the construction site at the Old Town Hall and the next second her world tipped sideways.
Stumbling to a halt, she blinked and looked again. The mirage didn’t vanish. The heavy thud of her heart stole her breath, leaving her numb with shock.
Clay Logan stood not fifty feet away, his hands shoved in the pockets of a brown sheepskin-lined jacket as he hunched against the cutting wind. It was only the second day of November, but the deep chill in the air was a reminder that winter wasn’t far away.
What was Clay doing here? How long had he been back in town? How long was he staying?
He hadn’t seen her. She was thankful for that small favor as she struggled to regain her composure. He was surveying a bare patch of earth ringed with old concrete footings. It was all that remained of the large gazebo that once stood in the middle of the town’s park.
Was he as saddened by its loss as she had been?
So much of the tornado-ravaged town was in the process of being rebuilt, homes, businesses, the historic Old Town Hall. Fixing the gazebo wasn’t even on the list of things the overwhelmed city council had planned.
Besides, another gazebo would never be the same.
As if aware that someone was watching him, Clay turned to look in her direction. His shoulders stiffened. For a long instant they stared at each other without moving. Then, he touched the brim of his black cowboy hat to acknowledge her.
She wished she were closer, wished she could see the expression in his eyes.
Was the love still there?
Of course it wasn’t. What a foolish thing to wonder. They’d been starry-eyed teenagers the last time they’d seen each other.
Don’t just stand here. Walk away. Pretend it doesn’t matter that he’s back, she told herself.
She wouldn’t let it matter. She’d wasted enough years of her life hoping for his return. Forcing herself to take a step, she flinched when she realized he was already moving toward her, closing the distance.
Turning around and running in the opposite direction suddenly seemed like a good idea. But running away was Clay’s specialty, not hers.
The thought stiffened her spine. She shifted her large green-and-orange striped tote to her other shoulder and waited. As he approached, she saw that the years had changed his good looks from boyish charm into chiseled masculinity.
Dark stubble covered his square chin and the planes of his cheeks. Crow’s-feet at the corners of his deep blue eyes added character to his face, but the soft grin that pulled at one corner of his mouth was still the same one she remembered.
A swirl of butterflies filled her midsection. The sight of that slow smile aimed in her direction used to melt her heart like butter in a hot pan.
Stop. What am I doing?
Nicki gathered her scattered wits. Roguish grin or not, she wasn’t about to fall back into some bygone, teenage hero-worship mode. She had far too much sense for that.
Time to start acting like it.
“As I live and breathe, if it isn’t Clay Logan. I almost didn’t recognize you. What’s it been, five years?” She was proud that her tone carried just the right touch of indifference. If only he didn’t notice the white-knuckled grip she had on the strap of her bag.
His smile disappeared. “It’s been seven years, Nicki.”
“That long?” She tsked as she shook her head. “Time sure flies, doesn’t it?”
She swept one hand toward the park indicating the broken trees and rubble piles that hadn’t yet been removed. “As you can see, things have changed a lot since you were here.”
“I guess they have,” he replied, a sad quality in his voice. His gaze never left her.
Tipping her head to one side, she narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t really expect things would be the same as when you left, did you?”
He pulled off his hat and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “No, but I wasn’t prepared for exactly how different things would be.”
At that moment, he looked lost and uncertain. Sympathy overrode her ire. She’d had four months to become accustomed to the scarred face of High Plains. He must be seeing it for the first time. It had to be painful.
She said, “The tornado really made a mess of things. The downtown area was hit pretty hard. The General Store is gone, as are most of the homes south of Garrison Street between First and Second.”
Still holding his hat, he used it to point toward the line of broken trees in the park that ran between the High Plains river and the town’s Main Street. “It’s hard to believe only one person was killed.”
“Yes. God was with us. The carriage house beside the church and the Old Town Hall both took direct hits. Volunteers from the community are rebuilding the hall, as you can see. The hope is that it’ll be done in time to hold the Founders’ Day celebration on Christmas Day.”
“Looks like they’re making good progress.”
“With the outside, yes, but the inside is still bare studs.”
“What about you? Did you lose much?”
Waving a hand to dismiss her minor losses, she said, “A broken window. That was all.” And the photo of the two of them that she’d tossed in the trash that night.
Hitching her bag higher, she flashed a bright smile. “I need to get going. It was good seeing you again, Clay.”
Stepping around him, she was surprised when he reached out and took hold of her elbow. “Nicki, I’m sorry.”
Don’t do this, Clay. Not after all this time. I waited so long for you.
Keeping the smile on her face cost her dearly. Her cheek muscles ached with the effort. “What are you sorry about?”
He studied her with a puzzled frown. “For taking off like that.”
Was he really expecting her to just forgive him? To say the last seven years didn’t matter? She had some pride. There was no way she’d let him see how much he’d hurt her.
“It’s water under the bridge, Clay. We were just kids. It wasn’t like we were soul mates or something.”
He didn’t reply, but he released her. His hand dropped to his side. “I’m glad you didn’t hold it against me.”
Her mind screamed at her to leave before he saw though the veil she’d pulled over her turbulent emotions, but she couldn’t stop drinking in the sight of him. The urge to fling herself into his arms and hug him was overwhelming. Why did he still have such an effect on her?
Forcing herself to take a step back, she quickly said, “I hope you enjoy your visit. I know Maya and Jesse must be excited that you’re home.”
A hint of his grin reappeared as he settled his Stetson on his head. “Maya
