Free The Stolen Suitor by Eli Easton

eyebrows. “A true fisherman knows it’s not about getting the fish on the hook. It doesn’t count unless you can reel it in.”
    Chris’s throat got tight. He let his gaze drop to the moving river, where he saw a trout dart by. Was that what this was? Was Jeremy intent on reeling him in?
    No, that was stupid. Jeremy seemed… harmless. And innocent. And why did that idea turn Chris on even more?
    “Think you might wanna go sometime? Fly-fishing, I mean? With me?” Jeremy sounded throaty, like he was trying to be suave, but the nervous leaked through.
    Yes. No . God, what was he doing? He had to stop this train before it derailed. Or derail this train before it went too far. Something like that. He couldn’t mess around with Jeremy Crassen.
    “I dunno,” Chris said coolly. “I’m busy at the Big Basin when I’m not working. You know, helping out Trix and all.” It was definitely a shutdown. He tried not to feel bad about the way Jeremy’s face fell.
    “Oh. Sure.”
    “Listen up, y’all! Time to saddle up!” That was Charlie. “We’ll go around and take a few extra minutes to make sure everyone’s comfortable. So feel free to up ’n’ ask if ya have any questions.”
    “Have a nice ride back,” Chris said to Jeremy before he stood and headed for his horse.
    Why did it feel like something inside him just died? Maybe you can deny Jeremy Crassen. But can you deny any guy you’re ever attracted to ever, for your whole life? Really?
    He could if he had to. He could to be a father to Janie, and a friend and husband to Trix.
    He noticed Eric was the first one on his horse, and Ben was right there with him, telling him something about his knees and touching one, pressing it toward the horse, while he talked. Chris shook his head.
    Eric was working at Big Basin now? He had to talk to Trix about that. And soon.

Chapter Seven
     
     
    MABELINE Crassen was shopping at the Merc on Monday morning, picking up some cleaning supplies for her customers. Without warning, on a perfectly ordinary day, black lightning struck her in the heart.
    That is, Billy Stubben suddenly walked right toward her. He looked just like his father, dark hair gone gray and his handsome face lined by grief, sun, and time. He wore a little turned-down smile, the kind the minister wore when he approached the oldest lady in the congregation to say hello. Bless her heart .
    “Say, Mabe! Glad I ran into you. I’ve been wantin’ to ask you somethin’.” By his casual tone, you’d think they’d spoken just last week instead of over twenty-five years ago.
    Mabe raised her chin. “That so, Billy Stubben?”
    Seemed like Billy didn’t hear her sarcasm. He went right on ahead with that turned-down smile. “Well, you know my wife passed on, nearly three years ago now….”
    Mabe felt something spark inside her, something she hadn’t felt in years. Maybe Billy wasn’t being all minister-like. Maybe Billy was going to… ask her to dinner? She touched her hair nervously. Billy Stubben could still make her heart flutter. Those blue eyes of his hadn’t changed at all. She wished she’d taken the time this morning to do her hair nice and put on a little makeup. She wished she wasn’t wearing what was practically a housedress. She tried to bite her lips without being obvious, hoping to pinken them up some.
    Billy struggled a moment. He wasn’t looking so much at her eyes as her cheek. “And, well, I’m a stubborn old coot, I guess. I was doin’ pert well at first. Then….”
    Then John died , Mabe thought. She’d felt John’s death hard enough herself, and she’d barely talked to the boy. She’d imagined losing Eric like that, and it had filled her chest with the crush of sympathetic grief. She started to reach out to touch Billy’s arm and stopped herself. “I never got a chance to say how sorry I am for your loss, Billy.”
    His gaze flickered to her eyes. Pain shimmered on his face and he blinked. “I appreciate that, Mabe.” He