Love at First Scent
Chapter 1

Caro was relieved as she passed the large sign on the side of the road that read, Welcome To Hillard. It had been dark for a couple of hours now, and she’d started to think she’d never stumble upon the small town nestled deep in the mountains.

Throughout the afternoon, she’d certainly noticed more than once how pretty the scenery was, and how clean and crisp the air felt with her window rolled down—especially compared to the city life she’d grown accustomed to. But why her sister had up and decided to move more than eight hours out from the nearest airport was baffling to her.

The last text she’d gotten from Ellie when she stopped at a gas station to fill up a few hours ago had said to meet her at the pub right on the edge of town, as that would be the only place still open to get some dinner. The sign was large, and the parking lot was fairly busy considering it was nine o’clock on a Wednesday night, but Hillard was a small town, and according to Ellie, aside from a fantastic diner, there weren’t a ton of eating-out options. Once she parked, she quickly texted her sister to let her know she’d arrived and got out to stretch her cramping legs.

Caro was not a fan of long drives, and this one had been tedious once the sun went down. But now that she was here, she could almost understand what Ellie had said about Hillard just feeling right. There was something about this place that calmed her as she took in a deep breath of mountain air. The scent of the woods at night brought back memories of camping in the backyard with her sister when they were little, and it made her smile.

“Caro!” Ellie squealed as she tackled her from behind, “I can’t believe you’re finally here!”

She laughed and turned to hug her sister back. “We just saw each other a few months ago, you weirdo. You’re the one who moved to the middle of nowhere. Do you know how many hours it’s been since I saw a Starbucks?”

“I promise,” Ellie said, laughing, “once you taste the espresso Ms. Olive makes at the café, you’ll never want to leave.”

“Truer words were never spoken.”

Caro jumped a little as the deep voice came from the other side of her car, and a tall man stepped closer to them with a friendly smile on his face.

“This is Bennett.” Ellie pulled Caro closer to introduce her. “Bennett, this is my big sister, Caro.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Caro.” He offered his hand, “Elles has told me so much about you, she’s been bursting with excitement all day waiting for your arrival.”

When he moved back and put an arm around her sister’s waist, Caro took a closer look at him. He was certainly a handsome man, probably in his mid-twenties, like her sister. She had to admit that he had a mature way about him for someone so young. His dark-blonde hair was cut short with just a hint of curl happening at the top, and his eyes appeared blue or green in the dim light of the parking lot lights.

“Nice to meet you too, Bennett,” she answered, raising one brow in her sister’s direction, “I’m certain I’ll be hearing all about you too, very soon.”

His laugh was deep and loud, and when her sister smiled as well, Caro was genuinely happy to see Ellie so relaxed. Perhaps life in the mountains had been a good idea for her little sis.

“Come on, Caro.” Ellie grabbed her hand to haul her toward the door. “Let’s get you some grub. You must be starved.”

And she was. The thought of a giant plate of chicken wings and a very cold beer had her salivating. The pub was rather charming when they walked inside. It looked like it could have been hand-built a hundred years ago, with natural wood everywhere, but it had been well taken care of. Bennett led them to a booth at the back, and the waitress must have known she was coming because as soon as she sat down, the woman popped over with a smile to take their order, promising it wouldn’t take long.

“I’m going to go splash some water on my face. Bathroom?”

When Ellie pointed to a hallway on her left, she got up and made her way through the tables. The place was much larger than it looked from the outside, and the vibe was pleasant. Country music played in the background, but not loud enough that it was intrusive. A few faces smiled as she passed them, and she smiled back. Caro had to admit, the folks in Hillard sure did know how to make a person feel welcome.

She dried her face with paper towels and threw her hair up into a loose ponytail. The riot of curls had been driving her crazy for hours now. As she made her way down the hallway and back out into the pub, she got distracted by all the pictures hanging on the walls. They were spectacular wildlife shots, and she could imagine they were taken locally. Suddenly, she came to an abrupt stop as she walked into the chest of a very large man.

“Oh!” She blushed as she looked up into the most stunning hazel eyes she’d ever seen. “I’m so sorry. I was distracted and not watching where I was walking.”

His hands had grabbed her arms to steady her, and they didn’t immediately release her as she took in the rest of him. Dark hair fell just to his shoulders in loose waves, and the hint of a shadow along his jaw only accentuated his masculine features. Under the soft flannel of his button-up shirt, Caro could feel the hard muscle tense under her touch. That was when she realized her hands were still flat on his chest, and she pulled them back as if burned.

“No problem.” His voice was low and smooth as could be. “I was distracted as well, or I would have scented you coming.”

Say what now? Did he just say he should have smelled me coming? Is that an insult, or a pickup line? Or did I hear him correctly at all?

There was no indication on his expression that he was being rude or flirty, and when she took a step back, he released her. Then his chin raised just the slightest bit, and she could see his nostrils flare. Before she knew what was happening, his nose was buried along the side of her neck.