Chapter 12

HOLLY

Oh. My. Gosh…

Those three words kept bouncing in her mind, heart, and soul as she stood there in Cade's arms. The man she had the biggest crush on was here, now, before her, holding her close and about to kiss her. Her pulse was racing so fast right now, trying not to sound breathless, start panting like Knox, or let out a squee of excitement – but it was there! Every nerve, every hope, dream, fantasy, all of it was there and focusing like a laser as his head descended toward her.

Her hand was on his chest, clinging to him. She could feel the warmth of his body emanating from the cotton fabric of his shirt, craving it. Was it so wrong to want to freeze this moment forever?

"Holly…" he whispered, his breath tickling her lips.

"Don't," she began, hoping he wasn't about to back away. "Don't unless you really mean this…" she uttered brokenly, begging softly. If he kissed her and this was a joke, a prank, or meant nothing to him but a quick entertainment – she would never recover.

Cade's breath caught as he swooped in, closing the gap between them almost forcefully, capturing her lips. The man kissed like he did everything, aggressively, charging forward with reckless abandon and giving it his all. Oh mercy, she thought idly and melted as he deepened the kiss.

Her hand which had been lying flat against his chest, curled painfully, twisting the front of his shirt to keep him from retreating. If she died in this moment, she could easily imagine that this is what love, lust, and all the other emotional words felt like in one sensation.

He broke the kiss and pulled her close, hugging her. She could hear his heart hammering against his chest as he kissed the top of her head, both of them silent. Her hand was still smushed awkwardly between them – and she didn't care. Right now, she was clinging to this second, this feeling, this moment, pinching her eyes closed and deathly afraid it would evaporate like a fog in the rising sun.

"Holly?" he whispered hoarsely, trembling in her arms.

"Yeah?"

"Um, a-after Thanksgiving," he began, his voice stumbling. "You think maybe we can go for a few more dates?"

"You want to go out with me again? We haven't even left for the restaurant yet," she began, fighting the burst of happiness within her and the flare of hope. "I mean, what if you don't like my cooking on Thanksgiving or…"

"What if you hate the way I act watching football or dislike my place," he countered, not moving but tensing slightly. "There are a lot of ‘what ifs,' but I am positive I've never kissed a woman like that before – and I want to do it again… and often."

A laugh slipped from her as she curled a little closer into his embrace, wishing she could purr like a kitten – because she would be doing just that. She heard his soft laugh as he kissed her temple once more and then put his finger under her chin, silently coaxing her to look at him.

"I like you… a lot," he whispered.

"I like you too."

"Then let's focus on the ‘likes' and avoid the ‘what ifs' – because I'm serious. I could see us going on several dates, curling up in front of the television, me narrowly escaping buckshot aimed at my keister…" – and Holly burst out laughing as he joined in.

"We've got this," he chuckled, "And if not, then I think we are both strong enough to figure it out. Now, do you want ‘Lucy's' on the circle? I know it's silly and not exactly dinner food or ‘festive fall favorites,' but I'm craving a big stack of pancakes and…"

"And it's not ‘The Local Table,'" she interrupted, teasing him.

"Hush you," he chuckled, leaning down to kiss the tip of her nose – before pressing his forehead against hers. "And you are right, but I promise that I didn't kiss any of those girls."

"I didn't ask," she whispered, standing there in the moment. "We've both dated other people before, and I don't mind if we go to ‘The Local Table.'"

"I do, because you're different," he admitted softly. "We're different. I want this to be special, and the last thing I'm going to do is copy what has gone wrong in my past when this feels pretty darn right. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Pancakes?"

"Sounds amazing," she chuckled, smelling something awful, and wrinkling her nose. "Let's stop at the general store again to see if they have another type of puppy food."

"You got it."

Holly felt every eye in the place watching them and reveled in it. This was probably the best date she'd ever been on. Cade was such a sweetheart; so polite and friendly, outgoing, and, well, just everything she could have imagined him to be. They talked easily, and if they weren't talking – then they were laughing or cutting up together. There was an ease between them that felt so good, so right, that it really hit home that this was what a relationship was supposed to be like.

