Crushing on Love (The Bradens of Peaceful Harbor, Book Four) Read Online Free PDF

she saw land ripe for development. “What do you see when you look out there?”
    She was quiet for a moment. “I see majestic mountains, pastures, trees.” She smiled and her gaze dropped to their joined hands.
    He hadn’t realized he was still holding her hand, and released it.
    She lifted her eyes to his and said, “And I see a guy who gets lost in those things.”
    The way she was looking at him made his thoughts stumble. “And that’s a bad thing?”
    “No. It’s a curious thing. Do you ever wonder if you’re missing out on things? Technological advances? Things like that?”
    He shrugged. “I read the news. It’s not like I don’t have the Internet. But I don’t live for the news, or for what anyone else is doing. I think you and I live in different worlds, Butterfly.”
    She stepped closer, bringing with her that scintillating scent he already knew by heart. “Do we? Or do we look at the same world differently?” Before he could come up with an answer, she asked, “Why do you call me ‘Butterfly’?”
    “Isn’t it obvious?” He held her gaze, taking pleasure in the way her cheeks pinked up.
    “Not to me,” she said sweetly.
    She went from mouthy to sweet, and that sweetness got to him every damn time. “Why do you call me Grizz?”
    She laughed and brushed her fingers through the ends of his hair. Her hand slid to his cheek, grazing his whiskers. “Isn’t it obvious?”
    Her hand was warm and soft against his cheek. Despite how nice it felt, despite his mounting desire to gather her in his arms and finally take his first taste of the woman who was slowly driving him out of his mind, he knew he had to find that elusive space he desperately needed. He placed his hand over hers, enjoying the smooth, delicate feel of it before reluctantly drawing it away.
    “We should go get this over with.” He nodded toward the house.
    “Right.” She blinked several times, as if he’d confused her as badly as his actions confused him.
    He forced himself to break the spell and headed for the cedar-sided home where he’d spent many nights of his youth.
    Mack came around the side of the house and waved them over. “Hey, buddy! Come on back.”
    Steve tried not to dissect the fact that his hand immediately took up residence on Shannon’s lower back as they approached his friend.
    Mack pulled him into a manly embrace. “I missed you, man.” At six two, Mack stood nearly eye to eye with Steve.
    “Me too, bro,” Steve said. “How are you guys? How’s Casey?” Casey was Mack and Will’s younger brother. A late-in-life baby for their parents, at twenty-two Casey was thirteen years younger than Mack. He’d been just a boy when Mack and Steve had gone off to college.
    “Casey’s good. He’s living with me, finding his way. You know. We’re all back to the bump and grind of the business world. Trying to wrap up Dad’s estate.” Mack had moved away from Weston after college to work for a computer software development company and had settled in Allure, a neighboring town. He glanced curiously at Shannon.
    “This is Shannon Braden.” Without any cognitive thought, Steve placed a possessive hand on her back again. “She’s doing research up on the mountain.”
    “Related to Hal?” Mack asked, flashing the killer smile. He and Will were a year apart, and they looked like twins, with deep-set pale blue eyes, olive skin, and jet-black hair, all of which made them chick magnets. Their outgoing personalities helped with the ladies, too.
    “He’s my uncle,” Shannon said, flashing her own pearly whites.
    “He’s a good man,” Mack said, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Let me get Will up here. He’s down at the barn.” He thumbed a text and shoved the phone in his pocket, then winked at Steve and said, “He’s probably up in that loft.”
    Steve laughed. “Good times, Mack. Good times.”
    “Come on. Let’s sit down and talk. Can I get y’all a drink?” Mack led them to the slate