17. Moving Day
Chapter 17
Moving Day
E lina had learned more about animals in one day than in her entire previous life. Once her parents had left the US, she’d spent time in countless villages. She was used to cows, sheep, goats, and dogs. Horses, too, although they hadn’t been as common.
Kimi and Garrett were amazing. They were doing more for animal welfare than anyone she’d ever met. They were helping people, too. Because no one could visit their properties and see anything other than hope and joy.
Her heart was full when they made their way back to Marcus’s car. Finch yawned with almost every step. “Did you wear yourself out, buddy? You sure had fun with all your friends.”
Marcus nodded. “I can’t believe he made friends with that donkey.”
“I worried Snoops was going to kick him, but that little goat intervened.”
“Therapy goats for animals. I’d have never believed that a few years ago, but between Kimi and Garrett, they’ve got the whole Dr. Doolittle thing going on.”
“Dr. Doolittle?”
They reached the car, and Marcus opened the back door. Finch hopped up, and Marcus attached the dog to his doggie seat belt. “You never experienced Doolittle? It was a movie from when I was a kid. Maybe a book, too. I don’t remember much, but the premise was this guy could talk to animals in their own languages.”
Another one to add to her list. “Because I left the States so early, I never saw many movies or shows. I can’t remember the names of half of the ones I heard about this afternoon.”
He grinned. “That’ll give us something to do in the evenings.”
A happy shiver ran up her spine. Because she’d be living in his home. Sharing a bed. Sharing it all.
Marcus opened her door and held it for her. Before she could sit, he lifted her hand and kissed it. “Want to get your stuff from the B&B, then we can head home?”
Home. What a wonderful word. “That sounds amazing.”
When they entered the B&B, Finch raced toward the living room. His paws scrabbled on the hardwood floors, but he managed to keep from falling as he headed to a box in the corner. At his bark, three sets of kitten ears popped up. Finch buried his face into the box, which was a higher one than she’d seen before.
Marcus’s dry voice made her grin. “I think he missed them.”
Carl moved in from the kitchen. “And they missed him, too. Did you enjoy your day with Kimi and Garrett?”
She laughed. “We didn’t know we were heading there when we left this morning.”
Marcus sighed. “The gossip in this town is ridiculous.”
Carl waggled his eyebrows. “It’s a time-honored tradition for inn-keepers to keep our eyes on the townspeople. We want to ensure everyone stays safe.”
“No one believes that, Carl. You’re all just nosy.”
Carl laughed. “Can’t argue with that.”
Elina led the way to her room, feeling a little awkward. That made her laugh at herself. If she was going to live with Marcus, he was going to see all her things anyway. At least she was relatively tidy. Living out of her car and duffels over the past year had taught her a lot about organization. Growing up in third-world countries meant she got by with far fewer things than most people in first-world countries.
It only took a few minutes to pack up her clothes, books, and toiletries. Marcus waited at the door, leaning against the doorjamb. Eyes hot and heavy.
She loved that look.
With the bag slung over her shoulder, she moved back to the door, but Marcus didn’t move. His lips curved as she approached, and she kept moving until she was right in his space.
He lifted a hand and brushed a finger along her jawline, sending shivers cascading over her skin. “Ready?”
With him. For almost everything. She nodded, and the heat flared higher.
“I have some plans.” His growl had her heart bumping.
“I bet I’m going to like them.”
His grin flashed. “I plan to ensure you do.”
She liked the sound of that. He slid her duffel off her shoulder. With his other hand, he lifted her chin for a long, lingering kiss. Her already-revved system nearly exploded right there.
For a moment, she considered locking the door and making good use of the bed behind them. But they’d have more privacy at Marcus’s place.
Carl and Jim waited at the bottom of the stairs, making her very glad she hadn’t given in to the desire simmering.
Carl held up a covered dish. “I made too much chicken parmigiana for tonight. You can return the dish another day.”
“Thank you.”
Jim pulled her in for a hug. “We’re going to miss you.”
She hugged him back. “I’m not going far.”
Carl joined the hug. “We’ll call you for dinner.”
“I’d like that.”
Finch barked and hopped up to put his paws on them and join in the hug.
It helped Elina laugh and suck back the tears that had been building. “Hey, Finch. I’m going to miss you, too.”
Jim patted the dog. “We’re thinking shared fostering. You can have him whenever you’d like. Otherwise, he’ll stay here and get his kitten fix.”
Finch barked and licked her hand. She leaned down to hug him. “That sounds perfect.”
“Once your place is puppy-proof, he can do overnight visits if you want. He’d be a good extra layer of protection.”
Which reminded her they still hadn’t figured out who’d hurt those animals. “I’m hoping that guy left the area. It’s been a while.”
Marcus shrugged. “He might be back, or he could be laying low in a nearby town. We’re not dropping our guard. We can pick up a dog bed and the rest tomorrow. We’ll make sure nothing in the house can hurt Finch.”
After they said their goodbyes, they took her car over to Marcus’s home. The B&B would need the extra space for incoming guests. It barely took a minute to drive to the quiet street where he lived. When they reached it, Marcus patted her hand. “Hang on for a second, and I’ll open the garage so you can drive in. I’ve got an extra remote I can give you, so you don’t have to get out of the car to pull in.”
“What about your car?”
He laughed and pointed to where he’d backed his car into the wide driveway. “I rarely park inside unless it’s going to be snow. Sometimes even those few extra seconds can be important.”
