Chapter 6 #2
They were few and so far between almost every one had been clouded over by the shit my little family had gone through.
“No, he wasn’t.”
At least she didn’t bark at me, offering a smile instead.
“No, but the sanctuary was really his idea. I’ll never forget the day he took the phone from my mother’s hand, which he never did.
He spent fifteen full minutes telling me about his ideas.
I couldn’t get in a word edgewise, but that was the first time since I’d left Missoula I was homesick. Chicago just isn’t the same.”
“I can see that,” I told her. “The chicken coop needs to go.”
“You obviously didn’t do an inspection of the barn.
My father was notorious for crazy ideas.
” She continued laughing yet seconds later, her smile began to fade.
“My mother didn’t care. She always made him a big thick steak when he worked on a project.
It was her way of making sure he knew how loved he was. ”
“Oh, really?” I teased.
It took her five full seconds to remember what she’d insisted we have for dinner.
“Oh, God. Now, don’t go thinking that because I bought steaks that I in any way care about you because I don’t.
I won’t. I couldn’t. I couldn’t because I don’t know anything about you.
Of course other than that you’re a serial killer in training and you swing a mean hammer.
Come to think of it, you could also use that hammer for smashing people’s heads to a pulp. ”
“Yes, I could,” I shot back, just for the hell of it.
“Ah, fuck.” As soon as the curse word slipped past her far too voluptuous lips, she placed her hand across her mouth. Good girls didn’t use naughty words in public.
“Ah, fuck is right.”
The woman was also magnificent at throwing shade when she felt challenged, which seemed to be most of the time. However, the heat in her eyes was completely different than the night before. At least she knew I cared about Sailor.
“My point is that I can’t adore you because I don’t know if I even like you.” She put an emphasis on the statement with a hard head nod.
Just one.
“Let me ease your mind. You shouldn’t like me.”
“And why not? Are there dead bodies buried somewhere?”
She had no idea how close to home she was hitting. I polished off my beer with my hand too tightly clenched around the bottle.
“That was absolutely reprehensible. You fought for our country. Of course there are dead bodies. I apologize.” She huffed, once again providing me with an adorable roll of her eyes.
“No need to apologize.” I held the bottle out, unsure if I was unhappy or glad I’d finished the beer. “What happened to your parents? I mean if you don’t mind me asking.”
Her tongue darted out, touching her bottom lip, and she looked away.
“I guess I need to learn how to apologize around you since I keep putting my foot in my mouth. I think it’s about time I took Sailor back to the motel.”
Before I had a chance to stand, she gripped my arm and man, the shot of electricity was off the fucking charts. How was it possible the mouthy woman could get me all hot and bothered? But she had and I’d remained that way all through dinner.
Especially every time I looked through the doors into the kitchen, enjoying the sight of her preparing the side dishes. All while singing to whatever pop music she’d put on some satellite radio.
How fucking normal preparing dinner had seemed. Me outside cooking steaks on a grill with a beer in my hand like some big he-man. My little woman inside dancing just to drive me crazy while making my favorite side dishes. Shit, I could consider myself a lucky man.
Only she wasn’t mine.
Grace bit her bottom lip, but a tiny moan slipped out while she pulled her hand away. She was obviously feeling the connection the way I was.
Not good. Not good at all.
The way she folded her arms around her knees was more telling than she might understand. She was closing herself off, something I knew far too well. “They died. Maybe you didn’t see it, but there’s another barn. They were inside and it was on fire.”
I’d solved enough questions around mystery deaths to know she wasn’t willing to share exactly what had occurred. I sure as shit wasn’t the one to try to drag a story out of her that she wasn’t willing to share. What I could tell was how painful their deaths continued to be.
“I’m really sorry.”
“Thank you. I miss them greatly. We were very close.” A cloud passed across over her face and I thought for a few seconds she was going to burst into tears. “Like peas in a pod or the three musketeers.”
The silence drifting between us was way too awkward.
“I should be going. There’s a lot to do before Monday.”
“Oh, yeah?” She wiped her eyes quickly but not before I noticed. “Your new job?”
“Yeah, at some point I need to figure out where I’m going to live. But I’m not going to bore you. I guess Sailor will sleep through the night?”
“He will. I didn’t mean to rush you off.”
“You didn’t.” My stupid aroused cock did. As soon as I stood, Sailor lifted his sleepy head. “I’ll take this inside to the trash.”
“You don’t need to. Oh, but I do have pills for you to take with you. Don’t worry, daddy dog. Since Sailor is heartworm free, he can start on pills to keep him that way. Plus, an oral flea and tick treatment.”
She stood, peering up at me and as she’d done hours before, she searched my eyes, but this time I wasn’t certain for what reason.
“I think I can handle that,” I told her and followed her inside. When the two pups wanted to come behind me, I allowed them. The dogs were already close, enjoying the companionship.
“I need to run into the bedroom. I had a new shipment come in and have yet to unpack them.”
“Don’t go to any trouble.”
“Just hold on, Mr. Ants in his Pants. My samples will save you some money.” She thrust her glass into my hand, even winking, which shocked the hell out of me.
