Page 39

"Well, it sounds like you might enjoy the same book the TBCIMAs are reading this month."

"Where can I find that, darlin'?"

"It's on the table there." She pointed at the one just outside the door to my room. "You might find a few books there interesting."

"I'll take a look. Thanks Willow."

"Of course."

He sauntered my way in jeans and a t-shirt that strained to contain all those muscles. As he got closer, I realized he looked more like a linebacker than a lumberjack. I always pictured lumberjacks with thick beards and flannels. Travis was clean-shaven, his blond or light brown hair was damp like he'd just had a shower, and there was no flannel in sight.

My stomach twisted when he walked right past the table of books and to the doorway of the back room.

Myroom.

"Well, this is a nice little hideaway." He stood in the doorway, somehow filling up the space even though he hadn't stepped fully inside. "You must be new in town. I'm Travis by the way."

My mouth went instantly dry as that pesky flight instinct kicked into high gear. I logically knew I wasn't alone in this shop. Willow and Christine were both right there and they knew this man, but I did not, and my body was screaming to escape.

"Uh," I swallowed past my giant, dry tongue. "Yeah. Just visiting."

He took a step closer and hooked his thumb over his shoulder. "Is that your black truck outside?"

My heart began to pound with panic. "Yes."

"You didn't happen to have lunch with a man in a cowboy hat a few days ago? Goes by the name Huk."

My heartbeat whooshed in my ears. "H-how do you know that?"

"Because he's my best friend."

Travis. Jackson's friend.Not a stalker.

I blinked. The whooshing softened. "You're Jackson's best friend?"

Travis jerked back a little with surprise. "Jackson, huh? He really does like you."

Most of my panic dissolved with that little nugget of information. "He mentioned you."

Travis grinned with a mix of player and genuine joy. "It's nice to know that wandering lug thinks of me when he's gone. Mind if I sit?"

If this was Jackson's best friend, then he had to be safe. There was no way someone as careful as Jackson kept friends who were assholes. I commanded my body to calm down. "Uh, sure."

He dipped his head. "Sorry if I scared you. I usually try to speak softly and keep my distance. I know my size can be off-putting." Now that the act had disappeared, I saw an entirely different man. He had soft, dancing eyes, twin dimples that did nothing for me, and wide shoulders that he didn't look like he knew what to do with.

Underneath all that bravado was a teddy bear.

A teddy bear with zero sense of personal space because he came right around my table and sat on the corner only a few inches away. "Please tell me you're staying close by. You...made an impression on Huk."

Enough of an impression that Travis knew who I was, further confirming that all of this was, in fact, real. "He made an impression on me. We actually ran into each other yesterday."

His eyes flashed. "So he knows you're here."

"He does."

"Explains why he ignored me last night," he said with a chuckle.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from sayingYes, he was too busy kissing me.And oh, what a kiss it was. My body still hummed so hard I was a little afraid of what would happen if we did more than kiss.