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Her cheeks stained a deep crimson. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad y’all made it out here. It’s been too long.”
She glanced away before her eyes darted back to mine. Our gazes held for a moment, a sharp current sparking between us. “It has been too long.”
Had she missed me? “I overheard some of the crew on set talking about hiking in Mammoth. Once I checked it out, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Thought you might enjoy it too.”
“Is Hollywood too much for you?”
I turned my hat around backward. “I’m from a place with big, open spaces. Sometimes I just want a little feeling like home. Sounds silly for a grown man to say that, huh?”
Her features softened. “In the end, I think that’s what we all want, but home has a different definition for everyone.”
I shifted to face her, setting my beer on the railing and propping my elbow next to it. “Do you—” I stopped short. If I asked her if she felt whatever this was between us, where would that leave things?
A blush crept up her neck to her cheeks, like she’d read my unfinished sentence. “I feel it,” she whispered, so soft I barely heard.
Wow. Okay. I wasn’t alone in whatever this was. That piece of knowledge made this entire trip worthwhile, and we were just getting started.
“Want to go for a walk after supper?” I gestured toward the house. “Give those two time to cool off a little, and we could get to know each other better.”
She gripped the stem of her glass, uncertainty clouding her features. “I—”
“I’ll tell you about the time my grandmama caught me eating the pie she’d made for the contest in the county fair.”
Intrigue sparked in those dark eyes, “You didn’t.”
“Who leaves pie sitting around and expects nobody to touch it?”
“You have a sweet tooth,” she said like she’d gained a precious nugget of information about me.
That hint of a smile was all the encouragement I needed. I brushed my thumb across her lips.
She squeezed her eyes shut and backed away. Suddenly she looked afraid of me. “Please don’t do that.”
I dropped my hand immediately. “I didn’t mean—” What had I done? Did I misread her signals that badly?
When she opened her eyes, they were full of pain and a deep-rooted sadness I felt as if it were my own.
“Is that brisket?” Vivian streaked across the deck and tugged on my shirtsleeve.
I ignored the pang of disappointment in my chest. I needed to know why Muriella had slammed on the brakes. She took the interruption as an opportunity to run like hell from me into the kitchen.
I fixed an aggravated smile on my face. “You are the nosiest thing.”
“I’m also starving.”
“You seem better.” Vivian had done a complete one-eighty from when she’d arrived.
“We worked it out.” She grinned and winked at me and then followed Muriella inside.
Daniel sauntered out, hawk eyes trained on me. I leaned back against the railing and crossed one ankle over the other, taking a swig of beer.
“Leave it alone,” he said with a warning tone.
“I don’t think that’s up to you,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“There are things you know nothing about.”
