Page 8
“You’re the woman from the turnout.”
His voice washed over me, warm and deep enough to make the back of my neck grow hot.
I stood a little too quickly and nearly knocked my knee against the table.
“Yes. Peyton Appleby.” I offered my hand. “And before we discuss anything else, I owe you an apology.”
He looked at my hand for a moment, then took it.
His palm was broad and warm, with calluses that scraped lightly against my skin.
“Hudson Hewitt,” he said. “Although I guess you know that now.”
I managed a small smile. “I do. And I’m sorry I recorded you without permission. I should’ve asked first. I was desperate to find someone for the audiobook, but that doesn’t excuse it.”
Hudson released my hand and studied me for a moment.
“I appreciate you saying that. Getting a call at work from a man who claimed somebody had recorded my voice and wanted to pay me to read a dragon book wasn’t exactly how I expected my Thursday to go.”
“I imagine not.”
“And then he told me the woman responsible was standing near our service road looking like she’d escaped from a library.”
I blinked.
“Escaped from a library?”
His mouth curved.
“Well, you didn’t look like you were out there shopping for logging equipment.”
I laughed before I could stop myself.
“That’s fair. Although for the record, librarians are perfectly capable of appreciating heavy machinery.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He slid into the seat opposite mine, and I sat down again, considerably more aware of how small the booth suddenly seemed.
Hudson glanced at the latte beside my tablet.
“Is that pumpkin spice?”
“Yes. Apparently, I become terribly predictable when confronted with an autumn beverage menu.”
“Nothing wrong with that. Half the town’s been living on pumpkin everything since September.”
I reached for my drink just as I pushed my glasses back into place. My sleeve caught the edge of the cup, tipping it toward my coat, which I’d folded beside me.
I caught the cup before it went over completely, but a splash of warm latte landed on the dark wool.
“Oh, wonderful.”
Hudson was already reaching for the napkin holder.
“Here. Looks like your coat took most of it.”
“Thank you. I promise I’m usually much better at coordinating my limbs.”