He was such a good man. She waited while he opened the large door and drove into the space. Once the door was down, he grabbed her duffel and her hand. “Come on inside. Let’s get started on those plans.”
M arcus loved waking up with Elina in his arms. They’d made love several times before drifting to sleep, twined together. He hoped he’d be waking up like this for the rest of his life.
It was probably too soon for him to share his full feelings. He’d just asked her to move in. No sense in overwhelming her. Although she showed no signs of being overwhelmed or having regrets.
His Elina had learned to be adaptable from an early age. Empathetic and kind, too. Hard-working. And happy. Not everyone could have lived her life, struggled with her kidnapping, and come out on the other side with such a sunny disposition.
His morning alarm sounded, making him realize he hadn’t even checked the time when he’d opened his eyes. He’d been too content to do anything other than enjoy.
Elina sighed, but it was a happy sound. “Good morning. This is my new favorite way to wake up.”
She lifted her head and kissed his shoulder before rolling a bit to stretch. She had a really good stretch, making Marcus’s body spring fully to life.
He rolled over and tucked Elina under him. “Me too.” He kissed her long and hard and used his hands to drive her up until she was panting and squirming with need.
He grabbed a condom and slipped into her heat. For a moment, he rested his forehead on hers and simply breathed in the moment. Absolute perfection.
Instead of telling her he was in it for life, he tried to show her with his body. When they exploded, he gulped back the words. Too soon. Still, he cradled her for long moments until he needed to move. “Gotta take care of the condom. I’d swoop you up into the shower, except I need to grab my leg.”
She laughed and twisted until she was sitting beside him on the bed. “Let me.”
The shock had him going completely still.
Elina lifted an eyebrow and patted his knee. “Relax, Arrow. I’ve got it. You need to remember I spent more than a decade in areas dealing with poverty and war. It wouldn’t be the first prosthesis I’ve helped put on.”
He nodded but couldn’t form the words. His prosthesis was a part of him, and it reminded him how damn lucky he was. But having Elina treat it as normally as she’d treat a pair of glasses was new.
She helped him put on the shower foot and then stood with her hand out and a smile on her face. “If we don’t get moving, you’re going to be late.”
He took her hand and rose. “If I’m going to be late, might as well make it worth it.” Then he scooped her up and headed to the shower, his arms and heart full of this amazing woman.
Later, instead of heading to his office in Phail General, he took Elina’s hand, and they walked the short trek through the woods to the new station. He kept his senses wide open but didn’t sense anything off. Still, he kept alert and wary.
“What needs to be completed with Phail Jail before we can move in your things?”
As she’d predicted, the name of Phail Jail had occurred to Piper days before. It made everyone laugh, which meant they used it constantly. Mostly to elicit a dramatic sigh from him.
“Sean said it was ready for a final walk-through. I’m hoping we can start moving today. Piper’s been patient, but I know she’s hoping to use my old office as a base for her Phail tourism space.”
Elina nodded. “She has plans. I have a feeling Piper always has plans. That woman’s brain is a super-powered computer. She’s so creative.”
That made him laugh. “Sounds like someone else I know.”
She bumped her shoulder into his. “Thanks. I’ll take the compliment. Piper is amazing.”
He grinned but kept his eyes moving. “She’s done so much for our town, I’d like to give her the space. It’ll be interesting to see what she does with it. I bet it won’t be boring.”
He slowed his step as they neared the edge of the woods. Always intuitive, she slowed her steps and turned her attention to their surroundings as well. “I don’t feel anything, do you?”
He shook his head. “Not today.”
They crossed to the back door and found nothing unusual. He unlocked the door and ushered her inside, then locked it behind them.
She sighed. “I hope we don’t always have to do that.”
“This is a safe town but we’re going to take precautions.”
She nodded and looked around the room. “I didn’t realize how much got finished while I was working with Piper.”
The kitchen was free of cows and chickens. Like the rest of the main floor, the walls were a soft steel-blue. Almost light enough to be grey. A color that wouldn’t drive him nuts. Research told him it was supposed to be soothing for everyone. With their job, cops could use all the soothing they could get.
This break room would be an asset. A glance at the combined bathroom and laundry room showed it was mostly finished as well, although the appliances hadn’t arrived.
Excitement thrummed in his veins as he stepped into the squad room that looked the part. No furniture yet, but there was room. Sean had built a half-wall along the front, leaving a small waiting area.
“Let’s check your office.” Elina bounced across the room and into the hallway but when he followed, she hadn’t opened the door. “You first.”
He took her hand and opened the door. The room was the same color and completely empty. But he could see it as it would be. His desk facing the window. Some people wanted the power play position of the light at their back. He wanted to see his town. He’d have blinds installed for when he needed private conversations.
Elina squeezed his hand. “It’s perfect. You’ll have space for your desk, filing cabinets, and a door that closes.”
“I think that’s the best part of this whole renovation.” He’d finally be able to have private conversations without criminals overhearing.
The rest of the station was the same. Ready. Upstairs, the two suites with attached baths were set, as was the secure room for evidence.
“It’s going to be amazing, Marcus. Let’s go grab a few things from your office right now. Some things that will definitely make it your space.”
“I have a few ideas of how to claim the space.”
Her eyebrows shot up when she caught the heat in his eyes. Then she rose on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. “Show me.”