic of his actions. It was one thing for him to risk his own heart, but involving Lori meant putting her emotions at risk too.

  He lifted his foot off the brake and scrubbed his cheek with his hand as he continued backing out of the drive. A balance would have to be maintained between Lori and Hailey, until he knew for sure what was happening between the two of them.

  He’d talk to Hailey and make sure they were careful around his daughter.

  When he pulled into the alley behind the diner, he cursed. Both waitresses, his aunt, and his grill cook were waiting by the back door. He hated being unpunctual but knowing there would be questions about his tardiness bothered him more.

  “You’re late.” The fry cook was a regular Sherlock Holmes.

  “Nope. Can’t be. I’m the boss.” He punctuated the sentence with a wide grin.

  “You look like you had a rough night?” Shirley, his most loyal waitress, commented.

  “I didn’t get much sleep.”

  “Lori?”

  He gave a half-nod but didn’t say a word. It wasn’t really a lie. She’d had a nightmare before he left the house to answer Hailey’s plea.

  He turned away and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to wipe away a pang of guilt as he unlocked the door. What if she’d had another bad dream after he’d left?

  When they were all in the storeroom, Nate pulled the heavy door closed. He was about to get started on the morning routine, but his path was blocked by his Aunt.

  “I’m happy for you,” she said.

  Anna always accused the woman of having an uncanny sixth sense, but there was no way she could know that he’d spent the night with Hailey. “For?”

  “You’ve been doing it all alone for too long—what? It’s been almost six months since you went out with Nancy Perkins. It’s about time you put yourself back in the love game.”

  “What makes you think—?”

  Wanda reached up and lifted the collar of his shirt. A swatch of pink lipstick resided on the light blue fabric. “You’re wearing the same clothes you were yesterday.”

  He closed his eyes and leaned back against the door. “Do you think the others noticed?”

  “Who cares if they did?”

  “I care. The last thing I need is more rumors flying around town about me.”

  “If people have nothing better to worry about than what you did last night—”

  “You know they don’t. And I didn’t do anything but sit with a friend who needed the company.”

  He knew all too well what it was like to be fodder for the rumor mill. This news would be burning up the gossip chains in no time flat, didn’t matter if the tales were true or false.

  “It’s okay to fall in love again. That’s a good thing.”

  Wasn’t she listening? “But it’s not that.”

  She gave him one of those smiles. Just like the ones she’d given him when he was no older than Lori and had been caught lying about stealing cookies from the jar.

  A look that said she didn’t believe him in the slightest, but she was going to let it pass. “Well, you don’t pay me to sit here and gab. You pay me to make biscuits and the soup of the day.”

  Alone in the storeroom, Nate looked down at the collar of his shirt again. Cursing as he pulled it off, he remembered a box of t-shirts bearing the restaurant’s name on the top of the far shelf. He’d had them made for the staff to wear on the float in last summer’s Cheeseburger Festival parade.

  Short sleeve didn’t fit the winter weather, but it was better than advertising he and Hailey when he didn’t even understand fully what that meant.

  He retrieved one and slipped it on before embarking on his usual routine.

  Nate unlocked the cash register and turned on the coffee makers and the lights in the dining room before opening the blinds. He then stepped out to the sidewalk in front of the diner—for privacy—and called his sister’s number.

  “Have you been at the hospital all night?” Through her grogginess he could still hear concern.

  “Yeah…mostly.” Not the exact truth, but he didn’t have time or energy to explain the details right now. “How’s Lori?”

  “Sleeping.”

  “Any more nightmares?”

  “No. She’s going to be up before long and you know she’s going to want to go to the barn.”

  Nate rubbed his temples. For a few moments he’d forgotten that his sister had lost her job. If Hailey was staying in town, that threw a wrench in his initial plan to help his sister grow her own riding program. “Bring her up here for breakfast so I can talk to her. I’ll tell her what’s going on.”

  “Will do.”

  The moment the clock ticked to six, a steady stream of regular customers began spilling into the restaurant. Even though he was exhausted, Nate welcomed the business and the distraction. That was until Jake Lambert strolled in, taking his usual seat at the end of the counter.

  Jake hadn’t said too much to Nate at the hospital with Hailey the night before, but he knew her brother had to have questions. Too bad Nate really didn’t have any answers.

  He flipped over a cup and began filling it with coffee.

  Jake dropped the still folded newspaper next to his plate. “How’s it going this morning?”

  “Same as usual.” Maybe the biggest lie he’d ever told. “How’s your father doing?”

  “He was still sleeping when I called the hospital, but they said the surgery went well. They said you and Hailey stayed until he came out.”

  “She didn’t want to leave until she knew the surgery was over.”

  “Then you took her home?”

  Nate did not want the conversation to go in this direction. He pointed over his shoulder toward the kitchen. “You want the same as usual?”

  Jake leaned across the counter, lowering his voice. “Did she tell you she’s planning to stay for a few weeks? To help Dad with his rehab?”

  “Yes. She did mention that.” Writing Jake’s usual order on a ticket, Nate kept his gaze down. He didn’t want Jake to be able to read anything from his expression. He wasn’t ready to say aloud they’d decided to try dating again.

  “I feel so bad. I can’t ask her to move out of the house so you can move in.”

  So that’s what Jake was worried about: the lease. “I understand why she wants to stay.”

  “I do too, but I know how anxious you are to get you and Lori into your own place. Can you wait about six weeks?
If you have to look for something else, I understand.”

  Another farm could potentially help his sister. “Do you know of another place with at least a few acres of property?”

  Jake looked away and Nate could tell he was searching the recesses of his mind. “I can’t think off the top of my head, but I’ll keep my ears open. Honestly, though, I really want you to move into our old place. I know you’d take good care of it.”

  “Your place has everything I’m looking for too. I’ll probably just wait this out and see what happens with Hailey. See if she decides to stay.”

  Jake fiddled with the edge of the newspaper. “My honest opinion? When we get Dad fully situated into Pioneer, she’ll probably move back to the city. She’s put a lot time and energy into becoming a lawyer, I don’t see her giving up on that now.”

  “Who says she can only work in New York? People around here need lawyers too.” Wait a minute. Why was he arguing that she might stay? His head knew Jake was right. It had told Nate repeatedly this little fling with Hailey was for the moment, to exorcise the ghosts of their past.

  Jake set his attention fully on Nate. “I know. And you make a point. I think she’s struggling to get through losing Mom and now all of this with Dad. She feels a little lost. Kelly and I do too. But they say time heals the pain, and I think once she deals with her hurt, things will fall back into place for her.”

  Was Nate a fool for hoping to get the six weeks she’d promised him? “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

  Right after Nate delivered Jake his usual breakfast, the bell on the front door rang out. Lori and Anna came into the diner. He only had to look into his daughter’s big brown eyes to see her innocence.

  Guilt bubbled up. She trusted him to be there when she needed him. Last night, he’d let her down. The last thing he should be doing is putting her secure family at risk.

  An overreaction? Maybe.

  He was long overdue for some happiness—or as Hailey had described it, some company—but what had Lori done to deserve a distracted father?

  He rounded the corner of the counter and smiled when she ran to him. He patted on the red, leather-covered bar stool next to Jake and she climbed up. “What do you want to eat this morning?” Nate asked.