Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 Karen Whiddon (best fiction books to read TXT) 📖

A little over two hours from when they’d left Chicago, she took the exit toward a town called Goshen, Indiana, simply because she liked the name. Cruising down Main Street, she eyed the refinished storefronts, enjoying the warm, welcoming feel of the small town. She pulled into the parking lot of a place called Hopper’s Pike Street Grill, and parked under the shade of a huge oak tree.

When she did, Micha blinked and sat up. “Where are we?” he rasped.

“Goshen, Indiana. This seemed like a good time to stop for lunch. A lot of the downtown places appear to only open for dinner, but this one looks like they have lunch.”

He nodded, covering a yawn with his hand. “I’ve been asleep the whole time, haven’t I?”

“You have. I’m thinking you must really need the rest.” Now? Should she ask him now? Her heart started to race and she took a deep breath to calm herself. Maybe after lunch.

“Do you mind getting something to go?” Micha asked. “I’m not sure I’m up for going in to eat right now.”

“I understand.” Reaching over, she squeezed his shoulder. “That was actually my plan. But I also need to stretch my legs and visit the ladies’ room, plus let Bridget out. Are you sure you don’t want to get out and walk around, too?”

Micha considered, finally giving a small nod. “That might not be a bad idea.”

After taking Bridget on a leash to relieve herself, Carly poured some bottled water into a plastic bowl she’d brought so her dog could get a drink. “Though it’s not really hot, I’m not comfortable leaving Bridget in the Jeep,” she said. “You go ahead in and when you come back out I’ll take a turn.”

Micha touched the bandage on his head. “Do you think they’d believe it if we said she was my service dog?”

Considering, Carly shrugged. “It’s worth a shot, even though we don’t have a vest on her or anything. Some restaurants let dogs eat out on the patio. Maybe they have one out back.”

With Bridget at her side, Carly and Micha walked into the restaurant together. Immediately, the delicious smell of fried chicken made Carly’s mouth water. “I’ll meet you back here at the entrance,” she told Micha. “Then I’ll see if I can place a to-go order.”

Turning, Micha frowned. “I’ve changed my mind. Let’s sit down and take a few minutes to eat. The break will be nice. That is, if they let my service dog stay.” He spoke loudly enough so that the hostess looked up, eyed him and Bridget, and gave a quick nod.

Since the lunch rush had clearly already happened and the restaurant seemed mostly empty, this no doubt influenced the hostess’s decision. Carly held the dog while Micha went to the men’s room and he did the same when her turn came.

When they were all together again, the hostess found them a booth in the back of the room near the window and brought them menus. Bridget settled quietly under the table. “She’s the perfect dog,” Carly told Micha.

The waitress came and took their drink orders, asking them if they knew what they wanted or if they needed time to look at the menu.

Checking out the lunch specials on the back page, Carly ordered the fried chicken. Micha did the same. To her relief, Micha’s gaze appeared to be a lot more focused than it had been earlier.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked, trying to push back her nervousness so she could put out there what needed to be asked. Was now the right time? Her stomach churned, making her realize she couldn’t do this and eat, so once again she decided to wait.

“I am.” He studied her intently. “But are you? You seem worried or upset.”

Though she knew he’d see through her fake smile, she smiled, anyway. “I’m fine. Maybe a bit nervous about meeting your mother.” Which was the truth, just not all of it.

Their food arrived, the golden chicken crispy. It tasted as wonderful as it smelled.

Once they’d finished up, when the waitress arrived with the check, Micha snatched it. “My treat,” he said, ignoring Carly’s protests.

Back in the Jeep, Micha fell asleep almost immediately. Carly watched him, slightly concerned, but also aware sleep helped the body heal.

This time, he only dozed for thirty minutes, waking and giving her the sexiest, sleepy smile she’d ever seen. “Sorry about that,” he rumbled, stretching. “I promise I’ll try to stay awake now. All that food...”

Stifling her own yawn, she nodded. “I know. It’s been a struggle.”

This made him sit up straighter. “Really? Do you want me to take over?”

She laughed at that. “Nope, I’m good. We only have a few more hours to go.”

Finally, a sign appeared announcing they had reached Rawson, Ohio. “Home sweet home,” Micha drawled. “Though the farm is really on the outskirts, kind of in between Rawson and Mount Cory.”

Shutting off the GPS, Micha gave directions, pointing out where he’d gone to school and some of the places where he and his brother, Brian, had hung out. Since he rarely ever even spoke his brother’s name out loud, she caught her breath and waited to see if he’d say more.

“There were city kids and country kids,” he mused. “Brian and I desperately wanted to be city, but of course we weren’t.”

Keeping silent, she nodded. She could hear him trying to rein in the raw emotion in his voice. She wondered if he’d ever properly grieved his brother, or if that, too, was catching up with him as he tried to come to terms with his father’s serious illness. In this, she knew she could only be there for him if he needed her. He had to face this on his own, though she planned to be standing by his side.

They left the small downtown and he directed her in what seemed like complicated turns out on a dirt road in the middle of rolling fields as far as the