Page 78 of Deputy Brand Gets Her Man
She went to the kitchen, opened cabinets, and found a bottle of whiskey with a ribbon around it, and a pair of glasses. That Cat sure did know how to treat a client.
She took the bottle down and poured, then checked out the simple white stove and fridge. No dishwasher, old fashioned porcelain sink and faucets.
She went through the doors to find a cute little bathroom done in pale green and white, with a big shower stall despite the small space, and a dual sink. The other door led into the master bedroom, which also had a door between it and the bathroom.
The bedroom was cozy, with a walk-in closet, big windows all the way around and a set of sliding doors out onto the deck, overlooking the stream.
She returned to the living room, and was about to go up to check out the loft, when headlights came bounding over the drive. Then the front door opened, and Beans preceded Jeremiah through and galloped toward her.
“Do this,” Jeremiah called, holding his hands just so.
She did it, and the dog did not jump, but rather stopped in front of her and sat politely, thumping his tail like a jackrabbit’s hind leg. She pet him, and he wiggled from end to end.
“Jeremiah, this place is amazing. You bought it?”
“I can afford it, even without the inheritance or the gold,” he said. Then, under his breath, “Barely.” Then he pointed behind him. “I have some essentials in the Jeep, you want to?—?”
“Sure, I’ll help out. So tell me when all this happened?”
“Today. It all happened today. Frankie told me about this place right near where he lives with his grandparents. Said he wanted to live in it someday, and said it was for sale. So I called Cat. She met me here tonight, and…it’s perfect. In every way perfect. So…I told her I’d take it. We haven’t done paperwork, of course.”
“Of course.”
“I figured I needed a place, and I like it a lot.”
“I do, too.”
“And it’s so close to Frankie. I figured dog-sitting here would be almost as good as living here, you know? I dropped him off at his place on the way back here with Beans and the supplies.”
He opened the back of the Jeep. The light came on inside, and the thing was packed full, but atop it all were grocery bags, containing toothbrushes, toilet paper, coffee and paper cups. He even had a coffee pot, brand new in the box.
“I figure I’ll know what I need as I go along. I ordered and paid on line, and it was all ready to pick up. For tonight, just essentials.”
He pulled out a box of cookies from the local bakery.
“Essentials huh?”
“I’m trying to woo you. I figured sweets?—”
“You figured right. Com ’ere.” She pulled him close by the collar of his shirt, cause she couldn’t wait any longer, and then she kissed him.
He kissed her back, and his lips were smiling through most of it. And then they unloaded the Jeep a little faster, including a cooler full of perishables, his clothes and shower supplies, and two bundles of bedding from the bunkhouse.
“I didn’t think Chelsea would mind,” he said.
“I don’t think she would either,” she replied, and they tumbled together into the bedroom without even unbundling the bedding, undressing on the way.
He rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him, though she thought he was probably harder than the floor. She ran her hands over his body, appreciating every bulge and ripple with her fingers, and then with her lips.
“You are one beautiful piece of manhood, you are,” she told him. “Inside and out, it seems.”
“Not good enough for a woman like you,” he replied, his eyes holding hers like he wanted to show her he meant it. Then he pulled her down against him, chest to chest, and kissed her again. They melded into each other, clung to each other.
It was different than it had been with him before—different from anything she’d ever felt before. It felt like more. In every dimension, more; wider, taller, deeper than it had been.
They climbed to the highest peaks together, and crashed again still wrapped in each other’s arms. He held her tight while her pieces melded themselves together once more, and being in his arms felt like the safest place in the universe.
It felt, Willow realized, like love.
