Haley's Mountain Man. Tracy Madison

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СКАЧАТЬ become otherwise occupied by his now-fiancée, Rachel Merriday, and he’d seemingly forgotten all about Gavin.

      But Haley hadn’t. The man had been on her mind a lot.

      Silly, really, as she knew hardly anything about him, and had seen him only a few times since. Curious, she watched as he got into line behind four others to wait his turn. The woman in front of him instantly stepped forward, putting a few more inches of space in between her and him. Gavin stepped forward as well, as folks were apt to do when a line moved. The woman attempted to move up again, but she didn’t have any room left to do so.

      Instead, she sidled to the side. Without missing a beat, Gavin retreated a few inches and gestured for the woman to retake her place in line. She didn’t look at him and, rather than moving closer, she stepped another few inches in the opposite direction, and then several more.

      A slow burn began inside as Haley put two and two together. She had a sense that people backed away from Gavin often. She supposed that was due in part to his size, as he was a giant of a man. Probably around six-foot-five, he had the build of a linebacker that only began with the wide, muscular breadth of his shoulders. And okay, he could use a haircut and a shave to get rid of the Grizzly Adams look he had going. Even so, his appearance didn’t scare her or make her uneasy. She could see, however, how others might view him as intimidating.

      “So what do you say?” Suzette asked, interrupting her thoughts. “Can’t be next weekend, but if I can put something together for the weekend after next, are you game? Please say yes.”

      “Um, sure,” Haley said, entirely focused on Gavin. “Whatever, whenever, is fine.”

      “That’s great! We’ll have fun, you’ll see. And I know you’ll like Matt.”

      “Uh, what?” Returning her attention to her friend, Haley said, “Wait a minute. Who is Matt and why does it matter if I’ll like him or not?”

      “Matt is the guy we’ve been talking about. He’s one of the teachers I work with.” Suzette smiled smugly and crossed her arms over her chest. “And you just agreed to a double date.”

      “No way, Suzette.” Haley shook her head to back up her words. “I’m not interested in a blind date, double or otherwise.”

      “You already agreed,” Suzette said in a singsong voice. “So, tough. I swear, he’s a great guy. And since he didn’t grow up here, you can learn all about what makes him tick. That is what you said you wanted, right?”

      Scowling, she pushed a strand of hair off her cheek. “It is, but you’re being unfair. I didn’t know what I was agreeing to.” Unable to stop herself, Haley turned to look at Gavin again.

      “Yep, but whose fault is that?”

      “Mine, but you took advantage.”

      “True. I’m holding you to it, though. For your own sake.” Following the direction of Haley’s gaze, she asked, “What is so interesting up there that you can’t stop staring?”

      Letting the topic drop—for now—Haley asked, “Do you see that guy?”

      “Mr. Mountain Man? Yeah, he’s hard to miss.”

      “If you were standing in line with him, would you feel uncomfortable or … threatened?”

      Suzette shrugged. “I might, if he looked at me funny. He’s a big guy and look at how he’s standing—all stiff and straight, like he’s rearing up to pounce or something. If he just stood there and ignored me, though, I wouldn’t give him a second thought. Why ask for trouble, right?”

      “Exactly.”

      “He has a killer body, though,” Suzette mused. “I wonder if he’s hot beneath all that hair. Do you know him?”

      “Not really.” Quickly draining the rest of her tea, she stood. “I’m going to get another. Do you want anything?”

      “Ah … no. I think I’m good.” Suzette glanced from Haley to Gavin and back again. “Him? You’re interested in that guy? He doesn’t look to be your type.”

      Heat suffused Haley’s cheeks. “I want more tea, Suzette. That’s all. And how do you know what my type is, anyway? I don’t even know what my type is.”

      Suzette regarded her silently for a few seconds before donning a bright smile. “I know that Matt is your type, and I know you’ll enjoy meeting him.”

      “I’m … Oh. The hell with it. Fine, I’ll go.” Simpler to agree than to continue to argue a case she wouldn’t win. Besides which, she was allergic to cats. “One time only. End of discussion.”

      “For now, but you might change your mind after meeting Matt.” Twisting her wrist to look at her watch, she made a face. “I have to run. Plans tonight and a lot to do beforehand.”

      “You can’t stay for a little longer?”

      “I’m sorry, I can’t. Even if I could, I’m not up to feeling like a third wheel.” Standing, Suzette gave her a quick hug. “It probably won’t be this week, because Matt’s heading home to see his family for a few days, but once I have the details set for our double date, I’ll call.”

      “Yay,” Haley said with zero enthusiasm. “Can’t wait.”

      “Okay, I have to run.” She gave one more question-filled glance toward Gavin before saying, “Just … ah … be careful. With your tea.”

      Haley opened her mouth to argue—again—but snapped it shut. There was something to be said about protesting too much. Rather, she simply smiled and waved goodbye. Once Suzette had exited the Beanery, she expelled a breath and smoothed her shirt. Resisted the impulse to do the same with her hair, and pushed herself forward … toward the mountain man.

      Just out of curiosity’s sake, she assured herself. Nothing more than that. Because Suzette had been right on the money—Gavin Daugherty was not her type. He was, in fact, the physical opposite of every man she had ever dated. Taller, bigger, gruffer.

      He intrigued her, though, which was something a man hadn’t done in a long, long while. The thought was … compelling.

      Almost irresistibly so.

       Chapter Two

      Crowds in general made Gavin Daugherty uneasy. Being around too many folks at once brought on a plethora of miserable sensations. Out of nowhere, his throat would grow scratchy and dry, his palms would sweat and even the collar of his shirt went on attack, tightening incrementally around his neck until he found a way to get the hell out of dodge.

      Exactly the reasons he’d chosen midmorning to arrive at the Beanery. He’d hoped to hit the sweet spot and find the place near empty. Rather, it being a Saturday and all—a fact he should’ve considered—the coffee shop was teeming with people. When he first walked in, he’d had half a mind to turn around and try for better luck on Monday.

      Truth was, though, he’d already waited too damn long. He should have been on top of this months ago. So, like it or not—and he didn’t—here he was, waiting in the slowest-moving СКАЧАТЬ