Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
“Snow Hills has been nothing I’d expected.”
“You came at the perfect time.” Mom smiles. Her eyes bounce between the two of us.
My face goes bright red at my mother’s innuendo. “You really did.” I try to recover. “You’ll get to see Christmas in full swing around here.” I glance up at Crane. He still needs to get lights on his house.
Mom gives me a sly smile. “That’s not what I meant. I didn’t know I raised a daughter with such a filthy mind.”
“Have you ever seen her Kindle?” Eve asks my mom.
“Eve!” I snap. Aren’t they supposed to be giving Crane a hard time? Not me. The heck. I shouldn’t be shocked; the two of them always gang up on me.
“What’s on your Kindle?” Crane asks.
“Just books or whatever.” I stumble over my words. “There is only so much space in the library.” I try not to sound defensive or suspicious, but I’m sure I’m failing. My face always shows every emotion.
“And some of those covers or title names can’t be poking out in there with little eyes and hands roaming around, right, Liza?”
I glare harder at my friend. Crane lets out a deep, sexy chuckle that has me melting into his side.
“What I meant was”—Mom circles back around to her point—“a few of the ladies from the Frost Angel Sewing group had their grandsons coming to the auction to bid on you. I overheard they were sending a picture of you to them.”
Crane’s hold on me tightens. He’s not laughing anymore.
“So you better be ready,” she tells Crane.
“I’m always ready.” His response is simple, but it’s laced with something else I can’t put my finger on.
“So, coffee.” I change the subject. “You want sugar cookie creamer? It’s wonderful, but you can only get it this time of year.”
“I normally take mine black, but that does sound good.”
I slip out from under his hold to make us both a to-go cup.
“You look like a man that takes his coffee black and has to shave twice a day.” Eve polishes off her bear claw and grabs another. I have no idea where everything she eats goes. She’s like a damn bottomless pit. If I ate the way she does, it would go straight to my hips.
“I bet you’d look handsome with a bit of scruff.” I hand him his coffee. “Hope it’s not too sweet.”
“Never.” He winks at me before he takes a drink. My face flushes with more heat, but I turn to go back to get my own coffee to hide it. I steal the donut covered in green and red sprinkles and powdered sugar that I know was ordered for me.
Both Eve and my mom pepper Crane with questions about his job and where he’s from. Things he already told me last night. He sips on his coffee and answers them all without hesitation.
“You sound like you drift around a lot.” Mom cocks her head to the side. “You don’t like to stay in one place long?”
A tightness fills my chest that I can’t explain.
“I’ve been looking for a change of pace. Something different.” His eyes come to mine and linger there.
“I should really get over to the library,” I say, not wanting to talk about the fact that Crane could only be here temporarily.
“I’m going to walk you,” Crane says before polishing off his coffee and dropping it in the small recycle bin. “Thanks for the coffee, ladies.” He gives them the same nod he had when we came in before he snags my hand again.
“Bye, guys.” They both watch us go. “I’m sorry about them,” I say again when we exit out of the front of City Hall. Crane is from the city. I’m sure he’s not used to people being up in his business.
“Nothing to be sorry about,” he reassures me.
“Morning, Liza, Crane,” a few people say as we pass them on the sidewalk.
“Everyone really knows everyone around here,” Crane observes.
“Yeah, Snow Hills has more good to it than bad, but there are for sure some downsides.”
“As?”
“I’m sure everyone in this town is buzzing around talking about the two of us.” I peek over at him to gauge his reaction to that. “This is probably the most excitement they’ve had in a while.”
“Good.”
“Good?” I stop walking when we get to the front of the library.
“Yeah, good.” He leans down and kisses me again. This one is not as quick as the other, but it’s definitely not all-consuming like last night.
“They're really going to talk about that.” I can feel people's eyes on us even now.
“Let them talk.” He gives me that half-smile of his. Okay, maybe a small town won’t scare him away. He’s so unfazed by what others might think or say. It only makes him sexier. “I want to walk you in.”
“All right.” I put my key in and unlock both front doors before I step inside. I gasp when I see my front display of holiday romance novels dumped over. “How the–”