Page 13 of Hometown Hottie

“Thanks for helping a girl out. And come back sometime when Nova’s here and tell her how much you like her bear claws.”

Someone else grabbed her attention and she left, practically jogging back to the counter as she took over from a younger girl who seemed frazzled. I packed my box, paid, and left. As I devoured some in the truck on my way to the library, I marveled at how good the pastries were.

I wasn’t sure when I had decided to go to the library, but it was my destination. I had gone to the bakery and Nova hadn’t been there, and now I was stalking her at a read-aloud. Not my finest moment, that’s for sure.

There was something about Nova that sucked me in, though. There always had been. She just had this magnetic force about her that I couldn’t resist. On the other hand, I’d never really tried to resist. I was a gut-guy. If my gut said to do something, I generally listened.

Right now, it was telling me to track her down. I didn’t think she was in danger or anything quite as dramatic. I just wanted to see her. That was all there was to it.

As I pulled up in front of the library, I grinned when I noticed the renovated facade. Pride for the part I’d played in making it possible puffed up my chest a little bit.

They’d done a good job plastering and repainting it and giving it a bit of an upgrade while maintaining as much of the original look and structure as they could. I stuffed another pastry in my mouth, realizing that I was going to have to start working out just as hard as I used to if I wanted to keep eating like this. Then I climbed out of the car, jogged up to the steps, and went inside.

Nova sat in front of a group of little kids and some parents in a nook right off the foyer, reading animatedly and making everyone laugh. I stood right out of her sight, skirting around the shelves surrounding the nook and then watching her from close to the librarian’s desk.

“Little Red Riding Hood ran through the woods,” Nova said emphatically, making her eyes big at the kids as she ducked like she was dodging tree branches. “She was a smart and savvy girl, who kept her coat tight around her so she didn’t catch a cold, and her eyes were wide open, not missing a thing. She took note of landmarks so she wouldn’t get lost in the woods and she was careful not to get turned around.”

I chuckled softly, glad I’d decided to stay out of sight for now. She was so wrapped up in the story she was telling—not really reading—that she hadn’t noticed me at all and I was getting a kick out of seeing her like this.

Nova was a true country sweetheart, a girl who loved her ranch, her family, her town, and its people so much that she would never even mention leaving. Her long blonde hair was braided into pigtails today, but not those elaborate braids that took hours to accomplish.

When I’d known her, Nova had never spent more than a few minutes on her hair. Same with her face. She had a beautiful, heart-shaped face with a smattering of freckles across her nose and naturally long, black eyelashes.

I’d always thought she didn’t take so long to get ready because she was already so fucking gorgeous that she didn’t need to spend hours getting done up. Now, I had a feeling that it was because she’d just never had hours to spend on stuff like that.

Even back when she was a kid, she’d worked hard on the ranch. Her golden skin and curvy but toned body proved it. Her muscles were lithe and defined under her hourglass figure. Sitting on a large beanbag as she read, she wore faded denim jeans with little rips and tears everywhere that I was willing to bet hadn’t been put there by the manufacturer.

Behind me, the librarian stood with two parents whose son had just run to join the group, and although I was focused on Nova’s animated storytelling, I couldn’t help but overhear when they started talking.

“She’s a real gem, that girl,” the mother gushed. “Joshie refuses to miss her read-aloud. We’re practically at the point where we’re counting down the days until Tuesday.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw the librarian chuckle as she leaned in. “He’s not the only one. All the kids love her. It’s just a shame her family is going through what they’re going through at the ranch. One of these days, we might just lose her because of it.”

I half turned, keeping my attention mostly on Nova but now also making sure I could hear every word they were saying. I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but I couldn’t resist. Neither Ryan nor Nova had mentioned anything to me about what they were going through at the ranch, and they were my friends.

I was concerned. And okay, I was curious too. My mother had hinted at problems and now these people were discussing it as well. Clearly, it wasn’t really a secret that they were in trouble. It seemed the whole town knew, and I wanted to know what was going on too.

The man’s face hardened. “It’s not helping that they’ve had that developer sniffing around. I wish he’d just leave ‘em alone. Money troubles are hard enough without having a jackass like that preying on you in your weakest moments.”

My eyes narrowed and my pulse spiked. They were being preyed on by a developer and they hadn’t mentioned it to me?

I didn’t like that. At all.

Especially not because they had money troubles and I had money. Money that I wanted to invest in this town and they both knew it.

Sighing softly, I shook my head and left, keeping a low profile by shuffling my way back around the shelving so no one would see me. Ryan was one of my oldest friends and I knew he was proud, but shit. I needed to pay him a visit soon and see if there was anything I could do to help.

The Murphys were an institution in this town and with its people. Even if they hadn’t been my friends as well, I would have wanted to help. The only question now was whether they’d let me—or whether that legendary pride would stand in their way.