Charming Hannah Read online

“I’m still wearing makeup from work.”

  “Which means you applied it twelve hours ago. You need to freshen it up.”

  “I didn’t have time to take a shower,” I inform her. “I hope there’s no blood in my hair.”

  “Oh God. Ew. And you’re worried about your period panties? Honey, your priorities might be a little skewed.”

  I chuckle and freshen up my eye makeup, then run a brush through my red hair and shrug one shoulder. “No blood.”

  “Thank goodness. I’m sure you look great, and you’ll have so much fun, Hannah.”

  “I think so,” I murmur. “Unless I choke or get food poisoning or something. Also, I’ve been having these palpitations today. Maybe I should make an appointment with the cardiologist.”

  “It’s called nerves,” she says. “You’re not having a heart attack, Hannah, you’re nervous about a first date with a cool guy. It’s normal.”

  “But you’re not a cardiologist. You don’t know.”

  She takes a deep breath, and I picture her closing her eyes, trying to keep her irritation in check.

  “I know,” I say at last. “I always do this, and I’m stupid.”

  “You’re not stupid. Take a deep breath.”

  I breathe in deeply through my nose and let it out through my mouth and feel a little better.

  “When will he be there?”

  I check the time on my phone.

  “Ten minutes.”

  “Okay, here’s what I want you to do. Take some more deep breaths, drink some water, and look at your schedule for tomorrow.”

  I frown, thrown by that last one. “Why?”

  “Because you’ll be thinking about tomorrow and not worrying about tonight.”

  “You’re pretty smart.”

  She snorts. “I know. Have fun and text me when you get home because I’ll want to hear how it went.”

  “Okay.” I nod, even though she can’t see me. “You’re right, I’m just going to enjoy myself and not wish that I was at home watching Stranger Things.”

  “Oh my gosh, have you started season two yet?”

  “No, I’m only halfway into season one because instead of watching it I’m going on a date tonight.”

  “Well, just wait until you get to season two. So good.”

  “Season one is kind of freaking me out,” I admit. “I don’t like the scary things.”

  “It’s not that scary. Stick with it. You won’t regret it. And look at that, you only have seven minutes now.”

  “Okay, I’m ready. I’m going to go look at tomorrow’s schedule.”

  “Awesome. Have fun, Han. I mean it.”

  “I will. Talk to you later.”

  I hang up the phone and blow out a breath. There’s no need to be nervous. He’s just a man. A human.

  I mean, sure, this human is better looking than most others, and the chemistry I feel when I’m in the same room as him is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.

  But he’s still just a man.

  I throw the load of laundry I put in the washer this morning into the dryer, flip it on, then walk into the kitchen to rinse a few dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

  I bring my schedule for tomorrow up on my phone just as the doorbell rings.

  “Those were a quick seven minutes,” I mutter. I run my fingers through my hair before opening the door to Brad.

  He’s leaning on the doorjamb, a crooked smile on his mouth and his green eyes are happy. I let myself take him in from head to toe, admiring the grey sweater and dark blue jeans, and the way they showcase his hard, lean body.

  “Hi,” I say and step back so he can come inside, ignoring the knowing smile on his lips.

  “Hello, beautiful,” he replies and passes me a bouquet of pink roses. “These are for you.”

  “Oh, how nice.” I bury my nose in them and smile up at him. “Thank you. I’ll put them in water real quick before we go.”

  He nods and follows me into the kitchen. “Your home is nice.”

  “Thanks.” I wrinkle my nose at him. “I’m not here much, so it doesn’t get very dirty. I don’t know why I told you that.” I fill a vase with cold water and quickly clip the ends of the blooms before fussing over them.

  “Because it’s the truth,” he says and brushes my hair over my shoulder. “How are you today?”

  “Nervous,” I admit. “That’s the truth, too.”

  “No need to be nervous, Hannah. It’s just dinner.”

  I nod and take a deep breath, then smile up at him. “Okay. I’m ready.”

