Page 12 of One Merciful Moment

Ashley looked around for Boone, but he wasn't nearby. He was probably still going through every piece of gas-powered equipment at the station, hunting for fuel for the lawnmower.

She recovered the seedlings. Since living in Everstill, the men never hung out. Once dinner was over, they all stayed in their homes. She found it odd, but not the oddest thing about how they acted.

Most of the men were brooding and quiet. They were rough and, at times, vulgar, though Boone kept her isolated from them unless she was working in the garden.

Because she was busy planting, she hadn't had time to take Kallie and Jillian up on their offer to visit.

Once the boxes were secured, she headed toward the street to find Boone and tell him the good news about the crops. She found him pushing the mower toward the gas station and waved.

He stopped and waited for her to catch up. "Everything okay?"

"More than okay." She grabbed his arm in excitement. "Copper is throwing a celebration."

Boone frowned. "What for?"

"We have a surplus of food from the garden." She smiled. "The seeds I convinced him to let me germinate are now little seedlings. I pushed the grow rate up by at least three weeks. There shouldn't be a slack between one crop finishing and another beginning."

"No kidding," he muttered.

His unhappiness gave her pause. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"There's something." She leaned closer. "Is it about the gas?"

Boone struggled to find gas to mow the courthouse lawn. It was a constant source of frustration for him.

He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. It just... feels weird around here."

She snorted. When he kept staring at her, she realized he was serious. His worries revolved around mowing the lawn that kept growing each day, not how much produce the garden could provide.

From what she understood, Everstill had been without power for months. It wasn't new.

"What feels weird?" she asked.

He tapped the side of his head. "My thoughts."

"About?"

"That's just it. I'm thinking about everything." He frowned. "That doesn't happen in Everstill."

She walked to the side of the road with him. "Do you think about leaving?"

He scoffed. "Leaving. Staying. Pissed off at the lawnmower. I'm hungry. I want a steak. And you. Don't even get me started on you."

"Me?"

He popped the front of the mower off the ground and lifted it onto the sidewalk. "You smell good, and you move softly. I like that."

She stayed on the sidewalk, watching him push the mower into the gas station. Her heart thrummed. He needed to stop thinking.

At any moment, a storm would hit, and she'd be going home.

She wasn't here because she was attracted to Boone, had grown feelings, or cared about Everstill.

The work she put toward the garden was also for herself. She needed to eat while she was here.

At the gas station, Boone pulled back his arm and fisted his hand. She gasped. But he stopped before punching the wall.