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Silas snorted. “It will hold happiness if you’d give that boy a nudge. I don’t think it would take much. He already talks about you like he thinks everything you do for him is a miracle. And I might be old, but I’m still a man. I can see when another man is attracted to a woman. Take your time but do me a favor and don’t hurt him. Something tells me that boy has already seen a world of hurt in his past.”

My heart ached at his words because I knew he was probably right. “I would never intentionally hurt, Devon. He means the world to me.”

That much was absolutely true.

In a brief period of time, Devon had wormed his way into my heart, and I had a feeling if anyone was going to end up hurt, it was going to be me.

Yes, I knew that Devon was attracted to me, but I didn’t think he was interested in having a real relationship.

Even if he was interested and had changed his mind about dating, I couldn’t date anyone at this point in my life.

“Glad to hear that,” Silas said with a grin. “Your coffee is ready. Cinnamon roll?”

I looked longingly at the tray of sweets on the bar.

I’d managed to drop two pounds, and that delicious cinnamon roll was full of calories.

“Life is short. Have a cinnamon roll,” Silas teased. “You know you want it.”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, give me one. I’ll split it with Hannah. She’s still craving sweets. She’ll love it, too.”

Hannah had tried so hard to resist those cravings, so she didn’t have a lot of baby weight once her pregnancy was over. Her cravings had been out of control during her second trimester, but the craving for anything and everything was starting to subside now that she was in her third trimester. The only thing she couldn’t quite get under control was her craving for sweets.

I knew that she was eating pretty healthy, so half a cinnamon roll wasn’t going to hurt her.

I watched as Silas boxed up the treat, put it in a bag and added two forks to the bag.

I started to dig in my purse, but Silas shook his head. “I’ll put it on your tab.”

I nodded. Although the whole concept of having a tab somewhere was foreign to me, that was the way Silas operated.

Strangely, my tab was never as much as I thought it should be at the end of every month.

He’d always waved me off and said that I got a frequent visitor discount.

My guess was that he was a big softie and gave working women a significant discount.

“You’re the best,” I said as I took the bag and gave him a peck on the cheek.

I really did adore Silas, even his unrequested advice.

He always meant well, and he genuinely cared about the people in Crystal Fork.

He sent me a mischievous smile. “If that’s true, then forget about Devon and go out on a date with me.”

I was used to his mock flirtatiousness, so I wasn’t surprised by the comment. “You’re too much of a player for me, Silas. But I adore you.”

“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” he grumbled as he handed me the coffees.

“Have a good day. Take care of yourself and don’t forget that nutrition shake with lunch,” I called out as I headed for the door.

The doctor had told Silas that he was lacking the proper nutrition for a man his age, so he’d insisted on supplements.

He’d hated the taste of it, so he’d refused to drink it.

I’d found him one that tasted better than the one the doctors had suggested, and he’d finally started to drink it every day.

“I’ll drink it,” he promised. “It tastes a lot better than the awful stuff the doctor gave me. It tastes even better with a little ice cream.”