her.
She was in such a good mood when she pulled into the grocery store parking lot that she gave up a close space to another vehicle. She held the door for the elderly man behind her and returned his wink. As she wandered through the store, everything looked more vivid to her. The apples were redder, the grapes more purple. The oranges smelled delicious. Even the pork chops looked better than ever.
Angie picked up a few items and headed home. She couldn’t wait to see Forrest again. Although she didn’t enjoy housekeeping, she felt as if she needed to do something with her excess energy, so she ran the vacuum cleaner and cleaned the bathrooms. She was mopping the kitchen floor when a knock sounded at the side door.
Her brother, Austin, poked his head inside and his gaze fell to her mop. “What’s the occasion? Are you having a party?”
Laughing, she shook her head. “No. I was just in the mood to clean, so I thought I’d better go with it.”
“I’ll say,” he said, hitching his thumbs in his jean pockets. “From what I remember, the mood doesn’t strike you very often at all.”
Angie knew he was referring to how she’d often tried to get out of her chores during her teen years. “Oh, be quiet. I’ve been the main person to take care of cleaning since Haley left and you know it.”
“Yeah, I guess,” he relented. “What’s got you in such a good mood? Sugar high? Cupcakes from the bakery?”
“No, but I’ll have to say that Forrest is more delicious than a cupcake,” she said and shot him a devilish smile.
“Forrest?” he said. “Forrest who?”
“Forrest Traub. He’s an army veteran and he’s staying in Thunder Canyon while his leg heals. I met him yesterday and, Austin, he might be the one.”
“Whoa, whoa,” Austin said, lifting his hand as he gingerly stepped across the drying kitchen floor. “You just met him yesterday and you already think he’s the one? How can you know anything about him?”
“Look who’s talking. It didn’t take you long to fall for Rose.”
“That’s different. I’m older and more experienced,” he said.
“I’ve been waiting for this feeling since I was born. I’ve had a sideline seat with a great view when Haley found love and then when you did, too. I want to belong to someone, also. I just never found the right someone, and, Austin, I really think he could be the one.”
Austin touched her cheek. “Fairy girl,” he said, calling her by the nickname he and Haley had used every now and then. “Don’t rush into anything. You can’t learn everything you need to know about a man in two sessions.
“And what about him?” Austin asked. “Does he feel the same way?”
“Oh, he’s attracted to me,” she said, laughing.
“How do you know that? Did he make a move on you?”
Angie rolled her eyes. “Of course not. He’s not that kind. A woman just knows these things,” she said.
Austin looked at her as if he thought she didn’t have a clue. She had to bite her tongue to resist arguing with him further.
“I wouldn’t be a decent brother if I didn’t encourage you to take it slow. Even you have to admit that you’ve been known to lead with your heart instead of your head.”
She nodded. “You’ve done your duty,” she said. “Since you’re here, do you mind checking out the truck? It’s been making a funny noise lately.” She didn’t want any more of Austin’s brotherly advice. Especially if he was going to discourage her about Forrest.
A few days later, Forrest’s phone rang again, and this time he knew the caller’s identification. Although he’d avoided officially adding Angie to his caller list, he knew her number. “Forrest Traub,” he answered the phone.
“Angie Anderson,” she mocked him in a deep voice. The giggle that followed ruined her stern tone.
He couldn’t help grinning a little though he was glad she couldn’t see. “How are you?”
“Wonderful. And you?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t say wonderful, but not bad. What do you need?”
“Well, that’s a wide-open question,” she said in a husky voice that made his gut clench.
“I meant—”
“I know what you meant. I was hoping you and I could get together and talk some more about the projects we’re planning. We don’t have a lot of time before Christmas to get things going.”
“True,” he said. “What did you have in mind?”
“Well, I could bring over takeout tomorrow night,” she suggested.
Forrest had a hard time turning down a meal. Although he could easily join his brother and Antonia at the main house, he couldn’t help but feel he was intruding. “That would work. But this time, I pay.”
“It’s no big deal. Do you like Italian or Chinese?” she asked.
“Both when I don’t have to prepare it,” he said.
She chuckled. “Me, too. I’ll surprise you, then. Tomorrow night around six?”
“Okay. See you then,” he said and hung up the phone. Forrest couldn’t help wondering what he was getting into by sharing another meal with Angie. He second-guessed himself, wondering if he should have kept their meeting in a public place. That way, neither of them would be tempted to do something they shouldn’t. Not that he was all that tempted. Deep down, he knew that Angie was completely off-limits for him. She was a sweet, naive, young woman who had no clue just how dark his soul was. He had no intention of having her find out. In a strange way, he found her naivete precious, and he didn’t want to destroy it.
The next night, Forrest ran the vacuum and did a little extra cleaning. He told himself it wasn’t for Angie. It was because his suite needed it. Hell, it wasn’t like he was lighting candles for her.
That thought soothed him at the same time he wondered if he should have gotten a bottle of wine. He’d been very careful with alcohol since he’d come back to the States. There was a high correlation between PTSD and alcoholism and drug abuse, and he was determined not to become a statistic. So far, he’d drank a beer every now and then, but that was all.
Rubbing his jaw, he wondered why he felt so edgy. In the scheme of things, Angie was just a kid.
A knock sounded at the door, pulling him out of his reverie. He felt an involuntary kick of excitement and scowled at himself. If he was getting this worked up over Angie, maybe he just needed to get out more often.
He opened the door and she grinned at him. “Hi there,” she said holding a bag of what smelled like Chinese takeout in one hand and a tote full of papers in the other.
Forrest couldn’t resist stealing an extra moment to take in the sight of her. Her unbuttoned red peacoat
