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“Sure am.” I was going to give another retort but something stopped me. The air had shifted and Gray took a step closer—not this dance again—and my body responded without my blessing.
He stuck one of his long, thick fingers in the belt loop of my jeans and pulled me close. It was a simple thing, we weren’t even touching, but it made me melt and I hated that. But then he spoke.
“How am I supposed to sleep at night knowing you’re over here unprotected?”
The air between us thickened with unspoken words, with the memory of kisses that should've never happened but haunted me all the same. The heat in those few seconds had been real, and the way my body still hummed at the thought of it . . . well, that was just inconvenient.
“Gray,” I started, determined to cut through the tension, “why?—“
A sharp knock interrupted, saving us both from a conversation neither of us was ready for. He reluctantly let me go and I shook my hands out as if that would rid me of my desire.
Walking to the front door, I saw the mail carrier through the glass. Another man I met at Mason’s house. I opened the door with a smile.
“Hi, Bob.”
“Hey there, Eryn. This is exciting, huh?” he said, looking all around the porch. “I can’t wait to see what you do with the place.”
I glanced back at Gray who was conveniently examining an electrical outlet.
“Well, thanks, that means a lot. I can’t wait to have a big old party to celebrate and show her off when she’s done.”
“Lookin’ forward to it. Hey, I got a certified letter here for ya. Just need to sign here.”
I signed the slip he held out for me and took the envelope.
“You have a good day now.”
“Thanks, you too, Bob.”
Closing the door, I turned back to Gray. “See, it’s not difficult to be happy for me. Or at least pleasant. I don’t know what your problem is,” I said, already tearing the letter open. Gray watched, the line of his jaw tense.
My heart plummeted as I unfolded the single sheet of paper, the words blurring before sharpening into an accusation. Opposition to my Zoning Application. Signed by none other than Gray Anderson himself. In my heart, I knew it had been him. I just hoped it wasn’t. Stupid hope.
“Care to explain this?” I asked, my voice a mixture of hurt and defiance as I waved the paper before him.
He shrugged. “Town doesn't need your kind of progress,” he said, his voice gruff, but I saw the flicker of something else in his eyes. Regret? Doubt?
“Gray Anderson, protector of rural values, is that it?” I stepped closer, anger edging my words. “Or are you just scared of change? Big, burly cowboy who acts so tough. I think you’re petrified.”
“I am not,” he shot back, but the certainty I expected wasn't there. He shifted, uncomfortable under my scrutiny. “It's complicated, Eryn.”
“Life's complicated,” I spat the words back at him, my hands trembling as I clutched the paper that threatened my dreams. “You know what's complicated? Trying to make something of yourself when people you care about think you'll fail.”
“Is that what this is about?” Gray's voice softened, a flicker of concern in his eyes that contrasted harshly with his actions. “Trying to prove something?”
“Prove something? No, it's about doing something meaningful, Gray. Something real. Not just posing for pictures and selling stuff. It’s about helping people, helping myself and for heaven's sake, why am I even explaining myself to you?” My voice broke, the fight draining out of me as quickly as it had surged.
“Because whether you like it or not, we're tangled up in this mess together.” He took a step closer, his presence enveloping, his scent closing in on me.
“Stay back,” I warned, though my body betrayed my words, leaning imperceptibly toward him.
“Or what, princess? You'll kiss me again?” His question hung between us, charged and challenging.
“You’re the one who kissed me.”
“You kissed me back. Both times.”
“I shouldn’t have.” But even as I said it, my heart wasn't in the taunt. The hurt was too deep, the disappointment too raw.
