But he wasn’t like the others. In fact, the only thing typical about this guy was his clothes and his car. He filled out the driver’s side with ease, his physique more like a mountain man’s than a businessman’s. His face had a rugged quality too. A bold, rather angular jaw with promising hints of a five o’clock shadow. Even his thick, dark hair defied the typical length; the tips hung long enough to graze the corner of his eye.
Wait, he’d asked her something, hadn’t he? “What was that?”
His brow furrowed. “Which way should I go?”
She saw something else that set him apart from the other men passing through town—something in the deep blue of his eyes. A familiarity almost, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
Focus, Justine. She pointed straight ahead. “Just go in the direction I was going.”
“Right,” he said, a tinge of chagrin on his face.
“We’ll head to my grandfather’s place. He’s got somewhere we can bury her.”
The man kept his gaze trained on her for a blink. “Okay,” he said. “My name’s Burke, by the way.” Then, instead of sliding the glasses back into place, he tore them off and rested them above the dashboard.
Warmth flooded her heart at the sound of his voice as it echoed in the small cab—rich, low, and smoky. The sort they used for recording lumberjack voiceovers.
Burke, huh? It suited him. A burly sounding name for a broad-shouldered, nicely muscled man with a deep-tenured voice. Too bad he was a city guy. They were all the same—hyper focused on money, time, and the way one equaled the other. Heaven forbid they hold still long enough to enjoy the things money couldn’t buy.
She forced herself to uncurl her fingers from the box’s edge to shake his hand. “Burke,” she said, “I’m Justine.”
He took one hand off the wheel. His warm, rather muscled grip locked perfectly into place with the solid shake.
“It’s nice to meet you, Justine.”
Flutters stirred in her tummy at the sound of her name in that deep tenor.
“You too.” She replaced her grip around the box’s edge and sighed.Get ahold of yourself, Justine.This was not like her. This wassonot like her. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d swooned over a man that wasn’ton the big screen. And this guy, by her side as he might be, was as unavailable as any movie star; she’d bet money on it.
A quick glance at the poor creature in the box brought her back to solid ground, even if it was in the form of a pristine BMW with tinted windows.Poor cat.Focus on the poor cat and notthe masculine scent of his seriously heavenly cologne. The vision of its lifeless form pulled at the wretched sadness she felt every time she came upon a dead or injured pet on the roadside.
She wondered if it was another farmhouse cat or someone’s house pet. There was no tag, so she most likely belonged to a local farmer. One of dozens kept only for keeping the mice away. Which made its death even more tragic in a way. A living being that’s never been loved or cherished meeting an early grave. At least Justine would give it a proper burial, and send it love in her heart as well.
I’m sorry your life ended early,she said mindfully.You are noticed. You are seen. You matter.She imagined the cat did a very good job at keeping the mice away on whichever farm she lived. Perhaps there were children on the farm, or a gentle widower. Someone who patted her head and gave her bowl of milk in exchange for the mice she caught.
The idea put peace in her heart.I hope you were noticed. I hope you were loved.
She glanced up to see they were nearing Gramps’ place. “It’s a couple miles up the road. The house on the right.”
Burke nodded. “I assume you live here in Piney Falls as well?”
“Yeah. Just down the street from my granddad’s.”
“And what do you do here, for a living?” He shrugged. “Such a small town. I’m just curious.”
“Well, I don’t milk goats for a living if that’s what you’re thinking.”
He shot her a sheepish grin that said she wasn’t far off the mark. “Okay…”
Justine gave into a satisfied smile. “I work at the city office.”
“Let me guess. You’re the mayor.”
“Yep.”
Burke shot her a surprised look. “Youare?”
Justine laughed. “No. I just do desk work, go through mail, follow up on city ordinances, that type of thing.”
