Scoffing, I couldn’t help but smile in disbelief at this guy’s ego.
“I don’t scare easily.” I allowed confidence to seep into my tone despite the current lack of any when it came to these two.
“Good, it’s settled.” Corbin straightened up, a smile stretching over his lips that put his boyish dimples front and center. “The courtyard at seven, we’ll meet you by the tractor.”
“Tractor. Seven o’clock,” I repeated back. “See you there.”
I moved forward, walking between the two of them. My fingertips brushed Corbin’s. At the same time, my elbow softly bumped into Bale’s arm. The dual contact made my feline side snap to attention.
The sensation evoked a vibration deep in my bones like the purr itself was trying to force itself through cracks in my years of practiced discipline. My carefully curated control splintered at the force of something downright primal inside me. Instincts were torn between wanting to curl up in the warmth of the sun that poured off of Bale, while the excited chirping sounds echoed in my skull from Corbin’s presence.
Collectively, all our breaths hitched.
Did they feel it, too?
With a jerky movement, I finally broke out of my temporary state of paralysis. Eachstep away from them was a herculean effort, an invisible tether being drawn painfully taut and threatening to yank me right back.
Yet, I stubbornly pushed through the sensation and hurried off to Falston’s General Store to escape the air heavy with their scents: freshly fallen leaves and clouds blurring into the sunset-streaked autumn sky.
Before I rounded the corner, I heard Bale call out one last time.
“Don’t be late, kitten! I’d hate to have to chase you down!”
Minutes later,escaping into the General Store, I leaned back against a wooden display. My breaths came out far more unevenly than they had any business doing.
The shoddy craftsmanship of the shelving wobbled, threatening to send a few jars of locally-made preserves off the edge. Sharply, I reared back from the display, my hand already jutting out to stabilize a pint of apple butter before it could take a dive onto the floor.
Exhaling in relief, I collected myself enough to take in the surroundings of the store. At the register, a bored thirty-something-year-old woman was leaning over the checkout counter, flipping through a magazine. The only other sound besides the pages crinkling was the occasional snap of her gum.
“Whatcha looking for?” she muttered without looking up.
I drew a blank.
At my lack of response, she finally looked up from her reading material and shot me an unamused expression.
“It’s in aisle five.”
Confusion set in, and I blinked slowly. “What’s in aisle five?”
“Everything that nobody realizes they’ve come in here for. It’s always in aisle five,” she stated matter-of-factly.
My brows furrowed, but I nodded and walked toward said aisle. Turning the corner, I nearly pissed my pants when I saw Corbin standing halfway down. He stood there, looking at the label on the back of a bag of birdseed.
How in the hell…
I looked behind me, half expecting Bale to be here as well.
As if reading my mind, Corbin spoke up, drawing my attention back to him. “He left to grab a bite to eat. Bastard gets crotchety when he hasn’t eaten a solid meal.” Finally meeting my eyes, he gave a lopsided grin.
“I didn’t see you come in. How did you get here so quickly?” I eyed him suspiciously.
He gestured towards the back of the store.
“Everybody knows to cut through the barber shop—quicker.” He paused and grinned as his eyes drifted overme like an accusation while adding, “Except you, apparently. Don’t be giving away our secrets now, okay?”
I almost laughed. This whole town reeked of secrets.
Continuing with small talk, Corbin raised the birdseed in his hand and gave it a shake. “Forgot that I promised Mayor Dennison I’d pick up bird feed for the kids’ arts and crafts table.”
