A Wedding on Lavender Hill, page 7
In contrast to the meow, this was a pleasant sound. Tuck caught himself smiling for a moment.
Then Josie’s phone meowed again. And again. It continued to meow while her fingers tapped along the screen rapidly in response until he turned his Jeep onto Mistletoe Lane where the Sweetwater Bed and Breakfast was located.
He pulled into the driveway of the two-story Victorian house that his friend Mitch and his fiancée, Kaitlyn, had inherited last October and parked. “This is it.”
“Wow.” Josie stared out his windshield at the inn for a moment. “I can’t believe Kaitlyn owns this place. It’s amazing.”
“You should see the inside. She’s a talented interior designer.”
Josie turned to him. “She’s the best at everything she does, including being a friend.”
The warmth in her voice and her eyes intrigued him. Maybe there was more to her than fancy clothes and luggage. Not that it mattered.
Tuck looked away to keep from staring. “I’ll, uh, get your bags and help you in.” He hopped out and walked around to the back of the Jeep.
Josie was standing beside him before he knew it with her laptop bag thrown over her shoulder along with that expensive-looking purse. “I got it,” she said. “Thanks again for the ride.”
Without waiting for him to respond, she grabbed the handle of her luggage from his hand and smiled up at him. Fresh faced and beautiful. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup, which was a quality he liked about a woman.
“You sure? I don’t mind,” he said.
“Positive.” She held out her other hand.
“What’s that?” He looked down at the folded cash in her palm.
“For your troubles.”
He lifted his gaze to those turquoise eyes. “I’m not a cabdriver, and it wasn’t any trouble.”
She tilted her head to one side, revealing the delicious curve where her neck met her shoulder. “I know, but you didn’t have to go out of your way for me.”
If he couldn’t tell by looking at her, this would have given away the fact that she wasn’t from around here. People in Sweetwater Springs didn’t mind helping each other out. It was one of the things he appreciated about his hometown. He’d seen the stark contrast of other communities when he’d gone away to college, first for his bachelor’s degree and then for his doctorate of physical therapy. As far as he knew, there was no other town quite like this one, which was why he was never leaving again.
He pushed her money toward her, his hand sweeping over hers in an unexpected touch. Her skin was soft, and he didn’t pull away immediately.
Josie’s eyes widened just a fraction, and something buzzed between them. Whatever it was, it was unwelcome.
“Josie, you made it!” Kaitlyn called out as she headed down the porch steps of the house.
Josie turned her attention to Kaitlyn, and both women squealed with delight. Tuck imagined that Shadow was standing at alert in the back seat again, his cue to get back in the Jeep and leave.
“Thank you, Tuck!” Kaitlyn called.
“No problem.” He waved and quickly shut the door behind him, barring any further encounters he might have with Josie. Besides, he was running late for dinner with his friend Alex Baker, the police chief in Sweetwater Springs. Before going to the Tipsy Tavern, however, he needed to drop Shadow off at home.
Tuck was almost to his cottage on Blueberry Creek when his phone started to ring. The caller ID showed the same number that had called before. That woman was bent on talking to him tonight. He moved to connect the call and find out why but stopped short when he heard a high-pitched meowing from the passenger seat. It meowed a second time, and Tuck couldn’t help grinning. Josie Kellum was undoubtedly losing her mind right about now.
He parked in his driveway and commanded Shadow to follow him into the backyard. Then he returned to his Jeep and wavered only momentarily on which direction to drive. Back to the inn to return Josie’s cell phone or to his dinner destination? He couldn’t keep the chief of Sweetwater Springs police waiting, now could he?
There was something about Josie Kellum that left him unnerved and restless; he didn’t want to see her again tonight. Besides, maybe it would do her good to disconnect from her busy city life for just a while longer.
About the Author
Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author who writes small-town love stories set in fictional places in her home state of North Carolina. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s living out her own happily ever after with her husband and three children.
Visit her online at:
http://www.annierains.com/
@AnnieRains_
http://facebook.com/annierainsbooks
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/annie-rains
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Annie Rains, A Wedding on Lavender Hill
