Chapter Twenty-Five
T he puzzle piece was waiting for him in front of his door when he got home from work. It stood out against the dusty brown wood of his porch. “Thank you, Harper. But I hope you’re not stealing my puzzle pieces and bringing them outside,” he said, reaching to retrieve it.
The thought of finishing a whole puzzle and discovering pieces missing was some kind of crime against him personally. He didn’t need this kind of grief, especially right now.
In response to his thank you, Harper tippity-tapped across the railing, cawing twice, similar to her greeting when Selah would bring the bird a treat. Did the crow have her own signature greeting for people, like individualized handshakes? Usually, with him, she’d bob her head and flap her wings a few times. He didn’t think about it for long, as the bird returned to playing with some broken peanut shell she’d found.
He sighed as he entered his house. Dex hadn’t worked on the coffee table puzzle since the evening Selah had departed his home, and there’d been no word from her. He’d been hoping, after his Wake Up, USA interview, she’d reach out. But after several days of silence, hope had faded away.
Dex should have accepted the invitation to go out with some of his fellow rangers after work today, but he was worn out and depressed. Going home and being by himself was a more ideal plan.
He went to the coffee table, where his in-progress jigsaw puzzle was located, and started to toss the piece into the box to join the others, but stopped. The piece in his hand didn’t belong. It was larger. The colors didn’t match. It was the odd man out, the weird one, the one that didn’t fit in. He knew how it felt.
Although it was impressive Harper figured out he liked jigsaw puzzles and brought a piece she’d found. Except, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. He didn’t want to throw it away, so he tossed it, along with his keys, into the small bowl on the entryway table.
The next day, there was another puzzle piece waiting by his door. He became less amused and more annoyed. “Stop bringing me someone else’s puzzle,” he said to Harper, who cocked her head in different directions and wasn’t the least bit bothered by Dex’s irritation. If anything, the crow’s reaction made him think she found it hilarious. The second piece went into the key bowl, along with the first one.
The next day, there were more. A lot more.
“What the hell?” he said to a small pile of puzzle pieces placed at his door. He carefully gathered them while Harper landed on his shoulder and beaked through his hair. “Why are you doing this? Some other puzzler is going to be very unhappy.”
He let himself into his home and dumped the pieces on the entryway table. Fingering through them, the pieces were of similar size and coloring, all bright colors. There weren’t many of them, maybe fifty pieces.
A couple of pieces seemed to match, and he fit them together with a snap. Placing all the pieces right side up, Dex clicked them together, making more matches. The picture emerging motivated him to finish it until he got to the end of the small puzzle with two pieces missing. It was a natural landscape picture, with mountains and lush, green pine trees. The sky was the rose-gold hue of sunrise.
The two empty spots were in the middle of the puzzle, in the sky, one right beside the other. He fished the pieces from the key bowl, fitting them together.
A hot-air balloon.
They fit within the empty spot, and the puzzle was complete. Harper cawed and hop-flapped away, but he remained standing in front of the entryway table, his finger running over the smooth glossy image before him.
Was this some kind of message? It couldn’t be a coincidence... not with a hot-air balloon. Harper was an intelligent bird, but this had to be Selah and—
The hope that had previously faded reignited, growing brighter by the second. Did she change her mind? Was she finally reaching out? He was afraid of reading too much into it. It was a puzzle, that’s all, and Dex was done trying to read between the lines.
He couldn’t let it go, taking a picture of the puzzle and sending it in a text to Selah along with a message of ??? . She was the only one who could pull him from his misery or plunge him deeper into it. He hoped for the former.
In reply, there were dots and then no dots and then dots again. What kind of sick weirdo created this type of cruel torture? He was sure his body was growing old and turning into dust as he waited, which was why he made the decision to call her. Before he could, a message appeared from Selah.
Flip it over.
Okay, this at least confirmed the puzzle was from her. He put his hand in the center of the puzzle and twisted it until the image was upside down, expecting something obvious to jump out, as if the secrets of his romantic universe would be revealed.
Except it remained an upside down hot-air balloon image. Whatever secrets the puzzle held, they remained unknown. He looked closer, wishing he had a magnifying glass to search it, like an old-timey detective. Was there a heart hidden among the pine trees? Was it one of those Magic Eye things? He crossed his eyes. Nothing. He was going to be here all day, and Harper was no help at all. He was knocking the bird’s status down from “very intelligent” to “meh” which was, coincidentally, the same rating he’d give his own intelligence at the moment. Selah was obviously working at a much higher level than—
Oh, wait. She’d texted, “flip.”
