Obsession Falls (The Haven Brothers #1)

“Does Max know how to swim?”

“Yes, but—”

Whatever she was about to say, it was too late. Her dog dashed into the water and started paddling around.

“Oh, no. He’s going to make your truck smell like wet dog.”

I chuckled. He looked so pleased with himself, I couldn’t even be mad. “That’s okay. Are you hungry?”

“I’m starving, actually. Did you pack dinner?”

“Of course.” I took off the backpack and set it down. “What did you think we were doing out here?”

“Just a hike, I guess. A picnic by a waterfall is so –”

“What?”

“Romantic.”

“Should I be insulted that you didn’t think I could be romantic?”

She laughed. “No. I just wasn’t sure what to expect on a first date with Josiah Haven. You keep surprising me.”

Surprising her felt good, just like making her smile.

I found a flat spot and unpacked the picnic I’d brought. In hindsight, I should have brought a blanket, but I hadn’t thought of that. Still, I had sandwiches from the Copper Kettle, raspberries I’d bought at the festival market, and a bottle of wine that I’d wrapped in a towel to keep it secure. I didn’t have wine glasses, but Audrey didn’t seem to mind drinking wine out of plastic cups, so I didn’t worry about it.

She called Max out of the water before we sat down to eat. Fortunately for us, he did most of his shaking by the edge of the lake and we only got hit by a bit of the spray. He did smell like wet dog, though. I’d brought a bully stick for him and he settled down to gnaw on it while we sat to eat our dinner.

I had a thing for the sound of water. It tended to undo the knots in my back and make me feel peaceful. I’d never brought a date out there before and I was glad it was Audrey. The dull roar of the waterfall as a backdrop to our first date felt prophetic, somehow. Like it meant something.

That made me nervous, but I pushed it aside. It was just a date. I didn’t need to worry about where this was going or how long she was really going to stay.

Easier said than done, but the food was good, the company was better, and the setting was serene.

We talked as we ate, about her job and mine. About the house I was remodeling and my plans for it. About my nieces and nephews and the old Haven-Bailey feud. About pranks and squirrels and the weirdness of Tilikum life.

I kept gazing at her while she talked. She had ideas to help resurrect the newspaper, but she could have been talking about anything and I would have been mesmerized. I liked hearing her voice, watching her mouth move, seeing her smile.

Eventually, cool air started to nip at us as the sun went down behind the mountain peaks. I packed up the remains of our meal and we started back down the trail, leaving the roar of the waterfall behind.

I held her hand. It felt good.

Max trotted happily around us, zig zagging back and forth across the trail. The sun was still up when we reached my truck, but only just. Audrey got in with a contented smile and I preened a bit. I’d pulled off a damn good date, if I said so myself.

Hell, even I’d enjoyed it.

I wasn’t thinking too much about where tonight was going as I drove back to Audrey’s place. A little—I’m a guy, after all. But if we said goodnight outside and that was it, I was okay with it. As much as I would have loved to get her naked, I was also hesitant to jump into something too soon.

Although when I pulled into her driveway, that buzz came back—the sense of anticipation hit me like the blast of heat from a bonfire.

Until I saw her door.

“Oh my god,” she said. “What is that?”

Even in the waning light, it was clear. Someone had scrawled the wordbitchin big letters across her front door.

And based on the rust color, I had a feeling they hadn’t used paint.