Need You Now (Love in Unknown) - By Taylor M. Lunsford Page 0,82

the couch with her legs draped over his lap. The pizza sat on the coffee table with a beer for him and a hard apple cider for her. He grabbed the bottles and handed her one. "There's gotta be something more to it. This time they focused on the fact that we were dating. Maybe that'll narrow the search down for Gage. Is there anyone in your past who might be pissed that you're dating someone?"

“Nooo..." She hesitated, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. He got the feeling she wasn’t telling him everything. "No, there's no one in Unknown. I was the boring virginal bookworm, remember?"

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to the sensitive spot just behind her ear. "I definitely remember the 'virginal' part. And the bookworm part is undeniable. But you were never boring. The only reason you never had a date in high school is because Gage and Micah wouldn't let a guy within ten feet of you. Every summer I came back, you just kept getting prettier and sexier. I saw the way guys looked at you. You scared them all.”

“But not you?" She reached out to stroke his hair, brushing it out of his eyes.

He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Scared is the wrong word. You fascinated me. Like a fine piece of crystal with too many facets to find them all. I thought if I touched you, you might break. I'm glad I was wrong."

She rested her head against his shoulder, quietly sipping her cider. Caine could hear the wheels in her head turning over and over, but he didn’t force her to tell him what she was thinking. She'd tell him in her own time. But he sensed something wasn't connecting in this whole thing. Either she knew more than she was saying, or he was missing a vital part of the equation. Whatever it was, he didn’t plan to lose her. At this moment, not having her in his arms where she belonged sounded like a fate worse than death.

Chapter 16

Caine left his office the following afternoon and braced himself for the disapproval. He just knew the ladies of the Garden Club were going to be waiting to give him hell about the golf cart. This morning, he and Gage had towed the ridiculous thing over to Leo’s Auto Shop to have the repairs done, at his cost of course. Still, he knew Jemma Hartsfield and her cronies were going to be pissed that he’d let something happen to their precious golf cart.

He was supposed to meet Micah and Gage for drinks and the Fortune Saloon before he headed home, so he decided to walk. Walking meant that he was more likely to get stopped on the way, but he knew he needed to take his medicine and get it over with.

“Mr. Mayor!”

Caine stopped walking and turned towards the sound of the voice. He saw Charlotte Gardener and Ada Brown, his predecessor’s widow, bustling towards him. “Good afternoon, ladies. You both look lovely today.”

“Thank you, dear, you’re very sweet,” Mrs. Gardener said, sounding a little out of breath.

“We want to talk to you about something important, young man.” Mrs. Brown, in her yellow dress, resembled a giant cheese puff stuffed with indignation.

He bit back a sigh and put on his political face. “What can I help you with?”

Mrs. Gardener gave him a small smile. “We just wanted to know what’s being done about catching the hoodlum who ruined your golf cart.”

“It’s a sad thing when there’s a crime in a peaceful town like ours, but it’s even worse when it happens to the town mayor,” Mrs. Brown added.

“Gage and the rest of our fine police department are hard at work trying to find out who’s behind this.” Caine shifted his weight. “We’re fairly certain that it’s linked to the attack on the Unknown Family Clinic earlier this spring and the vandalism of Dr. Carr’s vehicle shortly after that.”

Mrs. Gardener pursed her lips. “This is just unacceptable. Dr. Carr is such a sweetheart and you two are just adorable together. Who would be so cruel that they’d want to attack the two of you?”

“In my day, no one would be so cowardly as to go after someone like this,” Mrs. Brown groused. “I know she’s a bit of an unconventional girl, but Melody Carr doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment.”

Caine blinked at the women in surprise. He knew that the people of Unknown had started to be more accepting of Mel since