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“Sure, son. See you in a sec.”
They hung up and within minutes, the crunch of boots on gravel sounded loud in the otherwise quiet night. Even the bear had calmed, laying down by the edge of the water. When she heard the commotion, though, she perked up. She snorted, and Cal stopped dead in his tracks.
“That a bear?”
“Sure is. Momma black bear, probably the same one whose cub we saw out by Maggie’s stretch of the canyon.”
“Hi there, Ms. Newman.” Cal dipped his hat and she smiled and waved. “Well, this is a pickle. She’s awful close to town, isn’t she?”
“That was my thinking. What do you want us to do?”
Cal rubbed his chin while he seemed to give it some thought. Bennett had a few ideas of his own, but they were last resorts and only if the bear became aggressive.
“I’m thinking you two have done a great job as first responders, and I’ve got it from here. I’ll give Mitch a call and see what he suggests as a vet. I’d hate to leave the poor gal to her own devices if she’s sick or somethin’ else.”
“That sounds like a good plan. We’ll wait until Mitch gets here in case she spooks.”
Half an hour later, Maggie and Bennett were back at her car. She’d kept her hands wrapped around her core on the walk back and his own felt lonely without the company.
The rest of the magic lighting the way on their walk had evaporated as well. She’d clammed up and talked about the weather still being so chilly in the evenings, the sounds and smells of Deer Creek in the spring, and what Golden had done in the corral the other day. No more talk about their fathers, their disappointments, or their futures. Certainly, no more talk regarding their almost-kiss.
In fact, when he leaned past her to open her truck door for her, she jumped back a foot. Yeah, that moment had long passed. Too bad, too. The thought of kissing the woman he’d loved for so long—with lips he knew on a woman he didn’t—had haunted him since their kiss by the creek the week before. And being that close? Well, it stood to reason he wouldn’t forget the moment he’d almost been given everything he’d ever wanted. Because each time they locked lips, part of his heart remained behind.
“Maggie?” he asked as she settled in the driver’s seat. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, of course. I’m just tired and still a little freaked out about the bear.”
“Sure. Me, too. But we’re okay?”
“We are. Thanks for a nice evening, Bennett.”
Nerves stuck to his vocal cords, making it hard to talk. He cleared his throat.
“So, can I um, take you somewhere tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?”
The way she said it made it sound like a curse, not the promise he felt like it was.
“You have plans?”
“Aside from all these contracts and then the renovations on the ranch house? Plus working out the last of the fixes to the property before I bring in new equipment there, too?”
“That’s a lot. But that’s what I love about Deer Creek—there’s always a neighbor willing to pitch in.” He smiled, but she didn’t match it with one of her own.
“I appreciate that, but something happened tonight, and I need to think through it.”
He raised his brows and smiled. “It didn’t happen, but I’d like it to very much.”
“No, not that. Though that was nice and all.”
Her cheeks flushed pink, and he had to clench his hands into tight fists to avoid brushing the color with the pad of his thumb. That just might tempt him into taking the bottom lip she worried with her teeth into his mouth.
“Bennett, I need to forgive my dad for what he did back then. I know why he lied, and I’m grateful to you for talking me through it earlier so I could get here, but now the work is on me.”
“What do you mean?”
Her eyes wandered from him to the direction of the Newman Ranch. “Do you know tonight is the first time in who knows how long—maybe ever—that I asked myself what it is I want in life?”
