Small Town Girl Read Free

said.
    “Is that guy your boyfriend?” he asked,
drawing out his words. “How long have you been with him? Wait, let me guess,
you’re high school sweethearts.”
    “Nope,” I said. “Just a friend.”
    He smiled a Cheshire grin and tossed back
the rest of his drink. “I see.”
    “I’m sorry,” I said. “I know they’ve been
staring the whole time. They didn’t think I’d come and talk to you.”
    “If I buy you another drink, will you
talk to me a bit longer?” he asked. “I don’t know if I want to send you back
there quite yet.”
    It took everything I had not to let my
jaw drop to the floor.
    “Um, sure,” I said as I tried my hardest
to play it cool.
    “Another Jack and Coke?” he asked.
    I nodded as I bit my lip.
    “Hank, move your ass,” he said as he
nudged the big guy next to him. “Let the lady have a
seat.”
    “Oh, yeah, yeah, here you go,” Hank said as he stood up and offered his bar stool.
    “Thank you, Hank,” I said with my sweet
little Iowan smile.
    While Hudson turned away to order my
drink, I flipped back quickly to look at Luke and Piper. Piper’s eyes were as
round as saucers and Luke’s flippant, overly ambivalent attitude was clearly
beginning to fade. He turned his back towards me, and I would’ve killed to see
his face in that moment. Was he jealous?
    “So,” Hudson said as he reached over and
placed his hand on my knee and leaned in towards me. “What do you do for fun
around here?”
    I laughed. “It depends on your definition
of fun.”
    “Try me,” he said. “I like to think I
have an open mind.”
    The music pumped loudly in our ears, and
I was beginning to grow annoyed by it. I wanted to have a real conversation
with him. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was being destroyed
by some bad eighties hairband music, the clinking of beer mugs and the
obnoxious laughter of drunks.
    “It’s really loud in here,” he said as if
he had just read my mind. “Do you want to go somewhere and talk?”
    “Um, sure,” I said with a nervous grin.
    “I’m staying at the Wild River Lodge up
the street,” he said.
    “Yep, I know exactly where that is.” I
stood up and grabbed my purse, clutching it under my arm. He downed the rest of
his drink and sat the glass down gently on the bar. He raised his hand in the
air as if to thank the bartender for his good service and then headed towards
the door.
    I spun around, waved at Luke and Piper,
and walked out behind him. I couldn’t believe that was actually happening. It
was all so surreal.
    “I hope you don’t mind if we walk,” he
said.
    “Not at all. It’s just a couple of
blocks.” I trailed behind him for several steps before he abruptly stopped and
waited for me to catch up with him. Part of the walk was alongside a
seldom-busy highway, but tonight there happened to be more traffic than usual.
    “Walk on this side of me.” He grabbed the
crook of my elbow and pulled me to his opposite side, away from oncoming
traffic.
    We walked mostly in silence, the gravel
kicking beneath our every step, and within a few short minutes we’d arrived at
the lobby of the Wild River Lodge. The look on the night clerk’s face when he
saw me walk in with Hudson Smith was completely priceless. I expected rumors to
be swirling around Rock River by noon the next day.
    I followed him to the elevator where we
kept a safe distance between us, and I couldn’t help but notice the height he
had on me. In person, he looked much taller than he did in the movies. He
wasn’t nearly as tall as Luke, but he was still a good six feet tall. Then
again, everyone was tall compared to my 5’4’’ stature.
    “Just to your right,” he said as the
elevator dinged and the doors parted. “Room 478.”
    I headed towards his room, my heart
thumping hard in my ears.
    Hudson swiped his card and held the heavy
door open for me. The smell of a freshly cleaned and sanitized hotel room
filled my lungs. The chilled air sent a shiver