Falling For You - Love in Autumn Book One

Chapter Three

**This has not been edited or proofread.**

We settled down in the coffee shop area at one of the small tables. "Nana said this was what you normally order unless you were feeling like something new, and she admitted that wasn't often." I couldn't help it – I laughed. I was a woman of routine. "I'm sorry our dinner got ruined. Emily is very enthusiastic, and she's a hugger."

"So, I gathered," I mused.

He flashed me a smile. "Excuse me for being blunt when I say this." I tensed, slowly raising my eyes from my food to look up at him. His expression was solemn, but there was understanding in his eyes. "Whatever has you so afraid, you don't have to be afraid of that here."

"And who's to say I'm afraid of something?" I asked, forking a piece of ravioli and sticking it in my mouth.

"Me," he said bluntly. I almost choked. I quickly swallowed some water. "I served overseas in Afghanistan for three years – got shipped over right after I finished basic training." I set my fork down, giving him my undivided attention. "I saw things I can't unsee that I wish I could." I swallowed thickly at the fear and horror that flashed in his eyes for a split second. "When I came home after my contract was up, I wasn't the same person. But my sister, Farrah, finally had enough and forced me to go see a therapist. And my sister forced me to find my purpose, much like you have."

He drummed his fingers on the table. "So, yes, whereas what I went through is probably much different than what you did, I do understand it, Meredith."

I sighed heavily, looking out the tall, floor-to-ceiling windows next to our table. Mr. Jenkins was out walking his poodle to get his evening exercise in, just as he always did.

Everyone here was on a routine, and I craved routine – needed it after that horrific day changed my life forever.

"Come on; let's eat," Chase coaxed. I turned my head to look back at him, coming out of my head. He flashed me a warm smile. "By the way, is there a chance I can get you to ring up that book I saw earlier?" he asked. "I told my sister about it. She wanted to get over here to come purchase it and meet you, but she's been busy with cows all day."

"Cows?" I asked him, a bit confused.

He laughed. "She's a veterinarian. Went to school and came back home to work with farm animals. Some people here swear she's more trustworthy than a regular doc."

I laughed. "That sounds like something Mrs. Crawford would say."

Chase grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You're learning," he praised. My cheeks warmed. "Mrs. Crawford doesn't trust a doctor as far as she can throw one, and at her age, that's not at all."

"She swears by her herbs," I told him. "In fact, I came down with a cold a couple of days after moving here, and she heard me sniffling in the grocery store when I was trying to buy medication – gave me some herbs and a couple of teas to drink, and the next day, I was good as new."

"She and my mom got into it when I was a little boy," he said, pausing to take a bite of food. "I'd fallen off my bike – broke my arm. Mr. Crawford found me crying on the side of the road, and Mrs. Crawford was with him. They took me home to my mom, and she and Mrs. Crawford had to have argued for a good fifteen minutes about taking me to the hospital because Mrs. Crawford swore the hospital was going to give me diseases."

I laughed. "She's a lively character."

He grinned. "That she is, but everyone here respects her, even Mom. The entire town was extremely saddened when Mr. Crawford passed, but Mrs. Crawford just lit her sage and her herbs, and she said she would continue living for him."

I had to blink back tears. "That's incredibly sweet," I murmured. "Love like that hardly exists anymore."

Chase shook his head, his eyes burning as they met mine. I shifted in my seat. "I believe it exists everywhere – just most people are too afraid to wait to find it and instead settle." He shook his head. "I've always believed that as long as I remained patient, that burning, passionate love would fall right into my arms."

I quickly darted my gaze away from him, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. But it wasn't from anxiety this time.

No, it was because the man sitting across from me kept saying one thing, and I felt like he was insinuating something completely different.

"Coffee?" I suddenly asked him, needing to get up and do something.

He smirked, his eyes lighting up with laughter. I huffed, unable to help myself. He barked out a laugh and leaned back in my seat. "Coffee sounds great, sweetheart."

That name again.

I quickly stood up and moved behind my coffee counter, making the same order from this morning. "By the way, sweetheart, if you're looking for the way into my heart, you're on the right road." I splashed milk on the counter as my cheeks flamed. "Coffee will send you right through my heart and into my soul."

This man.