Her Small-Town Romance. Jill Kemerer

town busybodies talked about it for months.

      Jade was taking pictures of the carvings with her phone.

      She was all alone in town, afraid of the very things he considered amazing. This afternoon proved she couldn’t handle his class, but he couldn’t just leave her to wade through her problems alone.

      An idea formed. One that made him queasy.

      He wanted her to see Lake Endwell through his eyes.

      Lord, don’t ask me to do that. It’s too big a risk.

      “Bryan?” Jade asked, a gentle smile on her lips. “Thanks for taking me here.”

      Uh-oh.

      It might be okay. He was older, wiser, and hopefully, he’d be moving soon. He wouldn’t be around to see who snatched Jade up and carved her initials in this beech tree.

      “Sure.” He rubbed the back of his neck, uncertain how to broach the subject. “Um, I don’t think you’re ready for my class.”

      The light in her eyes snuffed out.

      “But,” he continued, “I want to help. Why don’t we keep meeting on Sunday afternoons? We can work through the rest of those therapy steps.”

      * * *

      “What?” Jade scrunched her nose. Seagulls noisily landed a few yards away.

      “Well, you’re new here, and I don’t want to worry about you passing out at a picnic.” His smile teased, but she couldn’t muster any enthusiasm. Why would he offer that? Either he felt sorry for her or it was his way of letting her know he was interested. She’d rather have him feel sorry for her. Less complicated that way.

      “What would you get out of it?” she asked. “I’m not your responsibility.”

      “I don’t need to get anything out of it.”

      “No.” She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I can work through those steps on my own. You’ve already done so much.”

      His frown and the way he crossed his arms over his chest assured her she’d offended him, although she wasn’t sure how.

      “I’ve barely done a thing.”

      “Yes, you have. I’ve been in Evergreen Park twice in two days, which is twice more than I expected in such a short amount of time. And you found this.” She flourished her hand to the tree.

      “Are you really going to work through the steps on your own?” He narrowed his eyes.

      “I can’t ask you to give up all your free time.”

      “A few hours a week?” He scoffed. “It wouldn’t be much. What’s the real issue?”

      She couldn’t take him up on the offer, although it appealed to her. Her own personal outdoor expert—and a gorgeous one at that—patiently helping her get used to the woods? Who wouldn’t want it? But she’d owe him, and owing meant strings, strings she was unwilling to tie if it meant he’d cut them later.

      “I don’t know. I have a lot on my plate with opening the store and everything.”

      Bryan seemed to see right through her. “If I told you something, would you keep it confidential?”

      She nodded, hoping it wasn’t going to make her life more difficult.

      “I applied for a position in Ontario. It’s a corporate retreat, and I’d be one of their outdoor instructors. But to get an interview, I need to prove I’m experienced. The human resources director wants to see logs of my classes. Hours taught, number of students. That sort of thing.”

      He was moving? Jade tried to pay attention as the information raced through her brain. She should be thrilled, but disappointment overrode her previous thoughts. His offer wasn’t out of pity or attraction. “So you basically need to write down our hours and what we do?”

      “Yeah. Their hiring process starts in June. It would give us five to seven weeks. I think we could make a lot of headway in getting over your fear.”

      All her reasons for declining fled. All but one. He might be moving, but the attraction she felt was very real. Could she keep it under control for a month or two?

      “I don’t know.” She shrugged, wanting to say yes, knowing she should say no.

      “It would help me out.”

      That sealed it. In twenty-four hours, Bryan had done nothing but help her and make her feel at home. The least she could do was return the favor. “I’ll pay you.”

      “You’re not paying me.”

      “Why not?” She could justify the whole thing more if she paid him.

      “That’s not why I asked, and frankly, I don’t need the money.”

      Of course he didn’t. She wanted to think about it, to talk herself out of it, but she took a deep breath. Bryan could help her with her phobia. He had an uncanny knack for distracting her when she felt overwhelmed. She’d just have to protect her heart.

      “I’ll find a way to pay you back.”

      “If something comes up, you’ll be the first to know.”