Page 98 of Evening Shadows

“Winglet.”

Curious at his level of artistic talent and his memory, she asked, “May I see?”

He shrugged and handed her the pad.

“Wow!” His work was magnificent and his memory outstanding. While she didn’t remember the horse exactly, this drawing brought it all back to the forefront of her mind. Looking at his work, no one would believe it of a child.

Handing back the artwork with pride, she smiled with warmth and love. “You have an amazing talent.”

He shrugged again, but she noticed the slight lift in his shoulders at the compliment. Not responding, he accepted the book and went back to his work.

With her shower and the food prep completed—not at the same time—she ventured back to her bedroom and donned the dress. It fit snuggly with the bindings around her ribs, but it wasn’t a vulgar snug. Used to wearing long pants and Capri pants, the dress stopping midway between her thigh and knee made her want to pull it down to keep from showing so much skin.

She couldn’t understand the top half. The dress went over the shoulder, but on the arms, there were holes then more sleeve so her shoulders showed. The rest of the dress was simple and plain. That she could deal with.

Remembering it was for Ken and not her, she slipped into the heels and returned to the front of the house where she heard Ken speaking with Cody. Something inside her twisted that while it had been Ken who he’d answered the door to, Cody shouldn’t be opening the door. She didn’t want to explain about all the evils in the world.

“Are you getting settled in?” he asked Cody.

She shouldn’t eavesdrop, but she wanted Cody to have that alone time with Ken, plus she was curious.

“Yes. Sam says I can paint my room blue. Will you help?”

Happiness infused her body. Her heart filled with love for these two men.

“I sure will.”

“Good, because since you’re going to be the man of the house, you should do that kind of stuff.”

Her hand flew to her mouth. There were apparently no more secrets with Cody in her life. It’d only been a few hours for him to hold it.

“I will be the man of this house, but I’m thinking that maybe instead of painting this room, we buy a bigger house and you can paint a room there blue.”

While surprised at Ken’s confidence, she really shouldn’t be. He’d pushed forward since they thought they might die. It made her wonder if they moved too fast. Then she remembered their growing friendship and connection since she’d started working for HIS.

“That’d be good because I didn’t tell Aunt Sam ‘coz I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but that’s a small room, and the bed is a little hard.”

A touch of hurt tried to worm its way inside, since not being able to provide something for Cody that he liked ate at her. She shouldn’t design things just to please him, but starting a new life, she wanted him to find it safe and loving.

Ken chuckled. “Don’t worry, you can go with your Aunt Sam and me to find our new home.”

“Can I order pizza now?”

With that question, Sam entered the room as if she hadn’t heard a thing, but Ken’s cocked eyebrow told her he suspected she’d been there. Once he took in her dress, looking her over with hungry eyes ready to wolf her down, he smiled and closed the distance between.

Her pulse quickened and her heart beat overtime at his nearness. No man had ever had blood rushing through her veins with desire and love like this man.

In a low, husky voice and with that infuriatingly sexy grin, he leaned close to her ear, and growled, “I can’t wait to peel that dress off you and make love to you all night long.”

Feeling the heat rising up her neck, and the whispering touch of the air when he spoke, she nearly melted at his feet. She just stood there, incapable of anything other than breathing, and that was a feat in itself as it had deepened in an erratic pattern.

They both boasted small injuries, but she knew they’d make it work. Lord help her when they were at full strength.

He chuckled and stood straight again. “I like the dress.”

It took another moment before her senses returned, and she almost snapped at him for making her feel like mush in front of Cody. This could be a problem when they were married.

She cleared her throat and looked at Cody. “Cody, do you want me to order you some pizza now?”

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