It had been almost eight years since I'd stepped foot in Mustang Mountain. As I drove down Main Street, it seemed like both nothing and everything had changed while I'd been away. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel of my small SUV as I passed the community center, then pulled into a spot in front of the hardware store.
Memories from the past bubbled up. When I was younger, Aunt Lois used to take me out to breakfast at the cafe on Saturday mornings, then we'd spend hours at the library. My older brother Tanner never wanted to join us, and my younger sister Sadie was too little to be interested in books. Spending time with Aunt Lois each week had given me something to look forward to.
And now she was gone.
Guilt for not coming back to visit before she passed made my chest tighten. It was too late to make things right with Aunt Lois. The least I could do was wrap up her estate, even if I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the house and land that she'd left me.
I squinted as I got out of the car. The sun reflected off the fresh snow and made the whole world seem brighter. Or maybe the years I'd spent in Seattle had made me more sensitive to the light. Either way, I wished I'd thought to bring a pair of sunglasses with me.
"Good morning, miss. Is there anything I can help you with?" An older man in coveralls stepped out from behind the counter as I entered the hardware store. I didn't recognize him, which made me hopeful that he wouldn't recognize me either. My family didn't know I was back in town yet, and I wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.
"I bet you're here to get new glass for that window." Torin's voice came from my left. "I can show you where to find everything."
The older man nodded and returned to his spot behind the counter while I stared up at Torin Thompson for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.
"Are you stalking me?" I asked, only half teasing.
He let out a soft laugh. "No. I guess I just keep showing up in the right place at the right time."
Last night I'd been tired and irritable after my long drive. Finding out my key didn't work hadn't helped. By the time Torin had shown up, I was pissed, sore from being stuck in the damn window, and not in the mood to make small talk with someone from my past.
Then he'd been so nice to me, which I hadn't expected. It threw me, and I would have done or said anything to get him out of the house so I could catch my breath. But now, facing him in broad daylight, I took a moment to appreciate how much he'd changed since high school.
His eyes held the same quiet intensity I remembered and made it seem like he noticed everything. He’d grown into a man with broad shoulders, sun-tanned skin, and thick forearms that hinted at years of hard work. Dark stubble shaded his jaw, and when he shifted his weight, his flannel shirt pulled across his chest in a way that made it hard not to stare.
"How's your hand?" he asked.
"It's fine." Honestly, it still throbbed from where I'd sliced it open on the glass last night, but I wasn't about to admit it. "Thanks again for your help."
"It was nothing." He offered a tentative smile and gestured to an aisle on my right. "Can I show you where to find the glass so you can get that window fixed?"
Nodding, I stepped aside so he could lead the way. He'd been two years ahead of me in school, closer to Tanner's age than mine, so I didn't know him very well. But he'd always struck me as someone who played by the rules, so it wasn't surprising to find out he'd gone into law enforcement.
And he looked a whole lot better in a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt than he had in his uniform last night. I followed behind, past shelves packed with paint and every kind of glue imaginable, until he stopped in front of bins of large glass panes set along the back wall.
"Did you measure the size you need?"
"Yeah." I pulled a piece of paper out of my purse and handed it to him.
"You're lucky. The pane you need is a standard size." He passed the paper back to me and picked up a large square of glass from one of the bins.
"I can get that." I held out my hands.
He shook his head. "I'll carry it to the car for you. Don't want you to cut yourself again."
"That's not necess?—"
"Claire?"
I spun around, almost smacking into a tall wall of muscle, also known as my brother Tanner.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Tanner looked from me to Torin and back again, his mouth set in a firm straight line.
I glanced at Torin. The easy smile he’d been wearing a second ago was gone, his shoulders set a little tighter as he lifted the glass pane. Something about his reaction to Tanner made my stomach twist.
"Tanner, hey." I offered an apologetic smile. "I got in late last night and haven't had a chance to call you yet."
"Yeah, looks like you've been real busy." His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest.
