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“I have no idea.” He pointed. “You know about Judy’s Hand Pies, so there’s no need to explain that.”
They took a few more steps.
“We should go in here,” he said.
“Yule Read Books? I love the name.”
“It’s a bookstore-slash-gift store. There’s a lot of girl stuff like scented lotion and candles.”
Her mouth twitched as if she were trying not to smile. “You don’t enjoy scented lotion?”
“Not personally, but I like it on the women in my life.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Women as in plural? More than one at a time? Lawson, you shock me.”
He groaned. “I meant my sisters and my mom. They like to wear different scents, and it’s nice. They always smell good.”
“And the future Mrs. Lawson . . .”
“Easley,” he offered. “As of now, she’s being elusive, but I’m pretty sure she’s going to smell good, too.”
“Have you ever been married?”
“I was engaged once. She decided Wishing Tree wasn’t for her, and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”
They were standing nice and close. He liked that. Lawson thought briefly about kissing her. He already knew it would be a good kiss, the kind that not only got his blood pumping but actually meant something. Those were the kisses that mattered. He wasn’t interested in a single night—not anymore. He wanted a relationship, and a first kiss often told him if that was going to happen. But it seemed a little soon, and he didn’t want to rush things. Not when everything about Shaye felt so . . . right.
“Let’s go check it out,” she said, pointing to the bookstore. “I could use a good book and some scented lotion. You can help me pick out the right one.”
“I can suggest several books,” he teased.
She gave him a gentle push. “I meant the lotion.”
“I knew that.”
“I knew you knew.”
They were both still laughing when they walked inside.
Chapter Two
Shaye liked the store right away. There were big windows that let in lots of light, and the book displays just made her plain happy. There were at least a dozen people inside, mostly families or couples. The kids’ book section had a fluffy rug on the floor and big stuffed animals that could be climbed on or leaned against.
Lawson put his hand on the small of her back and pointed to the gift section of the store. She was aware of the imprint of his hand—warm even through her blouse. The touch was oddly intimate, which surprised her, but not nearly as much as her instinct to step closer to him. A sure sign she liked him.
She briefly reminded herself of her last relationship. Calling it a disaster didn’t come close to capturing the awfulness of what had happened. Worse, she’d simply gone along with the plan because she’d been sad and lonely and it had been better than spinning her wheels in her hometown. Although, when it came to Lawson, she was in little danger. She was, after all, simply passing through on her way to Seattle. It wasn’t as if she were sticking around. She would enjoy a few more minutes with a kind, funny, handsome guy, then be on her way. Back on the highway, daydreaming about what could have been with Lawson would be a happy way to pass the time and the miles.
They walked over to a display of scented body lotion. She stared at the array of bottles.
“There are a lot of choices.”
Lawson smiled. “What scents do you like?”
“Nothing too sweet. I don’t want to smell like a sugar cookie or chocolate cake.”
His brows rose. “I’ve never smelled chocolate-cake lotion. It doesn’t sound very good.”
She picked up a tester bottle and handed it to him. “You’ll like this one.”
