Page 20 of Rocky Mountain Devil

Laurel rolled her eyes but then smiled, pushing the door closed. An instant later the chain dropped with a rattle, and she opened up and let him in.

“I should make you stand out there until it’s the sixth on Mountain time, but I want the flowers.”

Rafe snickered. “I’ve got chocolates, as well.”

She slipped over to the small kitchen area and brought out a jar for a vase. “I bet you eat more than half of them,” she teased.

He put the box down on the table, standing beside the counter she was currently hiding behind. “You’re in a better mood than before.”

“I figured you’d show up.” She took a moment to arrange the flowers, fussing over them more than expected. When she lifted her eyes to meet his, she wore a rueful smile. “This afternoon was not about you. I got surprised, and it threw me. I’m sorry I was rude.”

“Surprises can do that to you.” He avoided mentioning Jeff’s name.

She leaned on the refrigerator, folding her arms as she looked him over. “I’m glad you’re here. And the flowers and chocolates are a nice touch.”

Her smile warmed him. “I never used to buy you that stuff.”

Laurel shrugged. “We weren’t dating.”

There was a moment as they just stared at each other, a little bit awkward but tangled up with a whole lot of anticipation. “We weren’t. But we were close.”

“Real close.” She stepped toward the tiny living space where an old couch and single chair faced an even older sound system and TV.

He wasn’t surprised when she sat in the armchair.

He settled on the couch, looking her over and making no attempt to hide the attraction he felt. “But it’s been three years, right?”

She nodded, her ponytail swaying. “The good thing is we’ve got a solid foundation, so dating should work.”

Rafe felt his lips twitch. “I’m pretty sure dating will work just fine.” Awkward. Hesitant. Soveryawkward, and while it made total sense, he needed to fix it. “Want to go for a walk?”

She shot to her feet. “Perfect.”

“Almost as perfect as suggesting we build a racetrack.”

She grabbed a light coat from a hook beside the door, smiling over her shoulder. “Almost, but I don’t expect you to reach my levels of awesomeness immediately. Pull the door closed after you—I’ve got keys.”

She led him to the front walkway, and they headed down the sidewalk side by side. It was early enough there were still kids playing in the street, and lights were just beginning to shine in living room windows.

“How’d your summer go?” Rafe asked. They had to start somewhere, and that seemed safer than bringing up Jeff and her reaction to the man.

“Pretty good. I’ve settled in at the library. No problems there. Wendy and Dawn are good to work with, and they’ve got some neat programs that are fun. It makes work enjoyable.” She bumped her elbow into his side. “What about you? Any idea how many miles you did?”

“God, I don’t even want to figure that out. A lot. I think I visited every remote farm in rural Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and I now know exactly which roads I shouldn’t ever drive while hauling a trailer.”

She snickered. “Had to do some creative manoeuvering, did you?”

“I had to back up for a good mile one time. Remember when I was teaching you how to drive, and you got stuck between the barns at the Moonshine Ranch?”

“You promised to never bring that up again,” Laurel returned. “Seriously, that bad?”

“Worse. It was dark.” He got a laugh out of that, and suddenly things between them felt a little more comfortable. “How’s your family?”

Laurel pointed across the road to where a trail led toward the outskirts of Rocky. “Leslie and her husband are slightly less delighted that I’m back than they were at first because I’m not willing to instantly show up to be super-sister babysitter at the drop of a hat. My mom slapped my name back up on the schedule for playing piano at church so fast even I was surprised.”

“You still play?”

She made a rude noise. “Not nearly as well as I used to, especially since they’ve added new songs to the list.” She lifted her eyes to meet his and offered a mischievous smile. “First week they had me in, I played the classic version to a song instead of the modern variation. The old-timers were delighted.”