Page 49 of Welker

When Welker finally looked at his watch, he was surprised that so much time had passed, and sad they’d soon have to leave. “We need to clean up and be on our way,” he informed the ladies. “We have to hit my house so we can change, then we’re due in town in less than an hour.”

Margaret beamed, clearly up to something. “You look fine enough to me, Welker. Maybe it’s only Moira who needs to get spruced up,” she posited.

Yeah. That was true. This wouldn’t be the first time Welk had gone out with the guys after working all day and being a little…aromatic. “Good point,” Welker agreed. “I’ve got some deodorant in my go-bag in the car. I’m fine to socialize after using it. Moira?” he questioned.

“I’m totally gross,” she countered. “I’ve been in these sweaty, stretchy clothes all day, and I’m not going out in public looking like I’ve been at the gym.”

“Well, your new clothes are in the car,” Margaret pointed out, still with that small, angelic smile. “Use my shower and change while Welker and I take care of the kitchen.”

Welk readily agreed. What had the pair picked out for Moira to wear?

Moira only hesitated for a moment before agreeing. “Okay.”

Thirty minutes later the kitchen was spotless.

Welker and Margaret joined smelly Guinie in the parlor where she chuffed and groaned in her sleep, while they each took a chair to wait on Moira.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Welker praised Margaret.

“Pooh,” the woman answered. “You bought everything, drove me home, cooked. I did nothing but?—”

“—welcome us into your charming home,” Welker completed her sentence. “And just to let you know, we plan on coming back. A lot. If you’ll have us. And I have a feeling you might be meeting a lot of our teammates soon, as well.”

Once Welker told the SWAT team about the lovely old woman living alone, he knew they’d all step up to practically adopt her.

Margaret sighed contentedly. “Someone up above must really have been looking out for me today to bring you two into my life.” Her eyes grew a little teary. “I feel like a whole new chapter is about to open up for me.”

Welker cleared the emotion from his throat. “You can count on it,” he responded.

Hearing footsteps out in the hallway, he stood and took a few steps in that direction when…

A vision appeared in the doorway.

Welker stumbled.

The breath left his lungs.

“Moira?”

Was that his voice that had squeaked?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Moira suddenly felt self-conscious. Did she look ridiculous? What had she been thinking with this dress? Welker had only managed to scrape out her name, and now he was gaping.

Her gut seized up and she made up her mind.

“Right,” she clipped. “I’ll go change.”

She spun on her heel, but before she could move an inch, a hand shot out and stopped her.

“Don’t you dare,” Welker rasped. “You look…gorgeous.”

Moira thought maybe she’d misunderstood, and turned to him with a question hovering on her tongue, but before she could utter a single syllable, Welker leaned in and gently laid a kiss on her parted lips.

His touch was light, quick; not anything that could be construed as sexual, but…

Her mouth tingled, and she could feel the contact all the way to her toes as he stepped back and stared at her.

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