Page 65 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
“You know…” he said.
They’d both spoken at the same time. They both stopped at the same time and smiled at each other. She loved how his smile smoothed the frown lines on his face and how his brown eyes would twinkle.
Now that her panic over Odie’s dognapping had subsided, she felt stronger and willing to take a chance on love. She wanted to take that chance with him. And if she read that kiss correctly, he wanted the same thing.
She opened her mouth to try again.
Buzz.
Parker held up his finger for her to wait a moment. He pressed the phone to his ear. “Bishop.”
Interruptions were to be expected. After all, he was the sheriff. She was certain his life was interrupted on a regular basis. She would get used to it. But this time it was really, really bad timing.
By the little lines that once again bracketed his eyes and mouth, she knew the call was serious. As she picked up the bits and pieces of the conversation, she knew it was bad. People were hurt. Her words would wait for another time—a better time.
When he disconnected the call, he looked at her. “I have to go. There’s a big accident on the highway.”
She nodded. “Can you come over for dinner tomorrow?”
He sent her a brief smile. “I’m really sorry about leaving. And yes, I would love dinner.” He got to his feet. “Message me what you need me to bring.” He was already headed for the exit.
“Just bring yourself,” she called out.
Without a backward glance, he was out the door. She didn’t know if he’d heard her. As she settled back in the seat, her thoughts rewound to the snowflake kiss they’d shared. It was the most amazing kiss she’d ever experienced. She definitely wouldn’t forget it.
And now they were going to have a Christmas Eve date. It didn’t get much better than that. Maybe she should find herself some mistletoe.Oh, yes.That sounded like a really good idea.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Hehadn’tblownitwith Belle.
Had he?
Parker hated running out on her. He felt as though they were getting somewhere when his phone had gone off. Talk about the worst timing ever. And as much as he loved Belle, he had to answer when he was needed.
It was the middle of the night by the time Parker relinquished the accident scene to his deputy. It was a bad scene—six cars and one tractor trailer that couldn’t stop on the icy roadway. He always felt like he just couldn’t do enough when he showed up at those tragic scenes. Thankfully, there were no fatalities, so he would take that as a win.
He’d been so busy all evening that he hadn’t had much of a chance to think of Belle. And that was saying a lot. She was all he’d been able to think about since he pulled her over for her burned-out tail light. A lot had happened since then.
As he pulled into his driveway, he recalled their snowy kiss. It seemed like so long ago that he had held her on the sidewalk and kissed her. He had a feeling when they’d sat down to drink their cocoa that she had something important to tell him. He couldn’t help but wonder what she’d wanted to say.
He thought of calling her—of wanting to hear her sweet voice to wash away the brutal images from the accident scene. When he reached for his phone, the time flashed on the screen: 12:23 a.m.Um, yeah, I can’t call her. At least one of them would get a good night’s sleep.
He was too wound up to sleep, so he got a hot shower, and then he went downstairs to finish attaching the last glass pieces to the ornament. And then he was going to spray them with clear acrylic to help hold everything in place.
Now that he was having Christmas Eve dinner with her, it would be the perfect time to give her the ornaments. He just hoped she liked them.
The most important dinner of her life.
At least, that was the way it felt.
Belle had gone into town first thing in the morning. She had Christmas shopping to do. What was she supposed to buy Parker? Her mind drew a total blank.
A wave of panic surged through her. She’d invited him over for Christmas Eve, and now she didn’t have a gift for him. She wanted to get him something special, but she had no clue what that might be.
She’d walked through the men’s store. She checked out the clothing. Nothing jumped out at her. She went to the hardware store, but she had no idea what tools he already owned and what he still needed. Maybe next year she would know these sorts of things.
The thought stopped her in her tracks. Would they be together next Christmas? Were they even together now? She had so many questions and absolutely no answers.
