actually out at the farm, though, so I’m further away than twenty minutes.”
“Oh,” Uncle Wes said, clearly surprised at Hunter’s location. “That’s actually better. Is The Burger Babe still in business?”
“Of course,” Hunter said, grinning. “It’s the best burger joint in the whole country.” They laughed together, and Wes said they could be there in thirty-five minutes. As The Burger Babe sat on the half-mile main street of Ivory Peaks, it would only take Hunter twenty to get there.
“I’m bringing Molly,” Hunter said. “Is that all right?”
“I’ve got all three of my kids,” Wes said. “Molly is no problem.”
“Great,” Hunter said. “We’ll see you in a few.” He ended the call and immediately dialed Molly.
“Hey, there,” she said, a bit out of breath.
“Where are you?” he asked. “Want to go to dinner with my Uncle Wes and his kids?”
“They’re in town?”
Hunter laughed, his heartbeat pounding though. “Apparently. They want to meet us at The Burger Babe in half an hour.”
“Sure,” Molly said. “I’m clear out in the hay loft, though. I’ll be a few minutes coming in.”
Hunter turned toward in the direction of the barns and buildings on the farm. “I’ll be there in a minute. What are you doing?” He strode that way, hoping he’d catch her there. It was time she knew how he felt about her, and time for him to face his fears.
“Just putting a few things away.” She grunted, and Hunter broke into a jog.
“Leave them for me,” he said. “You don’t need to put stuff away, Mols.”
“I got it.” She panted, though, and Hunter said he’d be there in a second and ended the call.
He arrived in the hay barn and found her coming down the ladder from the loft. She was so wonderful. Her beauty punched him right in the lungs as she turned around, and he kicked himself for getting so wrapped up inside his own life that he hadn’t taken the next steps with her.
This was exactly like him forgetting to text.
She sighed and pushed her hair off her forehead as she smiled at him. “Whew. It’s hot.”
Hunter strode toward her and took her into his arms.
“Oh, okay.” She giggled against his chest, her arms going around his back too. “This is nice, Hunt.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, pressing his eyes closed as he breathed in the scent of her hair. She carried strawberry there, along with alfalfa and wood. “I’ve been…distant.”
“You’ve been busy,” she said. “We’ve both been really busy.”
He shook his head, his chest vibrating with the booming of his heart. He stepped back and looked her in the eyes. “I’m afraid,” he admitted.
Molly searched his face. “Of what?”
“So many things,” he said. “Of making the wrong decision for my career. Of saddling you with a husband who can’t take care of you. Of even being a husband. Of falling in love with you. Of being a father.” He shook his head, realizing he’d said so many things that could kill a relationship.
In fact, Molly’s eyes had widened with every word he’d said.
“I don’t want to be afraid,” he whispered. “Remember how I said we could be ourselves with each other? That we didn’t have to hide?”
She nodded, still searching his eyes for something.
“I’ve been hiding,” he said. “Because I’m afraid you’re going to wake up one day and realize I’m no good for you.”
“Hunter.” She took his face in both of her hands. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I still see Lucy every week.”
“That’s fine with me.”
“I’m sometimes caught up in my own head.”
She smiled gently at him. “You think I don’t know that about you by now?”
“What if something happens, and you need me to be a strong emotional support and I can’t do it?” His shoulders sank. “What if you—?”
“Hunter,” she said quietly but powerfully. “I don’t play the ‘what if’ game. We cross bridges when we get to them.”
He dropped his gaze to the ground, then let it rebound to her mouth. “I’m falling in love with you all over again,” he said. “It terrifies me, because I simply don’t know if I can do or be all you’ll need me to do or be.”
Her fingers curled up around his left ear. “Hunter, you already are the man I need you to be.”
“That can’t be true,” he whispered.
“I’m falling for you too,” she said. “In fact, I might have already fallen. It’s hard to know.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you haven’t kissed me yet, Hunt.”
He met her eyes, the softness in hers encouraging. “I want to know