Page 33 of Hometown Hottie

He nodded, hoisted a couple more crates, and carried them in with Nova in tow, calling after him to be careful. I got into my truck. Just before she went inside, she paused in the doorway and turned to wave at me.

She smiled and my lips curved up too as if I was physically obligated to mimic her. Then she finally disappeared into the bakery and left me sitting in my truck with my heart racing and my cock pressing against the fly of my jeans.

I drove away from the ranch, and for the first time in over a decade, I felt what could only be described as butterflies in my stomach.

Fuck, that’s weird.

With the radio on in the background, I was vaguely aware of a storm notification coming through, but I was too wrapped up in Nova to pay much attention to it. “Forecasts are warning that it’s going to be a big one. Starting at eight p.m. tonight, there’s a warning in effect for high winds, flash floods, and tornadoes. Authorities are asking residents to take all proper precautions and to remain indoors. Stay safe out there.”

Having seen much worse than that around here before, I shrugged it off, not allowing the possibility of some wind and rain to derail me from my thoughts. There was definitely still something there with Nova. Something real that wasn’t just about me wanting to get into her pants—unlike what Vance had been worried about.

I was driving down my mom’s street when my phone rang. The number of one of the local realtors I’d reached out to popped up. Hitting the button on my steering wheel, I shook my head to clear the mental cobwebs. “This is Carson.”

“Carson! I’m sorry for bothering you so late. I’ve found a few properties with development potential for you to take a look at. All the owners have confirmed times for viewing, and if you’re available, I’d like to show you some places in the morning?”

“Sounds good,” I said. “Text me the time and address of the first property and we’ll take it from there.”

He agreed, and I grinned like a loon after I hung up. Things really do feel like they’re falling into place pretty nicely now that I’m finally here.

When I got home, I gave my mother a kiss on the cheek and checked that she and the house were alright before I washed up and headed to Moe’s. Mom had weathered her fair share of storms alone while I’d been gone, and thankfully, she’d already battened down the hatches just in case this one got ugly.

I looked up once I was back in my truck, but apart from a few clouds drifting in, it didn’t look like much was going on up there. About an hour later though, that changed.

Sitting around a table near the window with Ryan and Vance, we watched the storm roll in. Lightning streaked across the sky, and thunder rumbled so intensely the booth we were sitting in vibrated.

Vance regaled Ryan with tales of weird situations he’d gotten himself into with women while he’d been on the road.

“Maybe they were right about it being a bad one,” I commented during a lull.

They glanced out the window, but none of us thought much about the storm—until the rain came. A bone-jarring thunderclap pierced the air, and the next thing we knew, water pelted down, splashing against the window and hitting the roof with such force that the noise became almost deafening.

Ryan tensed as he glanced down at his phone. “Shit. I’m sorry, guys, but I need to get back to the ranch.”

“Need some help?” Vance asked without hesitation.

I tossed a few bills on the table and stood up too. “A couple extra sets of hands won’t hurt. What’s going on?”

“Dad’s worried about the wind. He said there were trees falling over.” His jaw hardened, and his eyes took on a glazed look, like he was mentally going over the checklist of things we’d need to do once we got there.

As we left Moe’s, thunder cracked the sky open above us, and all the lights blinked out. Vance cursed. “Fuck. Let’s speed this up, boys. We need to get there before all hell breaks loose.”

Wholeheartedly agreeing with him, I ran to my truck and fell in behind them on the road. My windscreen wipers moved as fast as they could but I could hardly see a thing. It was like a wall of water coming down. I leaned forward, slowing as much as I dared and squinting in the hopes that I’d be able to see better.

A difficult drive later, we finally got to the ranch. Ryan opened his window and waved a hand to show me to pull over. I did and rolled my window down, frowning.

He shouted to me over the wind. “I can’t get a hold of Nova! Can you go check on her? I need to make sure my parents are okay. They’re not answering their damn phones now either.”

I nodded and quickly shut the window again. My whole side was already soaked. Lightning raced across the sky above the mountains. It lit up the inky black night for a second. Rivers of rain ran over the dirt road and trees bowed in ways trees should not have been able to bend.

Crap. George was right to be worried about the wind.

A tremor of fear ran through me as I headed up in the direction of Nova’s cottage. So far, I’d only seen her place from a distance but I knew where to go. Pressing my foot down a little harder on the gas, I pushed my truck faster, still battling to see through the rain. Every time I hit a bump, the whole truck jolted, but I didn’t slow down.

She knew better than to not pick up her phone with a storm like this raging outside. If she’s hurt, I won’t be able to handle it.

When the little cottage finally appeared in the faint glow of my headlights, I hit the brakes, and the tires slipped a little before I came to a complete stop. Dragging in a deep breath, I grabbed a hoodie from the backseat and positioned it above my head. Then I opened the door and sprinted across the soggy ground.

Mud splashed against my jeans. My feet squelched in it as I ran, but it didn’t slow me down much. As soon as I got on her porch, I banged on the door, praying that she heard me and that I wouldn’t have to break it down. I would if I had to, though. Nothing would keep me from her if she needed help.

I was soaked to the bone, my hoodie drenched despite the short distance I’d covered, but I was barely aware of it. Each second ticked by like an eternity while I waited for her to answer.

She finally opened up and gave me a confused look. “What are you doing out in this chaos?”

Relief coursed through me. “You’re okay! Shit. We were worried. You didn’t pick up your phone.”

A flash of light tore through the night, and this time, it struck nearby. A boom followed instantly. Nova stepped aside to let me in, and I slammed the door behind me.

I’d made it here safely. Nova was fine, but the storm was far from over. If things kept intensifying the way they were, the destruction would be catastrophic. At least I was at her side, where I could keep her safe.

I had no right to feel the way I did about Nova, but I would die before I let anything happen to her.