6 Mountain Brothers for Christmas

Reaching for my wallet, Bennett waved me off. “It's on the house. Consider it a welcome home gift. It's really good to see you again, Hailey.”

His eyes looked right through me, and I stared for a moment, speechless. His lips were full and thick, and when he smiled, there was a dimple in his left cheek. It was an infectious smile, one that made me grin like a fool right back at him – at least, until I realized how awkward and dopey I must have looked.

And then, over the buzz of conversations in the crowd, I heard someone call out, “BBQ chicken sandwich for Hailey? Order's up.”

“Uhh wow, you guys work quickly,” I said.

I turned toward and found myself face-to-face with Quinn McCormick. My breath caught in my throat as I stared into his soulful eyes, big and golden brown with specks of green mixed in. His face, like Bennett's, was chiseled to perfection with the classically high cheekbones and strong jaw that marked McCormick men. But his hair fell gently around his face, softening the look. And he too, smiled with a dimple in his cheek, as he handed me my plate.

“Well, look who it is,” he whistled. “Cason, you won't believe who's back in town. The prodigal daughter returns.”

My cheeks flushed with color. I never knew I was apparently that popular – that not only Bennett, but Quinn and Cason remembered me too. I never would have thought that possible back in the day.

“Hailey? Is that you?” Cason said, peering at me from ov

er the grill. “Wow, you've – you've grown up.”

“As have you,” I said. “Though honestly, you guys haven't changed much at all. You still look almost exactly the same as you did when I left. It's unreal.”

“You've certainly changed a bit,” Cason said.

His gaze never left mine, and like Quinn, his eyes were a soft, golden brown. He used to wear glasses back in high school, but now his eyes were completely unobstructed – and as beautiful to look at today as they had been back then.

“In a good way, of course,” he added quickly, as if just realizing how bad that could have sounded. “Not that you were ever –”

Quinn punched his brother in the arm and laughed. “It's nice seeing you around again, Hailey,” he said. “Don't be a stranger, you hear?”

“I'll try not to be,” I said, my heart fluttering in my chest as I turned away from them.

I was grinning like an idiot by the time I got back to Jenn's booth.

“Liked what you saw over there I take it, huh?” she teased me.

“Oh yeah,” I laughed, sitting down again. “And they even seemed to be flirting with me. Who'd have guessed that? I totally didn't see that coming.”

“Your fresh meat,” Jenn said with a knowing smile. “It's rare that someone new comes into town.”

“But I'm not new,” I said.

“You might as well be,” she laughed. “I mean, look at you. You're gorgeous.”

I felt my cheeks flush at Jenn's words. All this time, I wasn't sure I had changed enough from that gangly awkward girl I used to be. My transformation wasn't anywhere near as radical as Jenn's and I worried that I'd only thought I changed more than I actually had.

I was afraid that I'd still be that dorky girl everyone knew and picked on in high school. But hearing Jenn say that, and seeing the response from the brothers, made me think otherwise. My ego, which had been deflating since the moment I set foot in Black Oak again, suddenly found itself full and bursting at the seams again.

“Well, I'm not all that,” I said and laughed. “I just hoped I was a little better off than I was back in the day.”

“You are,” Jenn said. “All that and a cupcake, if I may say so myself.”

“You're just biased,” I said. “But, I appreciate the thought.”

“Nah, the McCormick boys obviously thought so too,” she teased. “In fact, don't look now, but –”

I, of course, didn't listen to her advice and looked.

Quinn was still near the grill, but was stealing glances in my direction. And when I caught him looking, he smiled over at me. He gave me a soft wave before turning and going back to work on the grill. Cason was talking to him and they were laughing together, but then, my old lab partner, shot me a look too.

Suddenly, I felt like a supermodel. Or at least, some kind of minor celebrity.