“Well, through some clerical error.” Yeah, that’s what she was going with. There was no way she’d admit she’d been so distracted she’d forgotten to confirm her stay before she got on the road. “My room was canceled and rebooked.”
She heard what sounded like a quiet snicker come through the phone, and the annoyance she was already struggling with fought its way back to the surface.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“You ignored the confirmation email and call, didn’t you?”
God, apparently that part about people in small towns knowing each other’s business was true.
“The email went to spam, and the call came through when I was stuck on the highway with no bars. I knew nothing about either until I arrived.”
“Well, in weather like this and with the festival happening, there won’t be any openings.”
“So I’ve been told,” she grumbled. “Look, I just called to let you know I arrived safe. Regrettably, with nowhere to sleep tonight, I might as well go back home. Perhaps we can reschedule another weekend.”
“No.” His voice was sharp. “The weather won’t let up until tomorrow morning. Driving tonight would be too dangerous.”
Now it was her turn to laugh. The sincerity in his voice was so convincing, she almost bought into it.
“Don’t worry, Michael.” Her amusement tinged the edges of her voice. “You don’t have to pretend to be so concerned with my safety. I’ll come back. Just at a more convenient time.”
He blew out a long breath before he spoke again. “Vanessa, I’m the sheriff of this town. I care about the welfare of every person, both residents and visitors. Besides, if something happened to you knowing I’m responsible for you coming all this way, I’d never be able to live with myself.”
There was no pretense in his voice. It was deep and steady with a thread of concern weaving through it that slipped through the phone line and spread like warm butter through her body.
“I appreciate you saying that. Thanks for your concern. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do much for my predicament.”
“I think I might have a solution. Give me a few minutes to finish up at my office and I’ll be right over.”
Before she could respond, the line clicked, and the phone disconnected.
“What the hell happened to goodbye as a conversation ender?”
She didn’t have a chance to answer her own question. Hannah arrived carrying a plate filled with what looked like the most tempting cookies she had ever seen. When Hannah set them down on the desk and the sweet and spicy smell of cinnamon, sugar, oats, and butter came together, any thought she had of refusing went away.
“These smell divine. I couldn’t possibly eat all of them, though. One will do.”
Hannah chuckled and the skin around her eyes crinkled as her smile spread full across her face.
“Darling, one is never enough. You’ll see.” The older woman walked away, leaving her with the cookies. Figuring something good should come out of this wasted trip, she shrugged and picked one up.
Warm and soft, just as she liked, the treat nearly melted in her mouth.
“Mmm,” she moaned as her eyes closed. She lost herself in the taste as pleasure danced over her taste buds. Realizing Hannah’s pronouncement was correct, Vanessa reached for another one before she could finish chewing the last bite of the first. She recklessly bit off half of the second cookie when she looked up to find Michael standing next to her with a wide grin on his face.
“I see Hannah treated you to her cookies. They’re famous around these parts.”
Her eyes widened, embarrassed by the bulging cheek full of cookie she was currently chewing on. There was no way to disguise her gluttonous behavior, so she simply closed her eyes and pretended Michael wasn’t there until she swallowed the last bite.
“How did you get here so fast? I thought you had to finish up at your office?”
“My office is two doors down. That’s the beauty of being in a small town in the mountains at night. Most of the residents are home and it’s pretty quiet. I was actually on my way home just before you called.”
She stood up, not liking how tempting his tall frame was from her current vantage point. Perhaps standing would give her the appearance that she wasn’t completely rocked by how sexy this man looked.
He was in a beige and brown sheriff’s uniform. The drab colors alone should’ve dulled some of his appeal. Somehow, even in boring neutrals he still made her want to run her hands across his muscles again, just like she had when she’d tripped and ended up in his arms.
“So, you said you had a solution to my problem. What is it?”
