AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ryan felt the bite of anger now. “You don’t know anything about me from where I’m standing, so you don’t get to pass judgement.”
He hadn’t been the recipient of attitude like that in years. Most people liked him, and too many idolized him, but none of them treated him like Faith was.
She sighed, and the anger eased out of her. She threw her head back and looked up at the sky.
“Faith?”
“Just give me a minute here.”
He did, letting his eyes run down the line of her throat.
“Look, I’m sorry, okay? Seeing you was a shock, and I guess you seeing me naked has put me on edge.” She lowered her chin and looked at him again.
“Plus, you were upset,” he added.
“I’m not talking about that with you.”
“Okay.”
“And I’m still not ready to forgive you yet for seeing me naked.”
“I’ve seen a naked woman before, Faith. No big deal.”
Her eyes were almost closed, they’d narrowed so much. “Is that an insult?”
Ryan exhaled. Had it been? Possibly. Was it a big deal seeing her naked? Definitely! “I don’t think I’m winning here, so let’s drop it.”
She walked away without a backward glance, and he felt like he’d just gone five rounds with his trainer in the ring.
“Welcome to Lake Howling,” he muttered.
Yes, she had a reason to be pissed off with him. First there was what she saw as his neglect of Hope, and then him seeing her naked, both perfectly valid reasons to be annoyed. Yet he thought there may be something more to it. Was she still angry he’d walked away without saying goodbye? It was years ago. Surely she was not still holding a grudge.
He followed Faith up the slope and past The Lair, the sheriff’s office. Stone pillars and a brass plaque were the only identifiers to what was inside the building. Nothing sterile or obtrusive, just all natural materials had been used on the facade. He knew it was a place that his old friend Sheriff Cubby Hawker worked out of now. Him and Katie were married now, so Hope had told him.
Why would anyone return here?
Heading back across the road, he made for The Hoot Cafe, in desperate need of a coffee. Pulling up the collar of his jacket, he hunched into it against the wind, looking around to see who had recognized him. There was always someone. To his surprise, no one was looking his way.
Pushing open the cafe door, he stepped inside and let the warmth and amazing smells settle around him.
“Well, hell, would you look at who just blew in. Damn me if it’s not Leaky Lawrence. I hadn’t believed it when Katie said she’d seen you.”
Ryan looked at the man leaning on the counter. Tall and loose-limbed with his sister’s coloring, age had done him plenty of favors. His face was all angles and planes and his jaw strong. Ryan smiled at Faith’s twin brother.
“Noah. Jesus, man, you’ve let yourself go.” Ryan met him halfway across the room and they did that thing men did. Chest bouncing, back slapping, then a hand grab. It felt good.
“Baker Boy! Got any gold mugs, and maybe some china to eat off? We got rock royalty in the house!”
Ryan looked around him, but the people seated just smiled and nodded like he was a regular guy. Clearly, they were new to town and didn’t watch TV or have social media accounts, because none of them seemed to recognize him.
“So, what, you have to get about in dark glasses and caps now? This is your hometown, bud, take that shit off,” Noah demanded. “Especially that filthy Lakers hat.”
Ryan took off the glasses and pocketed them. The cap he kept on his head.
“Well, hell, had I known you were gracing us with your company, I would have had the carpets cleaned,” the man approaching said. “What’s happening, bud? Been a while.”
The master of understatement, Buster Griffin wandered closer and did a quick hand-grip-chest-bounce. Never big on emotion, that was about the limit to what he could tolerate, from memory. Like Ryan had once been, Buster wasn’t the demonstrative type. Also like Ryan, Buster had left, but like Katie and a few of their other school friends, he’d returned. Ryan had never felt the need to do that, but then his home hadn’t been the bed of roses others had experienced growing up.
