Page 108 of Grit
“Doesn’t it? The blue is perfect, right?”
He nodded and looked around the room. “Blues, greens, and grays inside.”
She nodded. “Color of the mountains. With the red accents…”
He perched on a wooden chair in the small dining area. “It’s like visiting the sequoias. Green, red, and blue skies.”
“Do you have some pictures I could buy for the walls?”
Cary frowned. “I have some pictures you canhave.”
“You sell your work because it’s good. I’m not going to—”
“Melissa, don’t try to give me money for pictures. That’s ridiculous.” He pointed to the long wall next to the old iron stove. “You know what would go great there?”
“What?”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “That portrait of you from branding day.”
She covered her face. “No.”
“It would though.”
She shook her head. “Not a chance. Do you still have that?”
He scoffed. “Of course I still have it.”
“Did you get any offers for it?”
He smiled slowly. “Yes.”
She was dying to ask. He could tell.
“I wasn’t going to sell that one. Ever. It didn’t even have a price listed.”
“Why not?” Her cheeks were red.
He walked over, braced himself on the bed frame, careful that his dirty hands didn’t touch the clean white sheets, and leaned down to kiss her.
“It’s not for sale because you’re mine,” he whispered.
The smile spread slowly and surely across her face. “And you’re mine.”
He kissed her, over and over again, only drawing back when he heard voices coming up the path. “We have company.”
“Did you and Abby get the goat pens fixed?”
He nodded. “We did. Mr. Tumnus has been foiled again.”
“That damn goat.” She shook her head.
“Hey, Melissa.”
“Hey, Cary.”
“Did you know that goats can see up to three hundred and forty degrees in the periphery with their weird demon eyes?”
“Noooo.” She put a hand over her face and laughed. “Don’t tell me there are two of you now.”