At least she didn’t hate me as much as she initially did.
I watched her jogging up the stairs, remaining where I was and feeling more like some stranger than I had in years. She’d switched the music to jazz, turned the lights on low, and had left the kitchen in a huge mess, pots and pans everywhere.
After feeling a slight nuzzle against my leg, I peered down at Sailor, who seemed to be telling me something. When he walked from the kitchen, Ellie May offered a soulful look. It was obvious they wanted time alone.
After placing the glass in the dishwasher and tossing the empty bottle in the trash, I laughed to myself before starting in on the dishes. What the hell? They needed to get done.
Maybe I wasn’t paying any attention to the time, enjoying the silent chore while the music provided noise in the background. But I sensed her presence and that she was staring at me.
With a slight tip of my head, my assumptions were proven correct. Grace was leaning against the kitchen doorjamb, her arms folded and a cute smile on her face.
“What? Haven’t you ever seen a man do dishes before?” I was hesitant to tell her one of my assigned chores as a kid was doing the dishes since we hadn’t had a dishwasher. Hell, no. That was another time in my life I preferred to leave in the shadows.
“In truth? Only my dad. The few men I’ve dated, although I prefer calling them oversized children, didn’t know how to turn on a stove let alone figure out how to wash a dish.”
“Ouch. Why the hell do you hate men so much?”
She joined me, yanking a kitchen towel out of a drawer and grabbing a pot I’d washed.
As she dried the surface with fevered actions, her face became pinched as she answered.
“I don’t hate men. I think physically they are a perfected work of art as only God could provide.
Muscular. Strong. Sexy. Chiseled jaws. Thick thighs.
A tight little butt you want to squeeze and…
I won’t be crude since I’m in mixed company. ”
“But?
After she jammed the dried pot into a lower cabinet, she pulled another one from the drying bin.
“It’s just their minds, their mouths other than for kissing of course, and their every action I can’t stand.
If I could tape their mouths shut when not in use I might be just fine.
However, I’d also need to lock them in a closet until they were needed. As for what, I’m unsure.”
“Repairing a fence.”
At first, she didn’t say anything, taking her time finishing her task and even grabbing the colander I’d washed, putting everything away. She tossed the towel on the counter, finally turning toward me. “You’re right. But don’t you dare tell anyone I admitted it.”
“Understood.” Whatever she was talking about had nothing to do with a boyfriend or another idiot crossing her path. I also sensed her terse statement was not for me to question.
So I headed toward the door, ready to scoop Sailer into my arms if necessary.
“Here are your pills. Bring Sailor back if there are any problems. Remember, try and do four small meals a day if you can.”
“Shit. I hope my schedule won’t prevent me from feeding him.”
“Well, if you have any conflicts, just bring him over and I’ll be happy to take care of him.” There went the only nervous tic I’d noticed with the woman, tugging hair behind her delicate ear.
Fuck me, I was hard and hot.
She held the bag out for me to grab, now standing in bare feet instead of her flaming red tennis shoes. Somehow, that made her appear tiny in comparison to my huge frame.
As soon as I tried to take the bag from her, our fingers collided.
The same electric pulse rocketed through every muscle, generating a wave of heat unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
I’d almost been to the point of denying my attraction, even if it was a bald-faced lie, but all bets were off. The sharp intake of her breath likely matched mine, but where my lips were pinched together, hers had formed a perfect O.
Every drop of surprise, every nuance she offered came to a hard stop.
Right then.
Right there.
She lifted her head and all the wild horses in the world couldn’t drag the filthy thoughts from my mind. She was far too damn beautiful and this man had spent two plus long years in a forced dry spell.
Even before that, I’d had the same experience with women she’d had with men.
None of the experiences had been anything to write home about.
I took the bag from her hand, keeping my eyes pinned on hers. There was a distinct shift in the air, heavy humidity that fueled an angry, usually unwanted emotion and hungry need from deep within. The last thing I should do was even think about touching her under any circumstances.
The possible ramifications were clearly labeled in my mind, just like the layout of what to expect when I was released had been from my attorney. Then there were the basics of what I could expect once I was formally introduced into the Zullies’ smoke-jumping team.
Several arduous weeks of training. Daily runs and other exercise.
Keeping my mental aptitude at peak performance as well as my body.
This wasn’t like a house fire where typically I could go home after putting out a fire and completing my shift.
I could be gone for days, or dependent on the fire even for weeks at a time.
There were very little outside communication abilities, and even less time to spend with loved ones and friends during fire season.
Usually I’d be grateful for anything that would keep me from thinking about the past and everything I’d lost.
But here she was, the most beautiful damn girl in the world and she was looking at me as if she was perfectly happy with throwing caution and common sense to the wind. She was right. I could be a serial killer.
Instead of who I was.
Which was much worse.
I found it interesting that in that particular moment, I honestly just didn’t give a shit what anyone thought. What anyone heard.
Or what anyone would say.
Fuck them all.
This was my new life and I was handling it the way I wanted.
Which was why I wasn’t interested in putting a further hold on my desires and slipped my hand around the back of her long, lovely neck, yanking her against me.
And crushed my mouth over hers.