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Did the man knock up women by simply sitting close?
It seemed impossible that he wouldn’t.
Dredging up what little self-control she possessed, she tipped her chin in acknowledgment and then slowly strolled into the store on shaky navy-blue stilettos. She closed the door quietly and prayed that the inked-up anti-prince was just passing through town.
The promises she’d made about a man-free life didn’t need to be tested by a sexy transient Casanova wandering about since the construction on her newly erected emotional walls wasn’t nearly complete. Nor was the moat or flanking towers.
Standing to the left of the large front window, she watched the man step toward the store and slide off his sunglasses. The too-handsome stranger blessed her with a delicious, inviting smile, and it took everything she had not to give into a swoon. Inhaling the mother of all yoga breaths, she firmly instructed herself not to move in his direction. Regrettably, her feet didn’t listen and took two small tentative steps on their own.
The shrill sound of the store phone stopped her, and she gasped. “That was close.” Retreating quickly, she silently thanked whoever was calling for breaking the spell.
“All is well,” she muttered. “Not going to fall off the wagon and get myself tangled up with temptation.”
Not today and certainly not tomorrow.
Linc Hawker let out the breath he’d been holding and watched the siren step away from the window and disappear from view. The red-headed beauty was the sharp side of beautiful, and he vowed to find a way to get acquainted. Not that he expected it to take much effort since the Creator clearly put the beguiling beauty in his path for a reason.
God willing, it was because he’d finally earned a blindingly beautiful blessing.
He’d already completed a full curriculum of heart-wrenching lessons and was more than ready for a big helping of the good stuff. And if the book lady could be the one serving it up, all the better.
He craned his neck to see if he could grab one more glance and found she was too deep in the store to make it possible. “Soon,” he muttered, taking a step back. Catching sight of several local beauties giving him a once over, he tipped his chin in acknowledgment and then took a cursory survey of Haven’s main road.
The last visit he’d made to the small town was over two decades ago, and he noticed that not much had changed. Local stores were still king, and there wasn’t one big-box interloper in sight—a rarity and likely something his grandparents had applauded. Thinking of the two eccentric birds made a smile break across his face, and he hoped that a few of their contemporaries were still alive to share a story or two.
The slap of a wooden screen door drew his attention, and he looked up to see an inviting health food store. “A kombucha might be just the thing I need.” Should he get an extra one and see if enticing the bookstore owner into a conversation was possible?
He grabbed his helmet, shoved it into the storage box on the back of his bike, and decided that running at her five minutes after arriving in town wasn’t wise. “Patience,” he reminded himself quietly. “No need to rush the target before acquiring intel.”
“Go to Hell; go to Hell; go to Hell!”
“What in the world?” He looked around and couldn’t determine who or what was cursing a blue streak. The profanities were repeated, and he strode toward the offending high-pitched voice. Pushing through the health food store’s screen door, he spotted a woman standing in front of a large bird cage. “Is that dirty bird giving you a hard time?”
“Yes!” she said with a laugh. “The lesson I gave him earlier about appropriate language didn’t seem to land.”
Linc watched the woman turn and was immediately hit by a wave of positive vibes. Light surrounded the pretty human, and a pang of pain hit him unexpectedly as grief planted itself squarely in his chest. Something about the middle-aged woman reminded him of his sweet mama and made him want to crawl back in time and get one more incredible hug. Clearing his throat, he pushed the boulder of loss away. “African Grey parrots aren’t known for their civility.”
“Yes, I’ve taken note of that since adopting him last month.” She let out a sigh. “Anyway, welcome to my store.” She put out her hand. “I’m Elaine.”
“Nice to meet you,” he took her outstretched hand. “I’m Linc.” He got another hit of warm mom vibe and knew he’d visit the store regularly while in town. “My aunt had one of those feathered beasts, and I’m almost positive that she taught it a sailor’s vocabulary just to keep the more irritating neighbors away.”
Elaine let out a laugh. “A shrewd move, but one that won’t work for me.” She walked toward the lunch counter. “I need to teach this bird how to flatter the customers, not curse them out.”
“Both skills are important, and a few salty phrases could come in handy with the more challenging ones.”
“I killed the mean ones off years ago with my kindness,” Elaine said with a laugh before lifting a plate of cookies. “Would you like to try one of my gluten-free turmeric cranberry cookies?”
Linc took one and held it up. “Do you offer these to all newcomers or just the ones you want to get rid of?”
“Just the ones that show some potential.” She gave him a wink, then popped a small one into her mouth.
When she didn’t immediately keel over, Linc decided it was safe and ate the cookie in two bites. It wasn’t horrible, but it sure wasn’t something he needed regularly. “It’s an interesting flavor combination.”
“That might be the best review they’ve received so far.” Elaine set the plate down and folded her hands together. “So, what brings you to our little corner of the world? Are you one of the Hawker boys?”
“I am,” he said with surprise. “How did you know?”
“You resemble your late grandfather and carry yourself with the same confidence as the other boys.”