  He laughs and takes my hand, then surprises me by raising it to his lips and gently kissing my knuckles. “It’s going to be fun.”

  “I know.”

  He watches me for a moment, then, still holding my hand, leads me through the house to the front door. My arm is on fire from the electricity running through it. Jesus, if just the touch of his hand causes this kind of reaction, I can only imagine what would happen if we were naked.

  Not that we will be naked tonight.

  I grab my jacket and handbag, lock up behind us, and follow him to his truck.

  Once we’re settled and headed down the street, he smiles over at me. “I thought we’d head over to Ciao for some Italian, if that works for you.”

  “That’s my favorite place.”

  He grins. “Mine, too.”

  It doesn’t take long to get anywhere in Cunningham Falls, and before long we’re seated at a table in the back corner. When the waitress arrives, she writes her name in crayon on the white paper covering the table.

  “I’m Natasha,” she says with a smile, “and I’ll be helping you out tonight. Can I offer you some wine, or something else to drink?”

  “Just a Coke for me,” I reply.

  “I’ll have the same,” Brad says. Natasha nods and bustles away and I turn my attention to the menu, even though I already know what I want.

  I never change what I order here.

  “What looks good?” I ask Brad and glance up to find him looking at me with heated green eyes.

  “You look amazing.”

  “I meant the menu.”

  “I know what you meant,” he says and tilts his head to the side, watching me. “Let’s get this out of the way right now. What is it, exactly, that makes you nervous about me?”

  I blink as Natasha places our Cokes in front of us.

  “Are you ready to order?”

  “We need a minute,” Brad says without looking away from me. He reaches out and takes my hand, and the same electricity hits me again, and I bite my lip. “Let’s talk about this, Hannah.”

  “I’m not sure what to say.”

  “Is it the cop thing? My height? Have you heard something through the rumor mill?”

  “What would I have heard?”

  “Who knows?” He chuckles. “It’s a small town.”

  I shrug. “Honestly, it’s not you that makes me nervous. I’m not intimidated by you in the least.”

  “Excellent.”

  “I guess it’s just first date jitters.”

  “Okay, we can work with that.” He winks at me and nods at Natasha as she approaches the table. “I think we can order now.”

  “I’ll have the bow-tie pasta with alfredo sauce, chicken, artichoke hearts, and mushrooms.” I pass her the menu and smile at Brad.

  “I’ll have the lasagna,” he says. Someone waves at him from across the room and he nods politely.

  “It must be hard for you to be out in public when it’s your day off.”

  He tilts his head in surprise. “What makes you say that?”

  “Well, I’m always on call. Babies don’t know what office hours are. But you’re the chief of police. People know you, and I’m sure they feel like they can approach you to ask questions, complain, what have you, no matter if you’re on duty or not.”

  “Sometimes,” he says with a nod. “I finally had to have my personal cell number changed because I kept getting calls. I have
an official cell because I have to be able to be reached any time of day. But I don’t need the townspeople to be able to call me whenever they see fit. I am a public servant, but I finally had to set some boundaries.”

  “Good for you,” I reply. “Setting boundaries isn’t easy.”

  “It is when an old lady calls you at two in the morning to complain about how bright her street light is. She doesn’t like closing her blinds at night.”

  “Oh my.”

  “She wanted me to come out and unscrew the bulb in it so she could get some sleep.”

  I can’t help but cover my mouth and laugh. “What did you tell her?”

  “To close her damn blinds and I gave her the correct department to call the next day. She wasn’t happy.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say and lean back when our food is delivered. “It must be difficult to have a personal life when you’re under a microscope.”

  “Not really,” he says with a shrug and salts and peppers his food. “My father was the chief of police for about twenty years. He and my mom had a pretty normal life.”

  “Do they still live here?”

  “Part time,” he says with a nod. “They go south in the winter.”

  “I can’t blame them for that. It was a snowy one this year.”