Or so she imagined.

After dinner, they left her car parked near the circle and walked through the center of town, holding hands. The leaves were falling from the pecan trees, and the pines that were decorated each Christmas were silently waiting for their moment. Yes, there was a chill in the air, indicating that winter was indeed almost here… and this would be the first set of holidays in a few years that she would be celebrating.

And she shivered.

"Are you cold?"

"Just a chill."

"Come here," he invited, cozying up to her as they turned and began to walk back toward her car. "Maybe instead of walking in the moonlight, we can just sit and talk in the car, out of the evening breeze."

Holly looked up at him and smirked.

"You just want to kiss me again, don't you?"

"Am I so transparent?"

"Maybe… but I like it."

"I'm glad," he chuckled, affectionately rubbing his nose against hers as they walked slowly toward Butter.

Holly was reinstalling the fender on Cade's truck while the A/C machine discharged the system on ‘Cajun' Josephs's truck. He was the pilot at the Flyboys Substation on the far side of town – and his evaporator coil was leaking coolant onto the passenger side floorboard.

She heard her phone ding, sighed in frustration, and put the fender back down on the ground. The holes were not lining up now and she was getting really irked. She definitely needed a break for a moment.

Wanna puppy-sit for me?

Please?

I'm going to close on the house, and I am afraid to leave Knox (aka – poop troop) alone in the apartment because the cleaners are going to be there within the hour.

Of course.

Can I get a kiss for luck, too?

For Knox, sure!

Ouch.

For meeee – your Hostess snack cake?

I'm never going to live that down, am I?

I adore your nickname for me.

And she looked up to see Cade walking across the street, carrying Knox, smiling. Holly saw the look on his face and started chuckling. He obviously was pretty sure she would puppy-sit and hesitated, looking at her watch.

"You're early."

"I kinda need to use my truck," he began sheepishly. "I didn't think about this, but is Crusty driveable? I've been so panicked about everything else it never dawned on me that there's no Uber out here. Sweet Bloom might actually be smaller than Ember Creek."

"It's definitely a little more remote," she smiled grimly. "Yeah, take your truck. I can't get the holes to line up right now and pretty frustrated, so yeah - Crusty can leave my sight until he decides to play nice and…"

"Hey, hey," Cade said gently, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward, tugging her inside the little office space that connected to the stairs going up to her apartment. "No coolant in here, right?"

"Nope. Knox is perfectly safe here."

"Good," he replied quickly, setting down the puppy and gathering her into his arms, hugging her. "Breathe, and don't let your frustration get at you. I'm sure that whatever is wrong, you can fix it."

"I thought you loved that truck. How come you aren't blowing up or getting angry at how long this is taking?"

"I do love my truck – and it's not worth hurting my girlfriend's feelings to get upset over something out of her control."

"I'm the one fixing it, which means I should be able to put it back together."

"And you will – I'm sure of it."

"Cade…"

"Shhh," he said tenderly, leaning forward to kiss her again. "I'm in no hurry and certainly don't want to pressure you."

"But…"

"It's nice out, Knox is safe, and…"

"Take Butter," she interrupted, looking at him. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at her, stunned. "Butter was a birthday present from my father, and he died a few years later. Please be careful with her. That car and this shop is all I have left from him."

"I can't…" he began, and she smiled slightly at his expression, seeing so much that made her heart happy. He was a simple guy and didn't expect anyone to just ‘give up' something for him. She also noticed that he was truly moved to learn about her car and the origin – which meant he understood what it was like to be close to a parent and treasure mementos from them. Granted, a car was a big and expensive ‘memento,' but those memories were still priceless.

"You can – and I trust you with it."

Cade looked away. His face was full of disbelief, confusion, and wonder that she could put something so precious to her into his hands so easily. She was truly trusting him with something vital and visceral to her, putting everything she held dear on the line.

He was so quiet, so moved, that she audibly heard him swallow as he looked at her again a moment later. He nodded slightly and hesitated. His eyes were wary because he wasn't comfortable with being given something so precious to her. It felt so good to know that he was afraid to hurt her – even if by mistake.

