Micah jumped in. "Cady, this knucklehead is Gage Maddox, chief of police, and his older brother, Caine. He claims to be mayor around here, but I've yet to see him do any sort of real work."
Cady shook hands with his friends. "You're Mel's husband, aren't you?"
"Only when I acknowledge him," Mel said, coming in the front door, her medical bag slung over her shoulder. From the dark circles under her eyes, Micah guessed his sister caught the late shift at the ER. Without a word, he poured some coffee and brought it to her. It didn't hurt that the gesture also brought him closer to Cady.
"Thanks for the help with Jax the other day," he said, when Cady turned her attention to him. "It's a rush to bedtime every night so I can read him his 'adventure book'."
Excitement lit the pretty blue eyes. "That's great. I love when kids find books that just click with them. There's more in that series if he wants more adventure books."
"Micah, you should show this lovely young lady around town," Mel said. "Lord knows Finn hasn't point out anything to the poor girl. It takes a local's touch. Micah here can show you all the good places to eat and tell you about town events."
His sister and his mom were thicker than the cannoli cream he piped earlier this morning, so he knew they plotted something with just a few looks between them. Unrepentant matchmakers, every month or so Mel or Emma found a new woman to herd in his direction. He’d secretly hoped they’d focus on Gage, but they just kept sending women to him instead. Most he politely steered clear of, but maybe he would give this one a chance. He'd been alone for almost a year now, even before Jax showed up. It might be nice to have an adult to talk to in a casual, friendly sort of way.
"You could go Saturday after the baseball game," his mom chimed in. "It's an afternoon game, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." He studied Cady, trying to gage her reaction to this small town interfering. He hesitated. Opening this door could lead to something great. Or he could find himself in the middle of another disaster zone. "What do you say? I coach the game at five. You're welcome to come along or I can pick you up from Finn's place afterwards."
Uncertainty lingered on her face, but she nodded. "Yeah, that would be good. It'll be nice to have a friend show me around. Finn is a borderline hermit most of the time. With the shop so empty, I'm actually beginning to miss conversation."
Micah didn't miss the slight emphasis she put on the word "friend." He didn't blame her. Whatever her story was, he knew she ended a serious relationship little more than a week ago. It wasn't likely that she would want to jump straight into anything. She might be just the type of woman he needed right now. Sweet, funny, pretty and not looking to be tied down anymore than he was.
About the Author
Taylor is a hopeless romantic who spends her days working for a great company and her nights/weekends doing the job of her heart. A devout follower of the Jane Austen school of thought, she’ll put her characters through a little trouble, but they’ll eventually have their happily ever after. She’s still searching for her prince charming, but she knows he’s out there, so she’ll content herself with fictional ones for now.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
Free Preview of Ready to Love Again
About the Author
Need You Now (Love in Unknown) Page 26