Canyon Walls by Julie Jarnagin Page A

problems?”
    â€œI didn’t say there were problems, just that I wanted to get away.”
    She wiggled her finger toward his phone. “Your gizmo there is flashing.”
    He didn’t look down at it, but Cassie couldn’t help being distracted by it. “Aren’t you going to answer it or take it back to the dealership or something?”
    Will hit a button, turning off the device. “Truthfully, I can’t stand this thing, but my brother thought it would be a good idea if we all got one. Now they can reach me whenever they want, but I’m not sure it’s a good thing. Sometimes I just need to escape.”
    Cassie understood how he felt. Sometimes she needed an escape from her entire life. “You’re welcome to hide down here for a while,” Cassie said. “But what do you do for fun when you don’t have impaired women to keep you company? Do you have hobbies? Or is it all work, all the time? When you’re not stalking me, that is.”
    He picked up a bloom that had fallen on the desk and tossed it toward her. “I can’t tell you.”
    She picked up the flower and stuck it behind her ear. “Why not?”
    â€œBecause you would give me a worse time than my family already does.”
    â€œNow I’m intrigued. What if I guess it? You’ll tell me then, won’t you?”
    He let his shoulders slump. “I guess.”
    She tried to picture him playing golf but decided he would be too impatient for golfing, and he wouldn’t be embarrassed enough about it not to tell her. When she couldn’t think of a hobby that might be possible, she guessed taxidermy more to see a reaction out of him than anything else.
    â€œTaxidermy?” Will asked. “No, of course not. Why would you think that?”
    She pretended to consider it a moment longer. “No? Really? I thought I had it.”
    â€œWhat else do you see me doing in my free time?”
    â€œNoodling?” she asked.
    â€œI don’t even know what noodling is,” Will said.
    â€œNoodling involves trying to catch a catfish by sticking your arm into holes underwater and getting a fish to latch onto your bare hand,” she said, reaching her arm out to demonstrate. “And let me say, I meet some interesting people in my job.”
    He shook his head. “You’re a terrible guesser.”
    She stroked her chin. “Stamp collecting? Knitting? Espionage? Scrapbooking?” She named off everything that popped into her mind.
    He held his hands up in the air. “Okay. I give up. Come out to my truck, and I’ll show you.”
    Cassie stood, feeling satisfied she had won and he had given up. She limped from behind her desk.
    Will pointed at her foot. “Fine, huh? Looks like you’re still in some pain.”
    â€œIt’s not broken,” she said.
    A broad grin spread across his face. “Uh-huh.”
    When they walked outside together, she looked for the little silver car. “Where’s your car?” she asked when she didn’t see it.
    He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Oh. . .that wasn’t my car.”
    Cassie was confused. He had been driving it both times she had seen him in a vehicle. “It wasn’t?”
    â€œMy friend was moving. I loaned him my truck, and I drove his car last week.”
    â€œHuh.”
    He looked at her and spun his hand in a circle in front of her face. “What is this?” he asked.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œThis look you’re giving me.”
    She pretended to be insulted. “I’m not giving you a look.”
    He snapped his fingers. “You think of me differently depending on if I drive a little sports car or a pickup.”
    He looked entirely too amused by his new revelation. “I most certainly do not care what you or anyone drives. I’m not that shallow.”
    â€œOh I don’t think you’re shallow. I think you thought I was a pretty