  He nods. “Where do your folks live?”

  “My mom died when I was seventeen.” I take a bite of food. “I have no idea where my dad is.”

  He’s chewing and watching me. Don’t apologize. That’s the worst.

  “That’s tough,” he says, surprising me. “Do you mind telling me what happened?”

  “She and my dad were on their way home from a New Year’s Eve party, and he hit a tree. Killed her instantly. He was incredibly intoxicated. It was my senior year of high school.”

  “Jesus.”

  “I miss her. She was a good mom, despite being married to an alcoholic. He was sent to prison for third degree manslaughter, but by the time he got out, I was long gone, in college. I’ve never seen or spoken to him since that day.”

  “You’re quite nonchalant about it.”

  “I did the therapy thing, Brad. I’ve mourned. I still mourn her because she was wonderful. But he was a piece of shit, and I’m better off without him.” I grab a piece of bread slathered in chunks of garlic and take a bite. “My aunt and uncle took me in for the rest of my senior year, and they’ve really become more like parents to me. Their daughter, Abby, has always been one of my best friends. I do have family.”

  “I’m glad,” he replies. “Family is really important to me.”

  I nod. “I saw Jenna last night.”

  “She told me.” He laughs and shakes his head, also taking a bit of bread. “She called this morning to tell me to be extra nice to you because she likes you.”

  “She’s sweet.”

  “She’s a meddler, but she’s my only sister, and she tells me that’s her job.”

  “And you have a younger brother as well, don’t you?”

  “Max,” he says with a nod. “He’s recently moved back to town as well. We’re both busy, so I don’t see him much, but it’s good to have him nearby.”

  “That’s how I feel about Drake.”

  “Drake Merritt?”

  “Yes. He’s one of my best friends. I met him in medical school.”

  “I thought for a while that he might be your boyfriend. That’s why it took me so long to ask you out.”

  I feel my eyes widen in surprise. “Three years long? Brad, that’s a long time. And no, he’s never been my boyfriend. He’s just a dear friend, and he’s the reason I decided to move here.”

  “I’ll have to thank him,” Brad replies.

  “You’re quite charming.” I sit back in my seat, stuffed full of pasta and bread, and cross my arms over my chest.

  “Just honest.” He finishes his food and wipes his mouth. “So, you have Drake and Grace nearby.”

  “I do. Grace is wonderful, and I still see her all the time, despite not being roommates anymore. And Abby and her family come to visit at the holidays.”

  “Is there anything else I can bring you?” Natasha asks as she comes to clear away our plates. “Dessert?”

  “I mean, you can’t come to Ciao and not get the tiramisu,” I say and look to Brad for confirmation.

  “We should absolutely share the tiramisu,” he says with a nod.

  Natasha leaves, but another person walks over to talk about the potholes in the street in front of their house, and how their neighbor keeps playing music late into the night.

  Finally, after five minutes, Brad says, “I understand your frustration, Paul. Just give the city a call tomorrow and they’ll talk to you about the potholes.”

  “What about the music?”

  “You’re always welcome to call the non-emergency line and an officer will come out and talk to them.”

  Paul grumbles, but walks back to his own table and Brad reaches around the untouched tiramisu to take my hand. “Sorry about that.”

  “Like I said before, I’m sure that happens all of the time when you’re out on dates.”

  “I don’t go out on many dates,” he says with a smile.

  “No?”

  He shakes his head and passes me a clean fork, then loads his own fork with the fluffy dessert and offers me the bite.

  Of course I take it, and close my eyes in absolute happiness as the coffee flavor hits my tongue.

  “So damn good.”

  “Hannah,” he says, his voice gruff. I open my eyes and meet his gaze. “You’re so damn sexy.”

  “Enjoying dessert is sexy?”

  “When you make those noises and close your eyes? Hell yes. Because I want to make you do those things for purely other carnal reasons.”

