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He shrugged his wide shoulders, his cool gaze now on her. “I remember you at school.”
“Yup, I was that annoying little kid who followed you and my brother Dan around all the time.”
“Yeah, you were definitely annoying.”
Lucy tried not to roll the dough too hard or accidentally throw the rolling pin in his general direction. Caleb had always been a straight talker, so why was she surprised that he spoke the truth?
“We’d do anything to get away from you.”
“I remember.” Lucy put the new cookies in the oven. “You tied me to a tree in the backyard with my jump rope once.”
Caleb frowned. “That wasn’t nice.”
“No, it wasn’t, especially as it started raining.”
He shoved his hand through thick reddish-brown hair that matched his tight beard. “I guess I should apologize.”
“It was probably Dan’s idea.” She offered him an out as she washed her hands.
He winced. “No, that one was all me.”
“Then I accept your apology.”
He’d brought his coffee through with him and sipped it as he stared at her. She considered what to say next. As a hotelier she shouldn’t ask any personal questions, but as a resident of Quincy, she felt some responsibility for his personal safety—or that was what she was going to tell herself.
“Did you call your dad?”
He set his mug down by the side of the sink. “Not yet.”
“Won’t he be worried?”
“I didn’t tell him when I planned to arrive, so he’s not exactly expecting me.” He hesitated as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “My cell’s out of battery.”
“You can charge it right there.” She pointed at the electrical outlet. “It looks like the same brand as mine.”
“Thanks.” He plugged it in and turned back to her.
Lucy made herself meet his gaze. “I’m sorry about your mom.”
“Me, too.”
“You must miss her.”
“Yeah.” He picked up his mug. “Is there any more coffee?”
“Help yourself.” Lucy pointed at the dresser. “There’s a whole pot right there.”
“Thanks. You can put it on my tab.”
“As I said, coffee’s free,” Lucy reminded him, her gaze fixed on his broad shoulders and long jeans-clad legs as he turned his back on her. He’d certainly filled out since high school. She’d seen him occasionally when he’d come into town, but she’d never had much opportunity to talk to him without blushing and stammering like a fool. It wasn’t surprising he’d erased her from his memories. But it was definitely a setback when she’d given him her heart when she was nine and decided she was going to marry him.
“Stupid . . .” Lucy murmured to herself before addressing Caleb again. “Shall I see if there’s a taxi available to take you out to the ranch?”
He turned to look at her, his expression guarded. “I’d rather wait for my truck to be fixed.”
“You know what it’s like here. That could take a while and Christmas is less than a week away.”
“As I said, Dad isn’t expecting me, and I’d rather have my own transport.”
