I was interrupted by my nephew, whose head was tipped back, gaze full of pure awe as he stared up at Austin Lyons. “Bulldog…” he whispered reverently.
Austin grinned down at Noah, and I breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey there, little man. What’s your name?”
“Noah,” my nephew breathed, the word barely audible.
“Hi, Noah. Is this your dad here?”
Noah glanced over his shoulder. “Nope, that’s my Uncle Walker. I don’t got a dad.”
The redheaded woman standing next to Austin paled, and I stepped in before the awkwardness could get worse. “Hi. Sorry about that. I’m Walker Cole, and this troublemaker is my nephew, Noah.” Noah sent a toothy grin up at me in response to my description of him. “My mom sent me over with a few things for Taylor?” It came out as a question as my gaze searched out the elfin beauty who’d stolen all my brain cells a moment ago.
The blonde stepped forward. “That’s me.” She extended a delicate hand, her guarded eyes studying me. “Taylor Lawson.”
I took her hand in mine, immediately feeling a zap of electricity. “Walker Cole. It’s nice to meet you.”
Taylor quickly pulled her hand from mine. “You, too.”
Another familiar face stepped forward then. Liam Fairchild, the rock-country crooner who’d been all over the radio and TV lately. “Hey, man,” he said. “Liam.”
I briefly wondered if Liam was Taylor’s boyfriend as I took his hand in a manly shake. “Hey.”
Introductions continued. Austin motioned to his wife, Carter, who had a kind smile for Noah and a warm one for me. Then, Austin officially introduced himself to a still wide-eyed Noah. “It’s nice to meet you, Noah. I’m Austin.”
“I know,” Noah breathed. “You’re my very favorite fighter. My Uncle Walker and Tuck let me watch the fights when we haveguy time, even though my mom says I’m too young.”
I pulled Noah back against my legs, quelling his runaway speech. “We’re big UFL fans, and when Noah learned that Bulldog was staying here, he just had to come along.”
Austin sent a genuine smile Noah’s way. “Well, I’m so glad you did. Why don’t you guys come inside. I think I might have a UFL hat with your name on it, Noah.”
“Really? That is freaking awesome!”
I chuckled. “Let me just grab a few things from the truck.”
I jogged over, snagging the basket of muffins and the lease. Heading back to the porch and up the steps, I could hear Noah yammering away to Austin from inside. I grinned. As I stepped inside the rental, my eyes traveled over to Taylor, who was set just apart from the group, arms wrapped around herself protectively.
Moving forward, I offered the basket to her. “These are muffins, fresh out of the oven, along with a copy of the lease for you to sign.”
Taylor straightened, extending her arms to take the basket and lifting it to her nose to get a sniff. A genuine smile tipped her lips as her gaze met mine. “Thank you. These smell amazing. Are they Marionberry?”
A grin tugged at my mouth. “They are. You’re not from here, so how’d you know?”
Her light laugh tinkled the air. “The bakery was one of our first stops in town, and I’ve found I have a weakness for pretty much anything Marionberry.”
“You’ll love these, then. My mom is an amazing cook. In fact, she wanted me to invite you over for dinner next weekend so you can have an official Sutter Lake welcome.”
A shadow passed over Taylor’s eyes, and her expression became shuttered. It was a look that reminded me a lot of grief, something I recognized all too well. “That’s very kind of you, but I think I’ll be too busy getting settled. My stuff should arrive from Texas by then, and I’ll need to unpack.”
I moved us away from the topic that clearly caused her pain, even though I had the urge to dig deeper to find out why dinner was such a touchy subject for her. “Texas? I thought you guys were from LA.”
Liam appeared at Taylor’s side. “We are, but Taylor moved back to Texas a couple years ago to—”
“To be with my family,” Taylor interrupted, clearly not wanting Liam to finish whatever he’d been about to say.
Interesting. “So, you’re exploring your options for where you want to go next?”
Taylor’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Something like that.” The girl did not like questions about herself.
I raised my hands in a gesture of apology. “Sorry. Curious nature. I’m a town cop.”
