Page 3 of Capture The Moment

He’d averted his eyes to the television, and she felt a twinge of guilt again. She wasn’t the only one who’d lost someone important. Blake had been like another brother to Finn ever since they’d played high school football together. She knew how close they’d been all the way up until Blake’s sudden death.

“I’m sorry, Finn,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know you miss him too.”

He swallowed hard and then sprang up off the couch. “I’m going to grab a beer. Want anything?”

“I’ll take a beer too,” she said and watched him walk out of the room. Once again, she wondered why Finn wasn’t taken. Handsome in a rugged, outdoorsy way, he had a full head of wavy, dark hair and crystal-blue eyes under thick eyebrows, and he currently sported a beard that he’d said helped keep him warm in the winter. To her, it added to his overall sex appeal. He was solidly built at just over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and muscular arms, compliments of the work he did.

Since she’d known him, he’d only been serious about one woman, Ava, who’d broken his heart when she’d left him for an ex-boyfriend. After that, Finn had dated sporadically, but he seemed more committed to his job, his family, and taking care of her than anything else. She doubted that he lacked female company, but he never talked much about it, and that was fine with her. His love life was really none of her concern, although he seemed to be interested in hers (or the lack thereof).

He waltzed back into the room with two beers and handed her one before sitting down next to Daisy again. Daisy peered up at him and then put her tiny face between her paws and sighed. She tolerated Finn’s presence, but she always kept a wary eye on him as if she were protecting her owner from the big, bad beast.

They drank their beer and watched the ball inch down the pole in Times Square while the countdown flashed in the bottom corner of the screen. Only four more minutes until the new year. Another year without her husband. Another year to get through. Maybe her friends were right. Maybe this year, she should try dating again. She’d missed having someone to go out and do things with on a regular basis. And more than that, she missed the human touch. Specifically, a man’s touch…

Just then, Finn reached over and squeezed her hand. “You ok?”

“Yeah. I’m fine,” she replied, giving him a watered-down smile.

He didn’t let go of her hand as they heard, “Five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!”

And then the camera zoomed in on the revelers as they hugged and kissed their significant others on the streets of New York, bundled up against the bitter cold yet warmed by love.

Startled by all the noise emanating from the TV, Daisy hopped down from the couch to investigate, leaving Harper and Finn to themselves. Finn dropped her hand but opened his arms to her and said, “Happy New Year, Harper.”

He’d hugged her many times before and after Blake’s death, so it wasn’t anything new. She immediately moved into his warm embrace, enjoying the feel of his strong arms around her and his hard chest against her soft front. She wasn’t even embarrassed that she was in her pajamas and robe because Finn had seen her in just about every manner of dress, except naked, of course. When Blake had first died, it had been a chore to get herself ready every day, so Finn had seen her without makeup, her hair up in a messy ponytail like it was now, and in old, worn-in sweats. None of it had seemed to matter to him. He was Finn, her husband’s best friend and now one of hers too.

“Happy New Year,” she said against his chest.

He held her like that for what felt like a long time, stroking a hand over her ponytail, his heart beating steadily in her ear. Suddenly, she felt uncomfortably warm, which she blamed on her layers of fleece. Hating to break the contact, she pulled back a little and peered up at him. What she saw in his eyes startled her and froze her in place. He was smiling, which wasn’t unusual, but there was a flicker of something else there too. Something that reminded her that she was a woman and he was a man, and they were touching.

It frightened her but not enough to pull away. Finn studied her closely, and then he slowly brought a hand up and caressed her cheek with the back of it.

“I hope this will be a better year for you,” he said softly.

It struck her that for being such a big masculine guy, he could be amazingly tender. Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Me too.”

And then he started to lean in just a fraction of an inch, the movement so slight one might not have even noticed it, but she did. She was aware of every single breath, every goosebump that had broken out on her arms, and the flash of heat that rose up her neck.

This can’t be happening. This is Finn. Blake’s best friend. I can’t do this. And then, as if sensing her owner’s distress, Daisy turned around and made a running leap onto Harper’s lap, breaking the connection between them.

Finn immediately dropped his hand and sat back while Harper petted Daisy reassuringly.

“I should probably go,” he said.

“Yeah. It’s late,” she replied for lack of anything better to say.

Holding Daisy under one arm, she walked Finn to the door and watched as he shrugged on his coat and boots.

“I’ll probably stop by and plow your driveway tomorrow morning,” he said with one hand on the doorknob.

Whatever “moment” had passed between them seemed to have disappeared, and he was back to being Finn the Protector.

“You don’t have to. I can take care of it.”

“It’s what I do, Harper. It’s my job. It’ll only take me a few minutes with the plow.”

In the winter, Finn’s landscaping business included snow-plowing, and given the rough Michigan winters, there was usually plenty of work to be had. Between him and his two younger brothers, they’d built up a large clientele and were well known in their little corner of southeast Michigan.

“I know, but it’s New Year’s Day. Don’t you have plans with your family?”

“You’re my family too,” he said, and then, looking uncomfortable, he started to open the door.

“Wait,” she said and set Daisy down on the floor. “Thank you for coming over tonight. I really appreciate it.” And with that, she came up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

Hugging was one thing, but kissing was quite another. She told herself that it was because of the holiday and she was feeling extra sentimental.

Staring down at her for a long moment, he looked like he was about to say something, but then he just nodded, turned, and walked out the door.

Shutting the door behind him, she shivered, but it wasn’t just because of the cold blast of air. Standing at the front window, peering out into the snow-covered night, she watched Finn’s truck lights disappear. And for some reason, his absence made her even more lonely than she’d been before.