Hold Me Close (Ryker Falls #5) - Wendy Vella Page 0,56

of thing.”

“No, they don’t. Kids are mimics. She got that from the adults around her, and let me just say that I don’t like being the recipient of your matchmaking, as I’m sure Maggs doesn’t.” He was being too defensive, and Dylan knew it, but unlike the Trainers, he wouldn’t push.

“Denial is not just a river in Egypt, it seems” was all Dylan added. “You can take us to the bake-off.”

“What?” Fin looked at Maggie’s front door, which was where he now stood. He didn’t think she was hiding inside.

“The bake-off is today. You can take us. Pip’s already there with Blake. We were just about to head there when we saw you pull up. It starts at noon, and we get to eat what they make.” Dylan opened Fin’s car door for Gracie, then belted her in before climbing in the front beside Fin.

“What bake-off? I thought it was a muffin thing?”

“Mom decided to change the name so it’s catchier. They’re doing the judging today on the main street. Mayor Gripper and Joe; not sure how he got to judge.”

“He’s a suck-up.”

“True that. Those two, plus Buzz and Mrs. L are the judges. So that’s probably where Maggs is.”

“Sure. I just had something to drop to her.”

“You’re pathetic. You know that, right.”

“What?” Fin looked at Grace, who was singing to herself in the back seat.

“If you want her, go after her. Why all the denial?”

“Can we just go with it’s complicated and you leave me alone?”

“Anything worthy in life is complicated, Fin, you just have to work out whether you want to uncomplicate it to get to the goal.”

“Hell, bud, you’re starting to scare me.” Fin shot Dylan a look. “You got a talk show slot or something in your future?”

“Just calling it as I see it.”

Fin thought about that as he drove to town. Thought about Maggs and what he felt for her. It was deeper than anything he’d felt before, he could admit that, if only to himself. It had become more so lately. But was it just a bad case of lust, or did he want more with her? He guessed he’d find out if he got her to stop running away from him.

Pulling into a parking spot, he saw the crowd had formed further up the street. Minutes later, he was walking with Gracie’s hand in his as she skipped at his side. His feet faltered as he found Maggs. She was standing with his father and Mallory.

Fuck!

Chapter 24

Maggs had woken in Fin’s arms, looked at him, and felt a flutter of panic so fierce she’d had to muffle the sound in her hand. It was a different panic to the type that had started after the shooting, but no less scary in some ways. Looking at his face softened in sleep, emotion almost choked her.

She didn’t love him. It couldn’t be that, surely?

It had been cowardly, but she’d wanted to get out of that cabin before he woke and saw her panic. So she’d run. What they’d shared had terrified her because it felt so right and good, and any number of similar words. Maggs wasn’t ready for that.

“So these are baked by locals, and the judges will pick a winner, then we get to eat them,” Mallory asked from beside her.

“That’s right. Originally it was a muffin contest, but that changed last minute.”

She’d gone home, showered quickly in case he came after her, and then gone to watch the bake-off today. She’d be in a crowd if he did find her, and that would work for now, at least until she didn’t feel so emotionally raw. Fin’s family had been here, so she’d joined them, which was also cowardly, as Fin wouldn’t want to.

“Ryker Falls loves to run events. We have the Santa run soon, and the musical chairs for adults.”

“Have you seen my son, Maggie?”

How did she answer that? “I have, Mr. Hudson.” A lot of your son.

“Call me Jonathan. Any tips on how I can get him to talk to me, considering you and he are close?”

“Oh, well, we’re not that close.”

“Certainly seems that way to me.” He gave her a gentle smile.

“Fin is a good man, Jonathan.” Maggie thought about her words carefully. What happened between Fin and his father was no business of hers, but she didn’t like to see him hurting either. Would talking help him resolve things or make them worse?

“I know he’s a good man. I’ve talked to people in this town who were happy to