He carefully took the whole thing and flipped it like a pancake so the back side of the pieces were facing up. He didn’t even need to cross his eyes. The message couldn’t be any clearer. While he had noticed that some of the pieces had black lines on the back, he hadn’t paid attention to them, focusing solely on the image side. With all the pieces put together, it revealed a note in large, scripty handwriting.
Ranger—
I also want to go on a date with you.
—Your Captain
His heart stopped.
He needed to see her now.
Picking up his phone, he hit the dial button. “Did you know about this?” he asked Harper as it rang. Maybe she’d been trying to tell him the whole time. He’d likely believe anything at this point, even something ridiculous like a calendar year in the High Desert was nothing but sunny days.
“Hello?” Selah answered, her phone voice similar to that of an angel.
“Hey—”
“Oh, shit.” In the background, there were angry car horns blaring.
“Oh, God! Are you driving right now? You shouldn’t be talking on your phone and driving at the same time. Is everything okay? Are you hurt? I love you, but we don’t need to talk right—”
“Dex,” she replied calmly. “I’m fine. It was another driver who suddenly pulled out in front of a car going too fast on Highland. It was a close call for them, but no one crashed. I wasn’t in any danger.”
“Are you sure?”
She laughed. “Yes, I’m sure. I’m almost at your place.”
“Oh, good. I just wanted to ask you to come over because I think Harper is missing you.”
“Is that so? Even though she’s seen me for the last three days.”
“Wait. Harper got to see you. How is this fair?” Dex walked outside to his porch, taking one of the Adirondack chairs as he waited for her arrival, he bounced one of his knees nervously in anticipation.
“It could be worse. I was going to leave you one puzzle piece a day, but the thing was like sixty pieces and, after a couple of days, I decided there was no way I was going to wait two months. I’m not that patient.”
“Three days was still too long, Selah.”
Her truck pulled along his curb and the phone call disconnected as she grabbed it from the phone holder on her dashboard. She stepped out, her skin glistening in the September sun. She wore a tight white tank top, little navy shorts, and her aviators. With her dark curls framing her face, the whole package made her look the epitome of cool and sexy as she strolled over to him.
He shot to his feet, almost stumbling down the steps as he approached her, wanting to drag that petite, curvy body to his, to remind himself what every inch of her felt like. “Illinois Beach,” he blurted when he stood close enough.
She slid the aviators to her hairline, confusion shooting from those beautiful, black eyes. “What?”
“I was talking to Chris about Chicago, and she said the closest state park to the city is Illinois Beach. I looked it up and it looks pretty nice.”
“Is it as nice as Smith Rock?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure there are a lot of great things I can learn about it. And I’ve moved states before. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Dex,” she said with a sigh, shaking her head. He was squandering his chances to crack a window between them, to show her how their future could look together.
Except, then she shrugged and smiled, before saying, “Okay. If that’s what you want, and you have your heart set on it, then I guess we can work it out. Of course, you being at Illinois Beach would still make this a long-distance relationship since I’ll be here but—”
He snatched her into his arms, holding her to him, breathing in the lovely sage scent that was uniquely her. “What the hell, Selah? What are you trying to do to me?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, taking his face between her hands and pulling him lower so she could press kisses to his temple, eyelids, cheeks. “I’m so sorry. Things have been a little awkward for me, and I’m still trying to figure things out, figure me out. And it just took some time to see that I wasn’t being forced to overcome some kind of roadblock—that things could just be different.”
“And you’re staying here? At High Desert Tours?”
“Mm-hmm.”
The joy was immediate and immeasurable. “In that case, I guess I can tell you that I’m in love with you, Captain Selah Moreno.” He punctuated this by melding his lips to hers, drawing out the deepest kiss, his tongue sliding along hers. Turns out when he was truly in love, saying the words was the easiest thing in the world.
“And I love you,” she replied the moment they broke the kiss.
“Good, so do you want to get going, then?”
“Going where? I just got here.”
“I’m going to take you out on a date.”
“Right now?”
“I thought that’s what we were doing,” he said. “You’re not hungry?”
“No, I can eat but... You know that brewery where I went for my last date—”
At the mention of that place, his hackles rose in response to being reminded of the other man who got to date her before him. “Are you kidding me? I’m not taking you back to the same place where that dump truck took you. I can do better than him. A lot better.”
“It’s not that, but there’s a fish and chip food truck in the lot behind it, and I’ve always wanted to try—”
“We’re finally going on a date, and you want me to take you to a food truck? I wanted to shower you with steak and flowers.” He wanted to give her a lot more. He was going to woo her so much, she’d never forget this was a real relationship, and he wasn’t planning on ever stopping.
