Chapter Eight
~Willa~
Lottie was giving Willa some major side-eye as she poured two cups of coffee before placing one on the gray quartz countertop in front of her. Her friend had been staring at her that way all morning, and Willa couldn’t blame her. She had been tight-lipped and evasive about her getting lost on the hike with Dan and Beckett’s subsequent rescue, and Willa could tell that the curiosity of what really went down was eating her friend alive.
Last night when she arrived home from work, Lottie found Willa lying in her room with her foot elevated on a pile of her own cherished patchwork throw pillows. She was fresh from the shower, having hobbled her way there after saying goodnight to Beckett. The water was definitely needed to wash away the filth from the hike, but after all the time she’d spent in her hero’s arms, she hadn’t needed its warmth. Even just thinking Beckett’s name had her heartbeat ticking upward and her palms sweating slightly, her skin flushing hot as she tripped back into the memory of how hard, how right his body had felt against hers. It was a feeling Willa would have to get used to since it seemed to be the norm every time she was in his proximity.
Being carried down the mountain in his arms had been like something out of a fairy tale, though it would have been nicer without the injured ankle and copious amounts of mud. Willa’s unkempt appearance didn’t seem to bother Beckett, though. If anything, the interest she saw in his eyes at the grocery store had only deepened in the days since. The fact that he found her attractive, even when she resembled a wet rat, had been a nice boost to her healing ego as well.
“Okay, I can’t take this anymore,” Lottie whined. Brown liquid splashed over the edge of her coffee cup when she slammed her mug down. “A bad date and twisted ankle would not put that starry-eyed look on your face. What really happened last night?”
Lottie had gotten the bare-bones version of events, nothing more than that the date sucked big time and Willa had gotten a little hurt, but from the determined gleam in her caramel eyes, the woman who was always digging for a story wasn’t going to settle for the brush-off this morning. Willa hadn’t filled Lottie in on the details for two reasons, the first being that she had been dead tired after the whole ordeal and just wanted to do nothing but read and go to bed. The second was that the thing between her and Beckett, whatever it was, felt new and a little exciting. Willa hadn’t had anything close to that for quite a while. She wanted to keep the feeling for just a little while longer before having other people weigh in on what it could or couldn’t be.
Still, Lottie was Willa’s best friend. It was wrong to keep her in the dark. “Fine, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to put any of it in your newsletter.”
After Lottie rolled her eyes, she offered Willa a pinky to swear with. When the sworn oath was out of the way, Willa filled her friend in on all the details, watching the wheels turn in Lottie’s head as she did. From her expression, Lottie was forming an opinion, and Willa was a little wary of what it might be. She didn’t want the good feelings she was starting to have toward Beckett to get tainted, not yet anyway. That was the whole reason she had chosen Dan for the date.
When things eventually went south, something she was certain was destined to happen with anyone, it would be no big deal. Willa could already tell that if Lottie told her some town gossip about Beckett that changed her good opinion of him, she would be a lot more than just put out. That in and of itself should scare her, and it did, but not as much as it would have even a month ago. Maybe she was making progress or maybe Beckett was just that charming. Either way, the knot of worry in her chest in regards to relationships unwound just a little.
Finally, when Willa finished regaling Lottie with the tale of her date gone sideways, a wide grin came over her friend’s face. “That’s fantastic, Will. Beckett is a really great guy and the fact that he rescued you on top of everything else, I mean, talk about swoonworthy.” Willa giggled as she watched Lottie pretend to fall back on an imaginary fainting couch.
Resting her head in her hand, Willa replayed the memory for herself for the hundredth time since it happened. “It was pretty great,” she admitted. Feeling his strong arms wrapped around her body, knowing that no matter what happened he wouldn’t let any harm come to her and that she was safe and secure had been amazing. Trusting a man so implicitly wasn’t something that Willa did, at least not anymore. It was a bit strange that she already felt she could trust him.
Lottie shot her a knowing stare. “It’s more than ‘pretty great.’ It’s amazing.” She picked at the blueberry muffin on her plate before popping a bite into her mouth. “After the last couple of years, I would think that being rescued by a hot firefighter would have you jumping for joy, injury notwithstanding.”
Nabbing a bite off her plate, Willa stuffed it into her mouth to stall for time. Maybe she should be jumping for joy, and in a lot of ways, she was. It felt good to feel wanted, to see interest spark in someone’s eyes as they gazed upon her, and to feel comfortable with a man she barely knew. But there was still that small voice in the back of her mind, telling her to slow down, to not leap before she looked.
