"Those were his words, not mine." Rudy held his hands up in surrender.
"Hey!" Eden elbowed him in the stomach.
"Make up your mind." Rudy grinned at her again. "First, you act offended that my boss calls you my girl, then you're upset when I don't?"
Eden elbowed him again. "You don't agree with him?"
Rudy pinned her arms to her sides by wrapping his arms around her. "Until we've had our talk, I don't dare think of you as my girl."
Eden stilled in his arms as desire lit in her. His strength and the warmth of his body surrounded her, making the simmering July day even hotter. And then there was the way he smelled...
Holy pheromones!
He should be sweating like a pig and smelling of body odor, but he didn't. He smelled nice—woodsy with a hint of spice.
She met his gaze as she clasped her hands around his waist. "Why don't you want to think of me as your girl?"
"I didn't say I don't want to. I said I don't dare." He caressed her cheek as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I don't want to get my hopes up if this isn't going to last."
Neither do I.
Eden was filled with equal parts dread and hope. She understood exactly how Rudy felt. She wanted a life here with him, but she couldn't get her hopes up without knowing if a happy-ever-after was guaranteed for them.
"Sounds like we need to have that talk then."
"Yes, we do." To her disappointment, he released her, taking her hand instead, and tugged her to walk beside him. "But first, I want you to spend the day with me. And please promise you'll keep an open mind while I show you all our little town has to offer."
"You're still set on convincing me to move to Providence permanently?" A grin pulled at Eden's lips.
She was already more than half convinced that she wanted to stay here forever, but she still feared that at some point, she'd want more than this little town could offer her.
Rudy stopped walking and stood in front of her. "I'm set on convincing you we belong together."
Eden's breath caught in her throat. The vehemence in his words resonated with something deep inside her. But it put added pressure on a relationship. It made her wish she could just move here and not feel like she was missing out on some opportunity that might come along for her.
All morning, Eden kept waiting for Rudy to find them a shady spot under a tree or suggest they take a drive so they could talk. But he seemed intent on showing her a good time. Hand in hand, they visited every booth, played every game, and talked to just about everyone in town.
When he handed over money and insisted she have her palm read by the fortune teller whose long wig, dangly jewelry, and tie-dye skirt made her look like an eccentric clairvoyant, Eden tried to refuse.
"Come on, it'll be fun." He nudged her toward the chair. "Esmeralda can be kind of accurate…sometimes."
"Esmeralda?" Even her name sounded mystical and exotic.
"What are you afraid of, dear?" Esmeralda asked.
Eden studied the woman seated at the small table. She looked a lot like the cashier at the grocery store last week who sold her the chocolate-covered gummy bears.
"Nothing." Eden dropped into the chair and laid her palm on the table, preparing to hear a bunch of generic mumbo jumbo that could be interpreted a dozen different ways.
Esmeralda ran her fingers over Eden's palm a few times then closed her eyes and hummed. Eden was aiming an eye roll at Rudy when the older woman spoke.
"You have a strong lifeline, but I sense conflict. In your past and your present." Esmeralda traced a crease across Eden's hand. "Conflict…with a loved one"
Almost everyone had conflict with a loved one at one point or another. It didn’t mean anything. Eden couldn’t help herself from shooting a glare in Rudy’s direction.
He held up his hands, palms out. "Don't look at me. I didn't tell her anything."
"Shh!" Esmeralda directed a scowl at Rudy before turning her attention back to Eden's hand. "Tread lightly but be persistent in what you want. Conflicts often resolve themselves over time."
