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And then it was time to eat. Their hosts had pushed a couple of tables together to make room for everyone.

There were pulled pork sandwiches, mac ’n cheese casserole, tossed salad, and a number of side dishes. It was delicious.

The dinner table was far from quiet. And now that Shaun figured out that all of the men were brothers, he understood the connections a little better. He was still struggling to keep the names right.

Belle, who sat across from them, asked, “So, are you two together?”

“Who?” Leah asked in a higher pitch tone than normal. “Us?” She gestured to him.

Belle nodded. “You make such a cute couple.”

Leah shook her head. “We’re not. Shaun is just a guest at my inn.”

Just a guest. Ouch! Those words stung. He would like to think they were a little more than that by now.

Still, he didn’t say anything. What was there to say? That she might feel that way, but he felt more for her?

Belle’s gaze moved between them. “I could have sworn I was right.”

The man next to her, the sheriff, said, “Leave them alone. They don’t need you matchmaking.”

“Okay. I just thought, well, never mind.” She glanced over at them. “Sorry.”

“No problem,” Shaun said.

After Leah’s quick denial about there not being anything between them, an awkward silence fell between them. It was like a wall. And as time went by, the wall grew higher.

He was mad at her.

Leah had sensed it as soon as she denied there was anything between them. Shaun had grown quiet and distant.

Did he feel awkward that Belle had jumped to that conclusion? Was he trying to put distance between them because he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea?

Either way, she missed his easiness. She hadn’t realized until he happened into her life how lonely she’d become since she’d moved into the B&B.

Even though she was surrounded by people on a regular basis, she had never felt more alone. She missed her friends back in California. She supposed that was her decision. As soon as she got through all of that stuff in the attic, she would put the place on the market. Her grandmother’s will said she had to live there for a month. It didn’t stipulate when she could put the inn up for sale.

At one point in the evening, she’d brought up the subject of her mother. No one knew her, which wasn’t surprising since everyone at dinner was around Leah’s age.

But some people knew her grandmother. They had nothing but good things to say about her. When Belle asked if Leah had visited her grandparents often, Leah shook her head and said there was a falling out between her mother and grandmother. Thankfully they let the subject drop.

As soon as they returned to the inn, Shaun took Mochi to his room. With the door shut, she felt as though he was trying to close her out of his life.

She told herself it was fine. After all, he’d soon be leaving. Tomorrow, the landscaper would free his vehicle from the tree and hopefully a new windshield and a new tire would be the worst of the repairs. Sure the front end was bent up, but as long as it was operational, he could get the rest of the repair work done in Kentucky.

The thought weighed on her. This place would be much quieter once they were gone. Was she ready for that?

Not letting herself dwell on something she couldn’t control, she went upstairs and started hauling the boxes of decorations down the stairs. She had absolutely no idea how her grandmother had managed to get those heavy boxes up and down the stairs. She must have been a very strong woman or she had someone to help her.

Leah was on her way down the steep stairs with the fourth box. It was a large box, and she couldn’t see where she was going.

She was hurrying because she wanted to get some decorations up before her guests arrived the next day. She put her foot on the step and a squeal pierced the silence. A dog toy. It startled her. Her foot slipped from the edge of the step and kept going. The next thing she knew she was falling.

A scream tore from her lungs as gravity yanked her down toward the floor. She dropped the box as she tried to stop herself from face planting.

In the next moment, there were strong arms reaching out to her. Once her feet were firmly on the floor, she caught her breath. That was way too close for comfort.

And then she realized she was chest to chest with Shaun. He was definitely a lot stronger than she’d thought.