Page 6 of Return to Laurel Valley

“It depends.” His words feathered across her lips and her eyelids fluttered closed.

“On what?” She tilted her head slightly and leaned in, so he felt her words whisper against the corner of his mouth.

“Why didn’t you get an annulment?” he asked, needing to know the answer. “It’s been a year. You could have pretended this never happened.”

“Why didn’t you?” she asked. “You could have done the same.”

“You’re my wife.”

“Just like that?” she asked. “We hardly know each other.”

“We know enough,” he said. “We’ll know more. You’ve haunted my dreams. We had one night together, and you’re imprinted on my brain forever. And now that you’re here—I’m not even sure you’re real. I’m almost afraid to touch you in case you disappear.”

“I wanted to come back,” she said. “So many times. I didn’t know how. I wouldn’t have known what to say. I told myself it was just chemistry. We can both feel it now. It’s electric. But something that powerful tends to explode and then burn out quickly. But a year later I can still feel your lips on mine.”

He dropped his forehead so it rested against hers, but he didn’t put his hands on her. Not yet. “I’ve been so angry with you. And now that I’m standing in front of you all I want to do is put those handcuffs to good use.”

She brought her hands from behind her back, where the cuffs dangled from one wrist and a paper clip stuck out of the lock.

“You mean these cuffs?” she asked.

Chapter Four

A few hours later they were tucked safely into the little house that had been built behind the sheriff’s office. He’d been glad the house had been added since he’d had no plans to live with his parents on the family ranch once he’d moved back to Laurel Valley. His time as an Army Ranger and then the work he’d done for the DEA had made him a nomad of sorts, and there was no particular place he’d called home.

It was tucked back in the trees, a little over a quarter mile from the station, but he was trying to see it through Lily’s eyes. It was made of the same river rock that adorned many of the other buildings in town, with a wide front porch and a single fern that hung on a hook that his mother had brought during her last visit.

But the inside was bare. Just basic necessities and furniture. White walls and a handmade rug in shades of blue his sister had made him for Christmas. A set of four white dishes—because it’s not like he ever invited anyone over for dinner. And he sure hadn’t been dating. Lily might have left him, but he was still married.

But seeing her in his home hit deeper. He wanted it to be their home. No, he wanted them to build a home together.

It wasn’t often he’d seen her relaxed. She was always so tough. So in control. She was snuggled next to him in the big king-size bed where he’d dreamed of her. Her hair was down and spread around her shoulders, her skin flushed and her breathing even in sleep. He couldn’t stop touching her, running his finger across her shoulder and feeling the silkiness of her hair while the lightning flashed through the bedroom windows.

He’d waited a year to get her out of his system. And he realized that a lifetime wouldn’t be long enough. Lily Crow was his—for now and forever.

The storm was as bad as the weathermen predicted, and it wasn’t expected to stop for two more days. And if their next two days were spent like the last hour had been, he wasn’t sure he’d survive it. She was everything he’d remembered and more—his dreams come to life.

He’d seen too much before he’d settled in Laurel Valley. His time as a Ranger had changed him. Watching friends die had a tendency to do that to a man. He wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to take the job as sheriff, but in doing so he thought it would bring him the peace and quiet he desired. A simple life with simple needs. He no longer needed to prove himself to anyone. And he no longer felt the need to risk his life for the sake of the rush the next op would bring him.

Another rumble of thunder crashed, rattling the windows, the lightning closer than it had been the time before. The lights in the bathroom flickered twice and then went out, so he slid out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats to do a walk-through of the house. Some habits died hard.

He grabbed his weapon and his flashlight from the nightstand table kept the beam low so he didn’t wake Lily. The generator would be kicking on in a minute or so if all was well, but if his power was out that meant that all of downtown was probably out as well. The bed-and-breakfast, restaurants, and bars all had generators, but there were a few homes that didn’t have them.

The floor was cold beneath his bare feet, and it looked like the weather had turned cooler sooner than they’d predicted. He stopped in the hallway and adjusted the thermostat so the heat would kick on when the generator came to life. As soon as he had the thought the lights he strategically left on around the house came on with a soft glow.

The sat phone he’d taken with him from the station rang, and he blew out a sigh. He’d known it was coming. It was part of the job. But there was a part of him that wanted to be selfish and stay curled up next to Lily for the next two days.

He took the call and then walked through the house and checked all the locks. And then he went back to the bedroom and put on his uniform and his police-issue rain gear, strapping on his utility belt and grabbing a couple of extra flashlights for safe measure.

He leaned over Lily and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and then he kissed her forehead and watched her wrinkle her nose in protest. Her obvious disgruntlement made him grin. Lily was a prickly creature to be sure.

“Wake up, sweetheart. I’ve got to go out for a while.”

Her eyes fluttered open and she turned so she could see him better. “I’m awake. What time is it?”

“Just after midnight,” he said.

“I need to get up early and start tracking my skip. This rain is going to make it impossible to find him.”

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