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“Wait, why?”
Blinking up in confusion at the dark lawn of the school, I spotted a figure walking toward me. As it came closer, my heart began to pound like I’d just gulped down two energy drinks in a row. It couldn’t be...
The bulb hanging from above the exit door bathed the mysterious shadow in a weak light and I couldn’t hold in my shrieks of excitement. Hunter had come home! He was here. Finally!
But this wasn’t the Hunter I remembered. My best friend had sprouted at least four inches since I last saw him. He’d traded in his lanky, awkward limbs for ones thickened with muscles and shoulders that were broad in a way that made me go all wide-eyed and speechless. I definitely didn’t remember his jawline being that square the last time we met. His once shaggy brown hair had been cut short enough to stay out of the hazel eyes that flashed with warmth when they met mine. And was that my imagination, or was he wearing a tight pair of Wrangler jeans with cowboy boots and a green flannel button down shirt?
“Hunter?” My breathing was shallow, my knees wobbly. “Is that really you?”
He stopped just three feet short of me, his lips quirking in a smile. “In the flesh. Miss me?”
“More than anything!” I sprinted toward him as fast as my heels would allow and jumped into his arms.
It used to be that I could nearly knock him over with one of my overly excited hugs, but he easily stood firm as he wrapped his strong arms around me. My face crushed into the solid width of his chest and I inhaled deeply. Hunter smelled like earth and leather and something sharp and pleasant—like pine needles. It was nice. It suited him. I couldn’t believe he was here. At Rock Valley High. Hugging me.
“You’re so tall,” I said, leaning my head back to look him in the eyes. “You’ve changed.”
He let me go and took a step back, holding his arms out at his side. “In more ways than one. What do you think?”
“I think...”
As my eyes once again took in all the changes Hunter had gone through in the past year, I pressed my lips together and furrowed my brow. That was a loaded question. To be honest, I thought he was incredibly and unexpectedly too hot for his own good. The girls had always liked my bestie, but now...if word got out, I’d never be able to break through the crowds of girls chasing after my friend. Hunter had moved away for only a year, but I hardly recognized the boy standing in front of me now.
“...I think you look like a cowboy,” I said, finally managing to fill my lungs with oxygen. “A cowboy without a horse.”
He smiled, looking pleased with himself. “I’ve got a horse. She’s being transferred to Murdoch Ranch in a few weeks. I’m all about the extreme sports now. Gotta be ready for the Rock Valley Rodeo in June.”
I grasped onto his words with a great big tidal wave of excitement and hope washing over me. “Rock Valley? Does that mean...?”
He nodded, his lips twitching with a smile. “Grandpa’s leg healed and he’s got some new help at the ranch. We just came back this weekend to fix things up at the house. My mom’s ex kind of trashed the place before he left. But yes, Mom and I are officially moving back in June.”
I couldn’t contain my excitement. I rushed him and wrapped my arms around his neck, needing to run my hands over his shoulders one last time to prove to myself he was real. It was one of those firework moments, where everything around me just burst into explosions of colored lights. Hunter was coming back! The timing couldn’t have been better. After the worst year of my life, I was ready to get back into the swing of having a best friend again. Hunter may have changed into a drool-worthy hunk of a guy, but we were still the dynamic duo. Nothing would ever change that.
“You look awesome, by the way.” Hunter pulled away enough to pin me with his hazel eyes. His gaze swept down over my dress, hugging my curves in a way that felt too intimate for the boy who used to dance and belt out songs in my room with me while we binged on raw cookie dough. All the while, my body buzzed with a strange sort of electricity. “Dang it, Charlotte, why’d you have to go and get so gorgeous on me?”
A year ago, a statement like that wouldn’t have even affected me. I would’ve punched him in the shoulder and told him to stop making stupid jokes. But now, red hot lava pooled in my stomach and I couldn’t stop the blood from rushing to my cheeks.
“You really think so?” I asked, biting my bottom lip. “You think I’ve changed, too?”
“Uh, yeah.” His fingertips sunk lightly into my waist and his tongue darted out to wet his lips. “I have the feeling I’ll be doing double time as your friend and your bodyguard this year. Got to keep those losers away.”
I had the slightly ridiculous image in my head of Hunter stalking me to each and every one of my classes during our junior year, his intimidating scowl keeping all of the guys away. I didn’t hate it. Not like I hated him dropping his hands from my waist and pulling away from me.
“Sorry, Char, but this was only supposed to be a quick visit. Mom’s waiting for me in the truck. I just couldn’t come to Rock Valley without seeing you for at least a few seconds, especially on prom night.”
I tried not to pout as he took a step back. The twinkle in his eye told me he knew I was having a hard time not rushing him again and keeping him here forever.
“You swear you’ll be back?” I asked, clutching my purse tight in my hands.
“I swear on this cowboy’s saddle,” he said with a cocky grin. “I’ll be back soon, Char. And it’ll be like I never left Rock Valley High. We’ll pick up right where we left off. Just you wait and see.”
“Night, Hunter. Thanks for the surprise.”
He tipped the bill of an invisible hat and shot me one last butterfly-inducing grin. “Night, Char. Save me a dance for next time.”
I had no doubt that he’d keep his promise to return, but as for the rest of it, I wasn’t so sure. The way my body was reacting to Hunter McNally was unlike anything I remembered from our five years of friendship. And the way my eyes drank in every inch of his retreating form in those tight jeans was yet another clue that things had definitely changed.
For the first time I could remember, I was totally regretting the pact we’d made. The very serious agreement in seventh grade that would keep us friends forever, no matter what came our way. It contained three simple rules: Never reveal the top-secret location of our hangout. Always make up after a fight.