Her hand slipped along the button placket of his shirt, her eyes turning soft and alluring, her beautiful lips becoming pouty and irresistible. “But I don’t want steak and flowers, Ranger Dex. I want fish and chips. And I’m not really dressed for some place fancy. I’m still wearing my work clothes and feeling a little grubby.”
He couldn’t argue, as this was the same status for him. “Yeah, I guess I could use a shower too.”
“You’re a park ranger, so you already know this,” she said, as she pressed a kiss to his collarbone, “but water conservation is very important in the High Desert. We should probably share.”
“Someone is being responsible again and you know I find that trait very sexy.”
“Mm-hmm. How about this? We take a shower, get fish and chips to-go, and then maybe we can stream Galaxy Quest ?”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Yeah, but mostly, I just want you.”
Dex pulled her into his house, but they didn’t get very far past the front door and nowhere close to the shower, at least not yet.
“God, I missed this house,” Selah said, pushing off her shoes and helping him get his off too.
“You did?”
“Yes, it’s just so lived-in. And it’s wonderfully comfortable and familiar, sort of like you.”
“And also weird because of the whole crow thing,” he said, nodding toward Harper, who was busy tearing some junk mail on his desk.
“I think it’s very sweet.”
He pulled off her tank top because he couldn’t wait any longer. In doing so, the aviators on her hairline fell to the ground. He retrieved the glasses, setting them carefully on his entry table. One of these days, he’d let her take him while wearing only the aviators, but at the moment, he missed her too much to not look into her eyes.
Selah, a woman on a mission, roughly undid the buttons of his uniform shirt, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses across his chest, as she yanked it off and shoved a hand down the front of his pants to fondle him.
His heart thudded against his chest, his breath catching. “Seriously, honey, I’m kind of gross from work still.” Dex didn’t want her to stop, but a warning was the polite thing to do.
“Dex, honey, I love you, so I don’t find you gross. What’s the point of a shower if you can’t get a little dirty beforehand?”
That snapped him from all his concerns. Grabbing his wallet from the key bowl, he lifted her with one arm, carrying her to his sturdy wooden kitchen table and plopping her on the edge of it. From there, he quickly pulled off the rest of their clothes, giving himself a few moments to appreciate her nakedness while he located the condom in his wallet and rolled it on himself. As frenzied as he felt, he slid into her slowly, helping to support her upright position by wrapping his arms around her frame as he pressed his face into her neck. He couldn’t wait, establishing a rhythm quickly as he slid in and out. She moaned, scratching her nails along his neck, and it was the sexiest thing he’d ever heard.
As he continued rocking against her, he took her jaw in hand, tilting it upward. “I want to hear you say it,” he said, his breath short and his tone rough and stern.
Her gaze on him was soft and hazy, but after a moment, she gave a small whimper and replied, “Ooooh, Dex, honey. Your dick feels so good.”
He paused. “What? I mean, thank you, but what I want to hear is that we’re...” He gestured with a hand to fill in the blank.
“Dating?” she guessed.
“Well, yes, but I mean that I’m your...” he continued prompting.
“Park Ranger?”
“ Boyfriend .”
“Really? That’s what you want me to say during sex?”
He huffed a laugh. “I know it’s odd, but I just want everything to be upfront and clear between us. It would be nice to know exactly where I stand for once in my life.”
Selah’s lips tipped in amusement. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”
He gave her face careful consideration. “But I am your boyfriend, right? I don’t want to push you into anything—”
“Dex—”
“Because I do want you as my girlfriend... you know, for now.”
Now it was her turn to pause as she leaned back on her arms to give him a good look. “Excuse me? What do you mean for now ?” Her brows pressed together, but her body shook with light laughter. The rippling sensations vibrating around his dick were amazing.
He wasn’t sure how this whole thing got off track, but laughing while having sex with a woman he was in love with was a whole new experience, one he really liked. “It’s not a rebound thing,” he assured her. “I just mean that it’s no secret I want to get married someday. So, yeah, that’s all I meant by it.”
“God, Dex. Can you just kiss me, please?”
That he could do, and soon he was driving into her hard as he gripped her thighs. She moaned about how good her boyfriend’s dick felt, and it was everything he wanted it to be, even while being a bit ridiculous. He didn’t care. After she cried out and he grunted his own release, he held her sweat-beaded body to his as they both attempted to catch their breaths.
“Who knew when you tipped that basket over and landed on me, we’d end up here?” His heart was so full of her, he couldn’t imagine a different life for himself. This was it. All he ever wanted. He grinned as he joked, “You didn’t tip it over on purpose, right?”
“Of course not,” she said with a beautifully sated smile. “I’m pretty sure it was fate.”