The moment Molly Cavanough stepped into the library Rowan knew she should have listened to herself and stayed in bed this morning. She just knew this was going to be one of those days.
And now there was no way out.
She had spent the morning planning her reorganizing of the history section of the local library. Starting with an inventory, which hadn’t been done in God knows how long. By now her head hurt and her eyes were teary from all the dust. Some of the books hadn’t been touched in years, which was a shame – she loved history.
And she was on the point of taking a break and rewarding herself with a cigarette when Molly Cavanaugh walked in.
Why didn’t she take that break 10 minutes ago like she intended?…
Molly Cavanaugh was a woman in her early 50’s, about 5,4 and a little on the heavy side, which suited her well. Her brown hair, usually a wild mop of curly hair, currently stuck to her head and forehead from sweat, as she stood at the librarians desk, chatting frantically about her daughter and birthdays. Something about water and dogs and ruined and the library…
“What?…
I’m sorry Mrs Cavanaugh, I’m a bit distracted. This inventory is going to take all day. And the heat and the dust are not making it any easier.”
“Oh thats no problem, no problem at all, Love. And call me Molly my dear.
Like I said, it’s our Tess’ birthday today. You know my Tess, she’s here nearly every day. Anyways Beep-Beep got out, our dog, you know, and I really have no idea how or why, but it seems he’s gotten into a little fight with the garden hose.”
Rowan couldn’t even imagine how that looked like.
“And now the garden is a mud bath,” Molly continued, “the decorations and the cake are ruined and the house looks like a herd of trolls came through. Mud everywhere.”
Rowan was desperately wondering where this explanation was going.
“And our Tess, well you know how much she likes to read, well first she cried understandably upset, but then she asked if she couldn’t have her party here. You wouldn’t mind, would you, love? Just a little gathering, we’ll be out before closing. You’d save her day, truly. We won’t make a mess—well, nothing worse than story time on Wednesdays.”
Rowan rubbed her temples, trying to stave off the headache that had been steadily building throughout the morning. She glanced at Molly, then back at the pile of dusty books, and felt her patience slip. She really didn’t want to deal with this today. And she desperately wanted a cigarette.
But Molly was one of those people that made it somehow next to impossible for you to say no to.
“Mrs. Cavanaugh…” Rowan began, trying to come up with a solid reason why this just…just no.
“Molly” Molly interupted.
“Yes, Molly… look I really don’t—“
“Oh it won’t be a hassle at all, I promise” Molly interrupted again, waving a hand as if to shoo away any argument Rowan might have. “We’ll keep it simple. You don’t have to do anything. Just let us use the space for a few hours—Tess will be over the moon! You know she comes in here like clockwork to pick out her books. Can you imagine how disappointed she’d be if we had to cancel her party completely?’
Rowan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There really was no way out of this now. She knew Tess, she saw her nearly daily. A sweet kid, who loved books nearly as much as she did. And she simply couldn’t live with herself if she would be the reason why Tess couldn’t have a birthday party.
“Alright then”, Rowan said, exhaling. ”You can use the story time corner, over in the children’s section. Do you need some help with the decorations?”
“Bless you,” Molly beamed, her face lighting up as if Rowan had just done something monumentally generous. “You’re a godsend, Rowan, you really are.” She clapped her hands together, clearly excited. “And don’t worry about decorations, we’ll just have to do without —Beep-Beep wrecked everything, and I just don’t have the time to get new ones. But Tess will be so focused on the books she won’t even notice. We’ll be in and out like a breeze.”
Rowan nodded, already calculating in her head how much this party would derail her afternoon. She could forget about the inventory for today. With a kids party only a few meters from her she wouldn’t be able to concentrate. At all.
“Okay, fine. And how late did you want to come over?” Rowan asked.
“I think we’ll pop by in a couple of hours. And don’t you worry, Love, you won’t even know we are here.”
Rowan gave a half-hearted nod, resigned to her fate as she watched Molly bustle out of the library to organize the chaotic mess at home.
