Page 76 of Montana Lawman Rescuer
“I guess I know it.”
“Guessis not a very strong word.” She lifted her head and planted a kiss full on his surprised lips, then withdrew before he could think. His reaction came quickly and swiftly, though. He lowered their clasped hands to their sides, closed the few inches separating them, and claimed her lips. Found them warm and willing. He lingered over the kiss a moment before he broke away, his joy going clear down to his boots. He turned her toward the cupboard and gave her a little push. “Is that picnic ready to go?”
Then, remembering that he’d finished packing it, he grabbed the basket, hung it from his arm, took her hand, and theystepped out into the sunshine. He led her in the opposite direction of the town square. They passed several houses, and he lifted his fingers in greeting when he saw people in their yards enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon.
He had plans to do the same.
“Are we almost there?” she asked, looking about, trying to guess where they were going.
“Soon.” They went two more blocks.
“We’re almost out of town.”
“Not quite.” He stopped. “We’re here.”
She took in the house before them, standing alone at the end of the block. “This is where we’re going?”
“Yup.” He opened the front gate for her.
“It looks empty.”
“It is. It’s one of Grandfather Marshall’s houses that he rents out. The latest residents left a short time ago.” He explained about the woman’s illness and the need to be closer to medical care. “Grandfather asked if I would check on it. It has a pretty backyard that I thought would make a nice place for us to have our lunch.”
“Oh, fun. I like exploring. Do we get to see inside the house?”
He lifted a key. “We do.” He opened the front door, and they walked into the living room, where all the furniture was gone except for a large bookcase.
The house appeared to be much the same design as Gram’s, except there were two small rooms to the side of the living room. They entered the first. She circled it and opened the closet door. Inside, an object lay on the floor. “It’s a baby sweater. They must have dropped it in their packing.”
“Did they have children?”
“No. How strange.”
“Who knows? Perhaps they planned one and prepared for one, and her illness prevented it. How sad.”
“Indeed.”
“They must have planned to use this room for the nursery.” They moved to the next one. A desk had been left behind. “They must have used this for the main bedroom or an office. What did the man do?”
“He was an accountant.”
“Well, there you go. He likely worked from home some of the time.”
The kitchen was empty, the cupboards bare. A small pantry held a crock and several empty jars.
“Can we go upstairs?”
“It would be remiss of me not to check on the whole house.” He checked the windows in the four bedrooms upstairs and closed a closet door.
They returned downstairs, and she hurried to the back door. “I’m anxious to see the garden.” She waited while he unlocked the door and stepped aside to let her out.
She clasped her hands in front of her. “A gazebo and a swing and look—” She hurried off the step toward the overgrown garden. “Roses.” She bent over to sniff one. “It’s a lovely yard.”
He brought the picnic basket, and they went to the gazebo. Benches built along the inside perimeter provided them with seating. He swept the bench clean and waved his hand to indicate she should sit. “My lady,” he said in his most formal tone.
“Thank you, kind sir.” She curtseyed, then swirled her skirts and sat down. The pleasure in her eyes was unmistakable as she took in the neglected flowers growing in wild profusion. “What a shame that they had to leave. It’s just right for a young family.” Her gaze went to the swing. “I can see Mikey—” She stopped abruptly, and her shoulders heaved as she sighed.
Not wanting any regrets to mar the afternoon, he lifted the cloth from the picnic basket, spread it on the bench between them with a flourish, and set out the lunch.
