Page 22 of Protected By the Surly Carpenter

“I should never have left the house?—”

He kisses the top of my head. “You should be safe to do a grocery run into town, baby. It’s all his fault. Not yours.” He tips my chin up with his finger. “At least now we know he’s gone. James got a photo of him, and he’ll send it to a bunch of the locals, including the Wolfes. If he’s ever spotted, well…” He chuckles. “That’s going to be averybad day for him.”

My body sags with relief. “I can’t believe it’s finally over.”

Clark pins me gently against the brick wall, bending down to nuzzle under my ear. Then he picks up the grocery bags and peeks inside. “I can’t believe you drove all the way down here for…ricotta?”

“I wanted to make you a lasagna.”

“Oh! Well, in that case, let’s get going.”

As I drive toward his house with Clark following in his truck, I let the beautiful scenery wash through me to chase away the last of the tension.

It’s over. What will life be like without my father lurking in the shadows at the corner of my mind?

Amazing, that’s what. It’s going to be amazing.

Especially since I now know in my heart that I’m staying with the man I adore.

13

CLARK

When we get back to my house, I help Elena with the groceries, then start a small fire in the fireplace. Even though it’s only partially visible from the kitchen, there’s something about the crackling that I’m hopeful will relax her.

“Do you still feel like cooking?” I ask. “I have some frozen stuff if you’re tired.”

“No, I think I’d like to cook. You know – get my mind off things.”

“Got it. Want a sous chef?”

“Sure.” She seems to be mostly herself as she sets me to work chopping and grating.

We chat about Old Hemlock Valley for a while, and I’m glad that the grocery store has everything she needs. The library is big enough for her taste. And apparently shelovesthe bakery.

“Should I open a red to go with this?” I ask.

Elena nods eagerly. “Good idea.”

Just as we’re about to sit down to eat, she turns around and spots the last shopping bag still on the counter. “Oh!” She takes out some white candles and little glass holders.

“Wow, you thought of everything.” I turn to fish out the matches from the junk drawer. When I spin back, she’s dropped everything back onto the counter, huddled on the floor in tears.

I scramble down to sit next to her, pulling her into my lap and wrapping my arms around her. Stroking her back gently, I murmur, “Let it out, baby. All of it.”

“The candles,” she sniffs. “If I hadn’t stopped for those stupid candles, I would’ve been in my car and gone by the time they got there.”

Rocking her gently, I let her cry for a few more moments. “Maybe it’s good that you stopped to buy them. If we hadn’t run into them today, you’d have been worried about him breathing down your neck for the rest of your life.”

Her head tips up, blinking at me through her tears. “What do you mean, we?Youtook care of it. What if you hadn’t gotten there?”

Reaching up, I cup her face with my palm. “Well, I’m pretty sure you would have screamed, and any of the other guys around would’ve rushed to help you.”

“Wow.” She stares at me intently, her lovely brown eyes wide. “Hey… Why did you come looking for me?”

“Because Barrett called and said there were some sketchy people asking around for you. I told him I had it handled, but he still turned around and dropped by to help too.” I squeeze her against me. “See? Everyone here is ready to help each other at a moment’s notice. That’s just what we do around here.”

“Did that police officer really mean it? I mean, about running Dad out of town?”

---