“I don’t know, Lottie.” Willa tried to push back the lump of worry that had suddenly bubbled up in her chest. “What if the things I’m feeling were nothing more than physical attraction? That drew me in once before, and look where I ended up.”
Lottie’s sympathetic expression had tears threatening to fall from her eyes. When she came over and slung her arm around Willa, one finally spilled over. “Not every guy is Jeff. And I’ve known Beckett or at least known enough about him for pretty much my whole life that I can confidently tell you that he’s not that type of guy.”
“You can’t be sure of that,” Willa admitted sadly. No one could ever know everything about someone. Did that mean she was destined to be alone forever?
Lottie scoffed as she held Willa tighter. “I can’t be sure of anything, but one thing I can tell you with as much certainty as possible is that every single Kemp man is a good one. Bonafide marriage material if I ever saw it.”
Willa glanced at her friend, wondering about her inclusion of every one of Beckett’s brothers. “Even Nate?” Willa sniffed. Knowing how Lottie felt about the mayor, Willa was surprised to actually hear her friend sing his praises.
Lottie didn’t even take a second to think about it. “Especially him,” she whispered before clearing her throat. “But stop trying to change the subject. If you like Beckett and he likes you, you should just go out with him and see where things go. I know you’re worried about getting caught up in something toxic again, but you know what to look for now, you’re stronger and able to stand up for yourself more, and if you want to dip your toe into the dating pool, isn’t it better to go with a good man than someone you don’t see a future with?” When Willa finally acquiesced, Lottie smiled and gave her shoulder one last squeeze. “Good. Let me grab my purse. I’ll drive you to work.”
As Willa watched Lottie retreat back into her bedroom, she pondered the woman’s advice. It would be better to date a good man, but what she hadn’t told Lottie was that falling into something she had before wasn’t her only worry. Beckett was attractive, caring, and selfless, as far as she could tell. Like Lottie said, he seemed like bonafide marriage material. That was the real danger of dating a man like him. Willa could easily see herself falling in love with him, hard and fast, only to get crushed if he didn’t do the same.
****
Town Hall was abuzz with activity, which in Applewood meant that there was at least one person on the phone and more than three working at their desk instead of milling around the kitchen downstairs, gossiping as they drank their second cup of coffee. The faster pace didn’t bother Willa, but it would have been better suited for a day when her injured ankle wasn’t elevated on a footstool next to her.
After Lottie dropped her off at the office on Monday and helped her to her desk, she found one and placed it near Willa before disappearing for ten minutes and coming back with a cane for her to use. She still had no idea how Lottie managed to find one in the old building, but Willa was grateful she had as it had helped her get back and forth to the bathroom on more than one occasion. Luckily that had been just about the only walking she’d had to do, but the business of the day at hand might change that.
The other surprise Willa received on Monday morning was Nate telling her that she could take a few days off to recuperate. When she refused, he put her on desk duty, asking her to only get up if she absolutely had to. When Willa asked him if the orders were from him or his older brother, he mumbled something about needing to return a call and practically ran back to his office.
Normally someone telling her what to do or calling and checking up on her through a third party would have warning bells going off in Willa’s head big time, but she was injured and Beckett was technically medically trained, so she guessed she could let it slide this once, if only because it seemed to be in her best interest to do so. However, if she and Beckett were to date, something she was still not certain about, she would need to tell him about her past and ask him to reel in any controlling or monitoring tendencies he might have.
When lunchtime finally rolled around, Willa grabbed her cane and started to stand, pausing mid-motion when she heard someone call her name. “Willa,” Beckett spouted.
His good looks were on full display and his steps were confident as he rushed toward her. His light walnut hair was styled neatly away from his face, a face that boasted a strong jaw and Greek nose that could have been carved from marble. Beckett’s black t-shirt and dark jeans molded to every inch of his powerful body. Willa’s backside hit the chair with a soft thud as her legs turned to limp noodles and warmth pooled deep in her belly at the sight of him.
When Beckett was at her side, his brow knit with concern. “Are you okay? You shouldn’t be walking around.”
The word shouldn’t hit Willa’s ears all wrong. It sounded a little too familiar, a little too much like a certain someone she wished she could forget but likely never would, and she hated it instantly. “Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do!” she snapped, cringing at the obvious anger in her tone. Clearly, that bellow Willa had let loose on the side of the mountain didn’t release as much frustration as she had hoped. When her eyes moved up to Beckett’s, she fully expected to see annoyance or at least resentment at the way she spoke to him after everything he’d done to help her. What she didn’t expect to see was the look of apology that was plain as day on his face.
