As Ashleigh relayed the story, Boone felt the blood drain from his face. No! No. No. No! Be damned if he’d let this happen. No way. Period.
Hannah would cut and run, and he couldn’t blame her.
No way was this gonna happen. Neither he nor Hannah was going to lose another child.
Chapter Nineteen
Hannah couldn’t believe she’d had office sex. Morning office sex. This, after middle-of-the-night sex. The man was an animal.
And she loved that about him. She loved a lot of things about Boone McBride. His shoulders and his smile. His generosity and the way he filled out his jeans. Definitely the way he went gooey over Bree. The truth was, she was more than a little in love with the whole enchilada.
It scared her. She’d never dreamed that she would fall in love again, certainly not in a minute and a half, which is about how long this summer seemed to have lasted. Days that dragged by before she’d arrived in Eternity Springs now flew past in an instant. Who knew that living life rather than slogging her way through it could alter time?
She was falling in love with Boone McBride. Even more frightening, she was mush for Brianna Claire. The pair had brought light and color back into her world, and Hannah’s senses reeled with the pleasure of it. She loved it. She loved.
Which meant her vulnerable heart was at risk again.
Hence, the scary part.
However, now was not the time to dwell on fears. She had shopping to do!
She’d turned down Boone’s invitation to join him at the chamber luncheon because she already had a lunch meeting with Celeste at the Angel’s Rest Boutique. Hannah was buying an entirely new wardrobe, and Celeste was giving her first shot at recent arrivals.
The door chime sounded as she stepped into the store at precisely twelve o’clock. Celeste set a small flower arrangement in the center of a small bistro table set for two, glanced up, and met Hannah’s gaze. A smile of welcome wreathed her face and warmed Hannah’s heart.
“Perfect timing! My chef just brought our meal down from the kitchen.” Celeste handed Hannah an OUT TO LUNCH sign. “Hang this in the window, would you please? Set the little clock to one thirty. I’m of a mind to have a leisurely lunch today.”
Hannah did as her hostess requested. Then she stepped farther into the shop. “What pretty flowers.”
“Cheerful, aren’t they? Nothing like daisies to brighten a table. And speaking of bright, don’t you just shine like the sun today!”
“I’m having a good day,” Hannah replied.
“Excellent. I’m always pleased to hear that from a customer. Happy shoppers spend more money.”
Hannah laughed. Celeste grinned and motioned toward the table. “It’s a cold luncheon, so we’ve no rush to eat. Would you rather shop first?”
“Definitely.”
“In that case, come back into the storeroom with me, and I’ll show you what I’ve set aside.”
Hannah followed her into the back, where an explosion of color met her eyes. On display were a mix of prints and solids, everything from shorts, tops, and sneakers to slacks and blouses and jackets. Belts and scarves. And dresses. Casual dresses and sexy eveningwear.
Red lingerie.
If Celeste had missed a single color in the spectrum, Hannah couldn’t say what it was. “If I were to buy all of this, I’d need to raise the limit on my credit card. On all my credit cards.”
Celeste’s laughter jingled like Christmas ornaments on a tree. “No pressure, dear. I wanted you to have lots of options from which to choose. Now, how shall we tackle this?”
“I don’t know!”
“I’d suggest you begin by choosing a casual wardrobe, then throw in a few business things, and finally, dressy attire. You’ll notice this is mostly cooler-weather items. Winter arrives early here in the mountains. Luckily, here in Eternity Springs, we tend to carry our fall color all the way through the spring. And of course, I have resort wear. I suspect you and Boone will want to go somewhere warm on your honeymoon.”
“Our what?” The belt Hannah had been inspecting slipped through her fingers and spilled onto the floor.
“Bella Vita Isle is popular with our winter honeymooners. It’s in the Caribbean. Lovely place. Talk to Gabi about it. That’s where she met Flynn. Cicero is from there too.”
Hannah bent to retrieve the belt. “Celeste, you are way ahead of me here.”
“Yes, it’s what I do.” Celeste reached into one of the racks and pulled out a yellow polka-dot bikini. “I insist you try this. It’s so retro, and you’ll look stunning in it.”
She handed the swimsuit to Hannah, who soon ended up with a dressing room bursting with clothing to try on. It took over an hour to work her way through all the options. When she was done, her “keep” pile was twice the size she’d anticipated.
Celeste pulled salads from the break room refrigerator and set them on the table along with bread and iced tea. “So I take it Boone agreed to your proposal for the shop?”
“Enthusiastically,” Hannah replied, her cheeks warming with a blush. “You were right. Boone wanted the property. It was quite a coup for me.”
Celeste studied her. “You sparkle when you talk about him. Tell me you’re not blind to the feelings you have for Boone.”
Hannah delayed her response by taking a sip of her iced tea. “It’s complicated.”
“Love always is. If you care to talk, I’m here to listen.”
Hannah’s lips twisted in a rueful grin. “Boone told me you’re an excellent therapist.”
“Unlicensed, but I do have a good sense of direction when it comes to life trails. You’ve traveled far since you arrived in Eternity Springs, Hannah. Tell me, what is preventing you from reaching your destination?”
“I’m not a speeder. Before my life fell apart, I was the driver who set the cruise control for two miles per hour beneath the speed limit. Slow and steady, that’s me. But this thing with Boone—and with Bree—I feel like I’m strapped into the driver’s seat of a car. Boone is riding shotgun. I’m bearing down on the gas, and right ahead of me is a collapsed bridge. My instinct is to stomp on the brake this very second because I’ve made this jump before and crashed, but Boone is beside me saying, Jump it. Do it. Do it. You can do it.”
“Boone does have a convincing manner.”
“I know! And he lives this large, movie-fantasy life where the cars all jump the bridge and make it safely to the other side. Sometimes in slow motion. He’s convinced we won’t crash, and he’s trying to get me to believe. I haven’t managed to say no to him yet. Not that it even matters, because I want to do it.”
“So go for it, Hannah. We have a saying here in Eternity Springs. Leap like a lunatic.”
“Celeste, I’m driving a Prius!”
“Oh, honey.” Celeste sat back in her chair. “Boone McBride wouldn’t be caught dead in a Prius. He’s a Maserati man all the way.”
“I know. That’s why this is hard. The crash hurts, Celeste. It hurts real bad. I know that if I slam on my brakes now, I’ll slide up to the edge, but I won’t go over. I’ll live.”
“You’ll live.” Celeste nodded. “But will you be alive?”