Page 85 of Hope After Loss

“I don’t know. I enjoy her company. I look forward to going to the office every morning because she’s going to be there. I like making her smile, and I really liked kissing her. It took all the willpower I had to take my ass home and not turn that truck around.”

“Shit,” he says.

“Shit,” I agree.

We finish our food in silence while my big brother lets my admissions sink in, and then he leads me to the basement to sort through the camping supplies.

“Where are you headed?” he asks.

“Anna wants to hike to Eagle’s View Falls.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You taking her up Buck?”

“Yeah. If I don’t, the crazy woman is liable to take off up the trails herself.”

“I’d better grab the larger bag,” he says.

We pack the bag with everything needed for an overnight hike, including any emergency supplies we might need.

He helps me load everything and then takes a seat on the tailgate of my truck.

“West, think long and hard before you take anything further with her. She isn’t just any woman,” he says.

“I know that,” I begin, and he raises his hand to halt my argument.

“It’s not just about her. She’s a single mother. Single mothers are a package deal. It’s not just her feelings that you have to consider. Every decision she makes and every person she lets into her life will be something she has thoroughly vetted. Because she isn’t just trusting you with her heart. She’s trusting you with Kaela’s heart too. And momma bears don’t let you near their cubs lightly. You can’tthinkyou like her a lot. If you cross that line, you need to be damn sure that you want more than a fling.”

I let his words sink in.

“How will I know?”

He slaps me on the back. “Like Graham told Morris the other night, you either know when you meet her or you know when you lose her.”

“Why does this have to be so complicated?” I groan.

He laughs and hops to his feet.

“Welcome to the club,” he yells over his shoulder as he tosses his hand in the air and walks inside.

Fucker.

Weston

Iload my truck with everything we’ll need for the day. It’s the first time Anna and I will be alone since that kiss.

The kiss.

It’s all I’ve been able to think about the last few days. Luckily, there was a lot to do on the farm, and I spent most of the days out in the field, or I might have given in to my base instincts and bent her over her desk and kissed her until I got this ache out of my system.

If she had any regrets, she didn’t let them show. She was all business, as usual. While I was losing my damn mind, thinking about her.

Fucking dreaming about her.

We meet at the parking lot at the base of Buck Mountain just before noon.

Be a gentleman, Weston.

Anna is already warming up. I watch as she jogs in place before bending to stretch her back, and then she begins to stretch her calves.