“I’m so sorry,” Beckett replied, staring straight into her eyes. “I guess I didn’t see it like that, but I get how it could have come across as a little high-handed.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking every bit the chastised child even though he was clearly all man. “I’ll try to be better.” The words she had never heard uttered from a man before put enough of a chink in her armor that she felt herself softening toward him.
“No, I’m sorry.” Willa offered an apologetic smile to him, pleased when she saw him reciprocate. “I, uh, don’t really like being told what to do.” It was a direct statement, but it nowhere near encapsulated just how much she couldn’t stand being controlled in any way shape or form now. Willa had gotten her power back and she would be damned if she let anyone take it away from her, even when it was in the form of something as well-meaning as it had been coming from Beckett.
Beckett’s smile widened as his head bobbed. “Understandable and something I will keep in mind in the future.” He reached down to the chair in front of her desk and pulled up a small bouquet of pink and red wildflowers before presenting them to her. In all of her ogling, Willa must have missed the small bundle wrapped in tissue paper. “I didn’t have time to go to the florist this morning, but I saw these growing near my parents’ place and they reminded me of you. Something beautiful and wild.”
Willa’s eyes darted from the flowers up to him, her chest squeezing when she spotted his nervous expression and the tips of his ears turning pink. This giant of a man was also the sweetest one she had ever met. His gesture chipped away at another piece of her armor. “Thank you,” she told him sincerely. The flowers were types Willa had never seen before, but they were gorgeous and smelled delightful. “That’s really sweet of you.”
The corner of Beckett’s mouth twitched. Willa hadn’t known she would find this smile so adorably sexy, but here she was practically melting into her chair as he flashed her a shy grin. “Well, I will admit to having a bit of an ulterior motive.” He rubbed the back of his neck again. Knowing that she made the smoking hot firefighter anxious gave her ego another boost. It also had the added bonus of helping ease any lingering tension she was feeling. “I was hoping that between the flowers and the whole carrying you down a mountain thing, you might have made up your mind about me taking you out to dinner.”
Narrowing her eyes at him, Willa placed the flowers on her desk before tapping her chin in thought. “The flowers were very nice, and the rescue thing was, what did Lottie call it? Oh yeah, swoonworthy ,” she told him. Beckett’s smile widened the longer she talked, and being able to make him so happy gave her a giddy little thrill. Maybe going out with him wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. “I think I could manage dinner.”
Beckett chuckled, his arms crossed over his chest causing his biceps to pop and the tattoos on his left arm to dance, the flowers she could just make out waving like a gentle breeze was passing through. She wanted to trace the ink with her fingers, then possibly her tongue, and lick her way up his neck until she made camp at his full lips. The thought and the heat that licked at her lower belly had Willa rearing back a moment, but his talking prevented her from spiraling at the reminder of her intense attraction to him.
“Well, I’m happy I could convince you.” His smile was wicked, the flame surrounding his irises glowing brighter as he licked his lower lip. Any hope of keeping her mind out of the gutter went right out the window. “Do you think you could also manage to slip me your phone number?”
Pushing her libido aside, Willa smiled, managing to pull her phone out and hand it over to him without drooling once as she watched his nimble fingers tapping against the screen. When it was back in her hands, still warm from his, she shot him a text. “So, you’ll message me? I don’t think I can handle getting lost in the hills again to try and reach you this time.”
Beckett’s eyes shot to hers, a seriousness there along with the mirth. “Please don’t. I’ll always come find you, but I don’t like the thought of you alone and hurting again.”
Touched by his concern, Willa nodded solemnly in agreement. The idea wasn’t very appealing to her either, but to hear it from Beckett drove home just how much he seemed to care for her already. Too much, too soon, her heart warned her, and before she could think better of it, she found herself blurting out, “I’m not searching for anything serious.” Beckett’s eyes widened slightly at the statement, and there was no missing the disappointment in his gaze. Willa hated seeing him look like that, and she reminded herself to be open to the possibility of more like Lottie had advised. “At least, not right away,” she tacked on.
Beckett’s expression was thoughtful as he nodded slowly. “You’re calling the shots,” he assured her, a slow smile spreading on his face once again. “And I will definitely text you. Talk to you later, Wild Woman.”
With a wink, he turned and sauntered out the door. Willa unashamedly stared at his pert behind as he walked away from her, not noticing that her boss was watching the whole thing until he cleared his throat. Blushing, Willa turned to find Nate regarding her with an amused expression. “Ready to go over the agenda for the city council meeting?”
“Sure,” she stammered, grateful he wasn’t calling attention to her ogling his brother. Though as she tried to concentrate on work, she found her mind drifting back to Beckett at least once every half hour. More than that, Willa discovered she was looking forward to a message from him more and more each time she did.