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KIM BALDWIN. The gnawing in her gut threatened to unleash the beer she’d consumed earlier onto the tidy hedges that surrounded her
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The gnawing in her gut threatened to unleash the beer she’d consumed earlier onto the tidy hedges that surrounded her. She was angry as well, and where had that come from? Not angry. I’m jealous,that’s what I am.
She hadn’t recognized what it was immediately because it had never really happened to her before. This wasn’t a crush at all. No sir, not by a long shot. She was jealous as hell. And that could only mean one thing. She was falling in love. At forty-six, she’d F nally found the real thing. Just with the wrong person. And as Erin’s conF dante and Tim’s good friend, she’d have a front-row seat for much of their courtship.
Her eyes grew moist at the thought of it. And she did lose her beer then—her stomach heaved and sent it f ying over the narrow railing and into the bushes below.
v
Her game went all to hell after that. She was determined to continue on as if nothing had happened, but it was impossible. Tim was grinning all to hell, and Erin looked so damn cute. Gable suffered in silence as her pile of chips began to shrink.
“Well, someone’s tide certainly has turned,” Jerry observed with commiseration from the sidelines. He had pulled out two hands earlier, leaving only Gable, Tim, and Erin playing. Oscar, Carl, and Don had gone home.
“Hey, Gable, I need to run to Home Depot in Cadillac and pick out a couple of ceiling fans for my place,” Erin said as Tim dealt the next hand. “Want to ride along? Maybe this weekend?”
Now’s your chance. You need some distance. This is the perfectsolution. She considered it and made her decision all in the space of a second or two. And when she answered, her voice betrayed none of her inner turmoil. “You know, you should get Tim to give you a hand. He’d know better than I what to look for, and I bet he’d even put ’em up for you. Didn’t you tell me you rewired your cabin yourself, Tim?”
“Yup, sure did. Pretty handy with plumbing too, if you have anything in that area you need help with, Erin. And I’ve got a f exible schedule. We can go tomorrow, if you like.”
• 78 •
FORCE OF NATURE
“Well, if you’re sure…” Erin glanced F rst at Tim and then at Gable, her eyebrows cocked in confusion.
Gable did her best blufF ng all night, making it look as though she was real happy about the whole proposition.
“Great,” Tim said. “What time shall I pick you up?”
“How’s nine?” Erin answered.
“Fine with me.”
“Well, since you’re assigned to my zone, I would bet you know where my house is, right?”
Good thing Gable had turned down that second beer. The buffalos in her stomach were back, and they’d brought their friends. If she was going to feel this awful seeing them together, how would she ever get through Erin’s training? And working at the F rehouse?
v
She was glad the pharmacy was busy the next day. It helped to keep the images of Tim and Erin together at bay, at least for a while.
After work, she drove home slowly with the radio playing, not anxious to be alone with her thoughts.
It was agony. But there was a spark of something wonderful there too. I’m falling in love. Words she’d never been able to say. Was beginning to doubt she’d ever say. Still may not ever say them aloud.
The thought of that made her even sadder.
She pulled into her driveway, and when the two-track crested a small rise she could see a f ash of red through the trees near the house.
Her heartbeat picked up. As she got nearer, she saw that it was… Yes!
Erin’s truck!
“Hey there,” Erin hailed her from the screened-in front porch, where she was sitting on an oversized wicker chair.
Gable mounted the steps and opened the door. “Hi. Didn’t expect to see you today.”
“Well, I got everything done that I needed to do. I knew you had to work, so I thought I’d bring you some dinner. They got a new Chinese place in Cadillac.” She held up a large plastic bag. “Needs to be reheated, though.”
Gable took the bag and unlocked the entry door. “Awful nice of you. Come on in.”
• 79 •
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