Won’t even know they’re here, my ass, she thought, this was shaping up to become a hell of a day.
As she was turning back to her books and her inventory Rowan paused. No decorations. That’s what Molly said, no decorations because she didn’t have the time. What kind of birthday party would it be without any decorations? Ah, hell…
Rowan grabbed her keys and her purse, she could at least get some stuff to decorate the story time corner, it was a birthday party after all. And she had a couple of hours to make something happen, maybe even get somewhere some sort of cake, or maybe cupcakes…
Still going through all the options, and maybes and must have’s Rowan stepped out of the library. And digging for her cigarettes she walked to her car.
Kian had spent most of the day on the road, visiting a client with problems in his production line that somehow neither the client nor the service engineer they had sent earlier this week could solve. Yet it had taken him all of 20 minutes to locate the problem and fix it. He really wished people would actually use their brains for thinking, not just for sucking in oxygen.
And to top it off, there had been a massive pile-up on the interstate, which was why he was now at a fuel station in literally the middle of small-town USA.
Not that the small-town atmosphere didn’t have its own charm, but he preferred living in the city. He very much enjoyed the convenience city life brought with it—stores open 24/7, delivery of any food you could think of, and if he wanted to go out, there was always something, somewhere, going on.
In a town like this, they probably turned off the streetlights at night because nobody needed them.
With a deep sigh, Kian stepped out of his car, the heat slamming into him like a fist. He just hoped they had some sort of food in there that was actually edible. Maybe he should check online to see if they had a diner or something. He was pulling out his phone as he stepped through the door—just as someone slammed into him hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs.
Rowan had just spent ninety fun-filled minutes running around town in the heat, her head pounding like a drum. The fact that she’d smoked like a chimney the entire time probably didn’t help—but what the hell.
She had just bought a new pack and now only had to get back to the library, throw up the decorations, and wait for the baker to bring the cupcakes she’d ordered. Not as good as a cake, but all she could manage on short order. She was tired and annoyed that she had let herself get pulled into the whole thing, and of course went a bit overboard with the decorations and the cupcakes. But well, what’s done is done she thought, as she stepped through the door of the fuel station, already fishing in her bag for her pack. And ran smack into a solid wall of—well damn—man…
Kian looked down at the woman who had nearly knocked him on his ass. He had instinctively grabbed her, to steady her, and himself. She was maybe 5’2″, with long brownish-red hair tied into a messy knot. Lusciously built, and clearly in a hurry. He heard an annoyed “hmpf!” from somewhere in the vicinity of his chest—and then big, brown, very irritated eyes looked up at him.
“Well, hello there. You know, I never had problems with finding women, but this is the first time one actually threw herself at me. Not that I mind…”
Rowan looked at the man she’d just run into —who now had his hands firmly on her hips. A not altogether unpleasant feeling. Maybe 5’9, short dark brown hair, and eyes the color of molten chocolate. And he smelled very good. Not that that would matter, but she just had her nose buried in his chest, so she kinda had to notice.
His eyes met hers—warm, unreadable—and for a breath or two, neither of them moved. She didn’t like how it made her feel. Off-balance. A little too seen. He looked at her with amusement, self-confidence, and a cocky grin that did nothing to improve her mood.
“Somehow I don’t doubt that…You can let go of me now…” Rowan muttered, though her attempt to pull back was more hesitant than firm.
He didn’t let go. Not immediately.
Something about her had caught him off guard—not just the crash landing into his arms, but the look in her eyes. All fire and don’t-fuck-with-me energy, with something tightly coiled underneath. Like she didn’t let many people in. Like he wasn’t supposed to be touching her, and yet… here they were.
He tightened his grip slightly, just enough to feel the shape of her. Damn, if he didn’t enjoy the annoyed fire that sparked in her eyes.
Yeah. She definitely had fire.
“I said let go…” Rowan suddenly realized just how close they were standing. Both hands on his chest, she started to push him away.