  I swallow hard and set my fork down, licking my lips. “Not tonight.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m not a sex on the first date kind of girl.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting it,” he says and takes another bite of dessert. “Doesn’t make me want it any less.”

  We finish our meal, Brad pays the bill, and the next thing I know, we’re on our way back to my place. It’s after nine, but it’s still light outside.

  “I love summer,” I say and roll my window down. “I love that it gets dark so late, and the warm weather. I always have the best of intentions to take a week off of work in the summer, just to enjoy it. But it never happens.”

  “I love it too. Do you ski?”

  I laugh and shake my head. “No, I never have. We don’t have mountains in Kansas, and since I’ve moved here, I’ve been too busy to ski. Also, I don’t love to be cold.”

  “You live in Montana, sweetheart.”

  “Hey, I can stay inside where it’s warm. I do, however, love to hike. I plan to go this weekend, in fact, barring any babies making their debut.”

  “I hike as well. I also love to boat, kayak, and ride my bike.”

  “You’re outdoorsy.” I turn in my seat so I can watch him as he drives. His jaw is square, his hands big and sure on the wheel. “Summers are so short here, I’d rather never go inside.”

  “Mind if I join you on your hike this weekend?”

  I grin, enjoying the thought of hiking up the mountain with Brad. “Of course. I was just going to walk to the top of the ski mountain.”

  “That’s a four mile hike,” he says with surprise.

  “Too far for you?”

  He glances at me, a small smile tugging his lips. “No, sweetheart, I was wondering if it’s too far for you.”

  “Psh, that’s nothing.”

  He pulls up in front of my house, and I’m suddenly sad. I don’t want to end the night yet.

  “Do you watch Stranger Things?” I ask him.

  “Yeah, I’m almost done with the first season.”

  “I’m halfway into the first season. If you don’t mind rewatching a few episodes, would you like to come in and watch some of it with me?”

&n
bsp; He immediately climbs out of the truck and around to open my door. “I’m in.”

  “I’m not getting naked,” I remind him.

  “So noted.” He locks his truck and follows me to the door. “I also will not be getting naked.”

  Too bad.

  I nod. “So noted.”

  Chapter Three

  ~Brad~

  HER HOUSE SMELLS JUST like her, like cinnamon and vanilla. Her red hair falls in loose curls around her shoulders as she leads me into her living room and queues up the TV, getting the next episode of the show ready.

  “Do you want something to drink?” she asks. “I have Coke and bottled water. I might even have a Snapple if you want it.”

  “A water would be great.”

  She nods and hurries out of the room and back again, carrying two bottles of water. She’s so full of nervous energy I want to pin her to the wall and kiss the fuck out of her, just to smooth out the nerves.

  She passes me the water, and I set it on the coffee table, take hers from her and set it down as well, then take her hand in mine and pull her to me.

  “Hannah.”

  “Yeah?” She looks up at me now, her big blue eyes wide. She licks her lower lip, and it’s almost my undoing.

  “You’ve got that nervous thing happening again.”

  “Oh.” She clears her throat, and I draw her closer to me still. “I haven’t had a man here in a long time.” The words are a whisper and her eyes are pinned to my lips now.

  “Good,” I whisper in return and let my hands glide up her arms to her shoulders. “I’m going to kiss you.”

  “Okay.”

  I can’t help but smile at the absolute eagerness in her voice, and the way she boosts herself up on her toes, getting ready for me.

  God, she’d be so fucking responsive beneath me in bed.

  But that’s not for tonight. I push that thought from my brain and tilt my head down to hers, allowing my nose to brush back and forth against hers, enjoying the warmth of her skin close to mine and the way she takes a deep breath, making her chest rise.

  “You’re beautiful,” I murmur against her lips.

  “So are you,” she replies. Her hands are moving over my shoulders and up into my hair, and I can’t hold back any longer. I sink down into her, covering her mouth with mine, finally allowing myself to taste her, to soak her in. She’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, and her reaction to me is exactly what I imagined in my dreams.