"This explains why you were so angry the night we met – and I'm glad you told me, but I don't want to risk anything happening to your car. I appreciate your offering, but…" his voice faded, but the unspoken words hung in the air.

It's not worth the risk of hurting you…

Holly felt her eyes sting as she saw it in his eyes – and nodded. Her hand reached up, trembling, and caressed his cheek as they stood there together. It took a lot to offer him a piece of her, and the fact that he understood and valued what it meant was everything.

"Then I'll come with you and wait with Knox in the car," she countered. She wasn't going to let him walk a few miles to the office when she was perfectly capable of changing up her day. "I need a break. You need a ride. Knox can play in the grass for a bit. This works for all of us, now doesn't it?"

"You could come to the closing with me," he began, his voice infinitely quiet as he touched her cheek tenderly. "In case I get bad news or something changes."

"Am I your own personal security blanket?" she chuckled, smiling.

"How about the best person I know at my side during a pivotal moment in my life," he revised, giving her a shy smile. "This is my first home purchase… and maybe someday my girlfriend might move in or something. You never know what could happen."

Cade's words hung in the air as her breath caught in her chest. His eyes searched hers, and neither one of them moved for a moment, like two opponents reading the room once again, both afraid to make the first move… except he did.

"I'm not saying ‘now,'" he whispered softly, laying his hand over hers where she touched his jaw. "I'm just saying that I really like what we have going between us, and we might decide to look at things differently someday."

Holly didn't know what to say because it was all so much, so fast. She didn't want to be just a ‘girlfriend' to move in, but rather wanted the whole thing – the fantasy, the fairytale, and her prince really needed to get going if he was going to sign on the dotted line for his ‘castle.'

"I like it too – and maybe we should talk more when we aren't in a time crunch," she replied, trying to steer the conversation. Taking the leash from him, she made kissy noises toward Knox and saw the puppy start wagging his tail. "I've got my keys. Let's head out."

"You really don't mind?"

"I don't. I need the fresh air and a break badly. I'm about ready to kick the fender again and…"

"Step away from the truck," Cade interrupted and tugged her forward, his eyes dancing with amusement at the unspoken joke between them. Yeah, she could have a temper, and his truck had been the recipient of one of the rare times she'd lost her cool.

"Funny," she said flatly – and stuck her tongue out playfully at him as they headed toward her vehicle.

Not twenty minutes later, Holly understood why Cade had requested company, and the ‘security blanket' comment hadn't been too far off. Buying a house was intimidating! The fancy furniture, desks, pens, and people wearing expensive suits were staggering. She had never felt so underdressed or inferior as she did right now.

"Mr. Pruitt," the loan officer began, rifling through papers. "I'm afraid the papers are incorrect and will need to be re-done…" Holly looked at him, horrified. Cade's face was so pale, so nervous, that she immediately reached for his hand, grasping it as Knox slept at her feet.

"I'm afraid I don't have Mrs. Pruitt on the documents and…"

Cade and Holly looked at each other at that moment, before both turned to the loan officer, exclaiming over one another in a rush.

"We're not married!"

"Hang on a second!"

"Oh, my apologies," the man continued, looking relieved, and he got out the folder once more and presented it to Cade. "If you'll look over these documents, make sure I have your address, social security number, and your name is correct – then we'll wrap this up shortly in no time."

Holly sat back and looked at Cade's profile, watching him as he read the documents, initialing and signing in the highlighted boxes and thinking. While she had protested at the mistake out of sheer nervousness, he had done the same, and she hadn't expected it to hurt her feelings so much. He looked completely alarmed – but was it the reference to marriage or the fact that the paperwork would need to be redone?

That nagging little voice in her mind was whispering that it was the first and not the latter of the two. Would someone like her really be allowed to imagine that things could be like this, this lovely between them? They were barely at the beginning of a relationship, yet her speedometer was definitely going much faster than his. That could cause problems in the long run for them, and she darn well knew it.

Pressing her lips together to keep her from asking questions or blurting out something, she sat there almost deathly still and lost in her thoughts.