“Listen there, I’m in a hurry. Just get out of my way, I need to get back work. At the library.” She hated how breathless she sounded, like she couldn’t quite pull herself together.
With a little sigh of regret, Kian dropped his hands and stepped out of her way.
“You know, you don’t look like a librarian. Aren’t they old with gray hair and old fashioned looking glasses?”
“And how would you know? Have you ever even read a book?” Without another word, Rowan brushed past him and headed for her car.
She didn’t look back.
Didn’t dare.
Once behind the wheel, she exhaled like she hadn’t been breathing properly since she hit him.
What the hell was that?
It wasn’t just that he was hot—though he definitely was—it was the way her body had reacted. Instant. Primal. As if something inside her had flared to life without her permission. She hated that. It made her feel unsteady. Vulnerable.
She had no time, absolutely none, for distractions. Especially not ones with cocky smiles and hands that felt… far too good.
She gripped the steering wheel tighter and pulled out, trying not to notice how her pulse still hadn’t calmed down.
Kian stood there a few seconds longer than he needed to. Watching the dust her car kicked up.
That woman had rattled him. And he didn’t rattle easy.
He was used to confident women. Used to snark and flirting and all the usual games. But this—this had felt like brushing up against a live wire. Something raw, unfiltered.
And it wasn’t just the curves or the spark in her eyes. There was something else. Something he couldn’t quite name. He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair.
Well, shit.
He could still feel her under his hands—soft, compact, and fiery. He stood there a moment longer, then decided that a drive into town suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad idea. A good solid lunch, and maybe a quick stop at the local library.
Two hours later, after a full meal and a few casual questions to the charming elderly waitress, he was on his way to the library. He wasn’t exactly sure what he’d do when he got there, but somehow just leaving town didn’t sit right.
On his way down Main he tried to come up with a clever line. Something that might make her eyes spark, but wouldn’t set him on fire. No luck.
In the distance, he spotted the library. And yep—there it was. The ugly Toyota.
As he pulled up behind her car, he noticed a group of girls spilling out of the library, giggly and excited. He watched as they had a quick discussion on the steps. Apparently, it was successful—because they all turned around and went right back in.
As the door shut behind them, he noticed a banner above it that said ‘Happy Birthday Tess’. So, there was a birthday party going on in there. No wonder she was in a hurry earlier. And she’d probably jump down his throat if he’d walk in right now.
Disappointed, but resigned that he missed his chance at the fuel station earlier, he decided to at least leave a note. Something that would make her want to set him on fire, just to be sure that she wouldn’t just ignore it of course. But he would be back in this area in a couple of weeks. So there was hoping that there wouldn’t be a birthday party next time he came through town.
The library door clicked shut behind her as Rowan stepped out into the fading sunlight. She exhaled slowly, what a day. What a hell of a day. For a moment she just stood there, leaning against the warm wood of the door, letting the heat soak through her shirt.
Her fingers found the familiar shape of her pack, and with a flick, she pulled a cigarette out and lit it. First drag in hours. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, smoke curling around her like a lazy ghost. Tess had been thrilled, the decorations hadn’t fallen down, and nobody had cried or thrown up. By small-town standards, that was basically a raging success.
But now she was done. Just done.
Now she just wanted to get home, maybe soak in the bathtub for a while. A bath always relaxed her, no matter how hot it was outside. She just liked floating there for a bit. Or maybe binging some series for a few hours.
She pushed off the door with a grunt and made her way toward the old Toyota. No, bath it is, she decided. After all the dust and sweat, she wanted to feel clean and weightless.
But as she reached the car, something caught her eye—a piece of paper, fluttering slightly under the windshield wiper.
What the hell…she muttered, unfolding the note.
“You might want to watch where you’re running next time—though I wouldn’t mind catching you again. – Chest Guy
555-435-2906”
She blinked at it, then let out a snort. Damn him. It was cocky. And funny. And he did smell good. With a little smile, she tucked the note into her pants and stepped into her car. Damn, if he hadn’t just made her evening a little better.
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