Page 68 of Take Me Home

“How about you? Any exes who might turn me to stone?”

Hattie laughs, shaking her head. “I’ve dated here and there, but my schedule has always been too busy with training and competing for anything serious.”

“And how about now?” I ask, lifting my hand and placing it over hers where it rests on top of the blanket.

She studies me for a long moment. “I think I’d like that to change.”

I trail my thumb across the back of her hand. The sensation of my skin on hers—even if it’s just our hands—has electricity sparking through my hand and up my arm.

Hattie climbs onto my lap, resting her hands on my torso, then moves them up my chest to loop them behind my neck.

Bringing my hands up to cup her face, I take a moment to memorize her features. Her wide eyes, the freckles across the bridge of her nose, her expressive eyebrows. When she heads back to California, these are the things I want to remember. All the little details.

Finally, I lean in and kiss her. Hattie melts against me. I love how responsive she is to my touch. She’s as aware of me as I am of her. My head is screaming at me that this is all happening too fast, that I’m going to get hurt.

But my heart demands that I ignore my fear, and for once, let myself fall. Because against all odds, against all reason…I’m falling fast.

CHAPTER 26

Hattie

I’m sitting in a leather armchair inside Hank’s cabin, reading a book that Poppy lent me, but visions of Lincoln’s kisses last night are distracting me. I’ve read the same sentence repeatedly. Something about a Scottish warrior rescuing a fair lady.

Attempting to focus one last time, I spot a vehicle I don’t recognize pulling around the circular driveway in front of the cabin. The sleek black Mercedes comes to a stop, and I stand.

Moving to the massive front window, I attempt to see who it is, but the windows are tinted. Hank doesn’t get many visitors out here, unless it’s a trailer filled with straw.

The driver’s door finally opens, and a young woman steps out. She’s wearing sunglasses, but I’d recognize that smirk and head of curly brown hair anywhere.

I toss my book on the nearest surface, slip my boots on, and run out the door.

“Blair!” I yell, running toward my best friend. “What the hell are you doing here?”

She grins, running to meet me in the middle of the driveway. We hug each other tight, both laughing. “During our call a few nights ago, it seemed like you needed me, so here I am.”

I squeeze her tight, then step back to look at her. “I can’t believe you’re here.” I laugh. “This won’t help Justin like me, will it?” Blair’s fiancé says we spend too much time together.

Blair looks away, her feet shifting. “Don’t worry about him,” she says, still not meeting my eyes. “I want to meet this cowboy who has you all flustered and wanting to move to Montana.”

Before I can ask why she got weird when I mentioned Justin, a man’s voice draws our attention toward the mare barn.

“Hattie, are you okay?” Hank yells across the distance, striding toward us with Lincoln trailing right behind him. “We heard shrieking.”

“I’m fine!” I yell back. “It was happy shrieking.”

Hank smiles, continuing his walk in our direction. Lincoln’s eyes meet mine, and even with several yards between us, my skin heats.

I glance over at Blair just as she lowers her sunglasses to the tip of her nose and gives Lincoln a slow once-over. Her gaze goes from his feet to the cowboy hat resting on his head.

She tuts, finally turning to look at me. “Girl.”

“I know.” I sigh.

Hank and Lincoln stop in front of us, Hank holding his hand out to Blair. “I’m Hank,” he says.

She shakes his hand, her mouth forming an O as she looks between me and my birth father. “Holy shit. You look just like him.”

Hank chuckles. “I think Hattie’s prettier than me but thank you.”