“Allthis,” she said, gesturing to her counter and then to the front window where she could still see the ladder propped against the house.
He shrugged and set her bag down before plucking CB from Mac’s hands and depositing her on the floor. The tiny fur ball ran straight to a small bed Hudson must’ve picked up today and walked round and round in a circle until she found the perfect resting spot and settled in. “Had some free time today.”
“Uh-huh. In between the vet and picking up CB a bed and workin’ on the cabin. You had time to just whip up nine pies and clean out my gutters and—” She spun in a circle before facing him again and narrowing her eyes. “And what’s this I heard about me being the buzz around town for workin’ so hard? You have anything to do with that?”
“First of all, you and I already did the piecrusts, and I had commercial means to help with the rest. Momma and Lilah closed The Sweet Shop for a few days while Nash finishes up. Bakin’ nine pies in a professional kitchen doesn’t take too long.”
“And the gutters?”
He shrugged and reached for her, pulling her by the belt loop into the space between his legs. “You mentioned it a while back, and I wasn’t busy.”
She scoffed, because his version of not busy was certainly different from hers. “You’ve been nothing but busy all day! You didn’t have to—”
He cut off her words with his lips, and as much as she needed to start hardening herself to this pull between them, she couldn’t stop from melting into his body.
She rested her hands on his chest and breathed him in, languishing in the slide of his tongue against hers, of his large hands cupping her ass and pulling her into him so she could feel how hard he was for her. How desperately he wanted her, too.
But before she could get lost in the haze of lust that seemed to engulf her whenever he was around, she needed more information about the gossip around town. Pressing against his chest, she broke away and pulled back.
“And what about what Edna said? That everyone’s suddenly titterin’ about what a great job I’m doin’. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
He gripped her hips, massaging them in a way that made her want to melt right there at his feet. He lifted a single shoulder. “I may have run into a few people when I was out today and mentioned how hard you’ve been workin’.”
Mac stared at him, trying desperately to take the gesture how he no doubt meant it—with only love. But she couldn’t stop the niggle in the back of her mind that said he wouldn’t have done this if he believed she could do it for herself.
The fact that she was suddenly receiving support from the townsfolk only thanks to Hudson’s prodding made her feel…unworthy.
She’d come up against nothing but roadblocks in the form of the good old boys—the physical manifestation of the goddamn patriarchy—whenever she’d tried to doanything, even sit in on a simple appointment. No one had time for her or her ideas. No one wanted to listen to a single word that came out of her mouth. And now, because the hometown hero said they should support and appreciate her, they suddenly did?
They were doing it forhim, not because they thought she deserved it. And certainly not because they thought she’d earned it.
Where she’d always been trying to be seen by her parents, by others in general, she’d never needed to do that with Hudson. It’d always felt like he’d seen her.
But if his actions today were any indication, he’d seen her, all right. And then decided she still wasn’t capable of handling it on her own.
That cut deepest of all.
She stepped out of his reach, crossing her arms over her chest as if that alone could act as her shield. “Why did you do that?”
He scratched his jaw, clearly not liking that she’d put space between them because he tried to close it again. “What do you mean?”
“Why’d you feel the need to talk to everyone in town and tell them how much they should support me?”
He furrowed his brow—at her question or her continual dodging of him, she wasn’t sure. “I wanted you to see what I see in you—how amazin’ you are and how much you’re doin’. How much value you bring to the town.”
She breathed out a disbelieving laugh. “It did the exact opposite of that! Now I’ll never know if they’re supportin’ me because they truly believe I’ve earned it, or if it’s simply because I’m a Haven and their favorite hero told ’em to.”
“No, that’s not—”
She held up a hand to stop him. “The intention doesn’t matter, Hudson.”
Blowing out a resigned sigh, he scrubbed a hand down his face. “Fuck. You’re right. I’m sorry. I just got so damn frustrated listenin’ to you tell me about all the obstacles you were comin’ up against. It’s all bullshit—you know it as well as I do. I was just tryin’ to smooth your path a little. I didn’t mean to undermine you.”
“Well, you did. And then you’re gonna leave next week, and I’m still gonna be here, tryin’ to figure out how to get their respect when the guy who told ’em to give it to me is gone.”
He stepped up to her and cupped her neck, sliding his thumb along her jaw. “It doesn’t have to be like that.”
Mac stopped breathing. She wouldn’t be surprised if her heart stopped beating as well. At least right before it leaped into a gallop, racing so hard, he could probably see it through the layers she wore.
