Page 12 of Denim & Diamonds

“Well, you’ve brought me back to reality, Mr. Hawkins, and managed to depress me at the same time.”

He smiled sadly. “Not trying to depress you, Red. Just making the point that no one’s life is easy, and there’s plenty of heartache, even in an idyllic town like this.

Here’s the thing, though. Despite everything that anyone here is going through, they’re still here, enjoying themselves.

We have to find these little moments that help make up for the tough times.

That’s why I wanted to break you away from that place to experience this.

It’s good for the soul.” He stared into my eyes.

“I hope your time here in town is worth it, that you’re able to go back to the City with a fresh outlook. ”

I could see the reflection of the carnival lights in his beautiful eyes. “Well, that sounded suspiciously like goodbye, Mr. Hawkins. And I don’t know if I like it…” As we looked out toward the chaos, an evening breeze caressed my face .

After a couple of minutes of comfortable silence, I turned to him. “What’s our sad story?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, what would someone say about us if they were privy to our situation? Two seemingly happy people, assumed by all to be a romantic couple, but the truth is…” I paused. “You fill in the blank.”

Brock crossed his arms and seemed to think about it for a second. “They’d say, ‘See that knockout with Brock Hawkins? She’s not really his girl, just a mysterious woman passing through town with an expiration date.’”

“Ouch. That’s abrupt and tragic.” I laughed.

“Well, I feel fortunate to have this experience anyway. It’s very grounding being here.

Back in the City, everyone is constantly moving and paying no mind to each other.

It’s disheartening to live in that world day in and day out.

Just the fact that you can point to someone and know their story…

How many people do I pass on the daily that I’ll never see again, let alone have a true understanding of their personal struggles? ”

“Who broke the girl out of prison?” someone interrupted.

I turned to find Brock’s brother Trevor standing beside us. Brock must’ve filled him in on the reason for my stay in Meadowbrook.

Brock rolled his eyes. “When did you get here?”

“Been trolling around for a few minutes. Ran into three different women who’ve made me Mexican food in the past six months, so that’s awkward.” He turned to me. “You’re looking even more beautiful tonight, Red.”

Brock gave him a look of warning. “You don’t get to call her that.”

A look of amusement crossed Trevor’s face. “Oh, it’s like that, huh? ”

Brock gritted his teeth.

It gave me pleasure to see him so protective. Hard not to read into it. Maybe there was hope after all, even if I wasn’t sure what I was hoping for.

Trevor turned to his brother. “How about we play some games? See who can win her the bigger prize?”

“I think we both know who was born with the bigger prize, brother,” Brock cracked.

Trevor winced. “Ouch.”

He hung with us for a few minutes before his attention was diverted by a woman who would probably be making him huevos rancheros next month.

Brock and I eventually decided to leave the fair, but he drove us around Meadowbrook for a while, showing me more of the town.

He took me by his high school and the house he grew up in.

Then he showed me the log cabin he was currently building.

It got to a point where he was no longer showing me anything but just driving around aimlessly.

I had a theory: Brock wasn’t ready to say goodnight to me just yet.

I reached over and placed my hand on his leg, which felt a bit brazen. “How long can we drive around before you admit you’re just stalling?” I asked.

“I don’t want to bring you back to my place, so this is the only choice I have.”

Exactly what I’d suspected. “Are you forgetting we’ve already slept together?” I joked.

“Hardly.” His eyes darted toward me. “You wouldn’t use the term slept together lightly if you knew the real deal.” He winked.

“Why did you text me today? Was it really just because you felt bad that I’d be leaving town without experiencing more of Meadowbrook? ”

“Are you trying to get me to admit I wanted to see you?”

I arched a brow. “Did you?”

Brock didn’t answer until he’d pulled into a spot across from my ladder. Then he turned to me. “I suppose I did want an excuse to see you. Even if that’s not very smart.”

After a long moment of silence, Brock spoke again.

“See that guy over there? Brock Hawkins? He’s had a tough year between a failed relationship and a couple of business ventures gone south.

He was living day to day, going through the motions, until this beautiful woman showed up out of nowhere at his bar.

He’s thought about her every day and has had nothing but adventures ever since she rolled into town.

At first, he thought she was a little… extra , but he’s since realized she’s vulnerable, real, and unlike anyone he’s ever met before.

Even though she’s leaving soon…he wishes he had more time with her.

” Brock smiled sadly. “That was a better commentary than the one I gave you before.” He reached out and took my hand in his.

It felt so good to be touched by him, my small fingers lost in his big, masculine ones.

“See that girl over there? February Shaw?” I said, looking down at our intertwined hands.

“The last thing she wanted was to be sent away to a wellness center to work on herself. She thought it was gonna be the worst experience of her life. Until one morning she woke up staring at a moose head. She realized this small town had a lot to offer, especially one Brock Hawkins, a man who, while grumpy on the outside, continues to warm her heart with the sweet things he does, not only for her, but for almost everyone he comes across. She’s never met anyone like him.

She thinks he’s remarkable. And she really wishes she had more time with him, too. ”

Our eyes locked, and I swore this was it: Brock was going to finally lean in and kiss me. I licked my lips in anticipation. But he never moved. He just let go of my hand. As much as I understood why he was holding back, I wished he’d give in a little…just for one night. Or even one moment.

I finally gave up, placing my hand on the car door to leave. “I’d better go inside.”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “You’d better go while the coast is clear.”

“Thanks again for today.”

“My pleasure, Red.”

He stayed in his truck, watching me as I walked away.

I turned back toward the truck. “Hey...”

He rolled down his window. “What’s up?”

“Do you have a good deed on record today?”

He thought about it for a second. “Yeah.”

“What was it?”

After a long pause, he said, “This. Dropping you here instead of taking you back to my place and doing all the things I wanted to. You’ll thank me later.”