Page 41 of Taken by the Lawman

“Hanging out with the fur baby. Have you met Susie-Q?”

Deegan knelt and whistled. The dog raced over, begging for a rub behind the ears. Deegan patted her. “Good girl.”

“Since your schedule is as crazy as mine, I’m guessing you have no animals?”

“No, but I’ve always wanted one. We had a couple of dogs growing up. Bone and Chops. Black Labs.”

“Did you name them?”

“I did and was very proud of that fact.”

She sat down close to a tree and he joined her. “I love animals, but I haven’t had one since I had lived here. A dog or cat deserves lots of attention, nurturing. My fish didn’t mind that I was gone for days at a time. That’s kind of sad. They didn’t care.”

“You don’t have them any longer?”

“I thought it was easier to give them away than move them here. My neighbors had a little boy who would hang out in the hallway playing and I thought he looked like he’d take good care of them. He was excited.”

He wanted to ask about a baby, what her plans were, but how does one go about doing that? “What do you think about the future? Have you ever thought that you’d want someone who did care when you’d be home?” Would she open up to him?

She leaned back and propped her head on her hand, looking at him. “Don’t we all?”

“Some more than others I suppose.”

“One day last year, I was doing some window shopping and I stopped to admire a set of nice china. It reminded me of my mom’s that was handed down from her mom and how she takes it out only on special occasions. That’s what grandma did too. You felt important if you visited and she took out the china. Anyway, as I stood staring at the dishes, it struck me that I understood why dishes can mean something. They are a sign of home, love, and connection. I loved everything about those plates. The flowered pattern. The bright colors. The fluted edges. I didn’t own a set of dishes, at least a matching set that didn’t have chips. Never had. Paper plates had become my friend. I’m not saying they’re not the bomb because hey, easy cleaning, but there should be times when we take out the best china. I decided that I wanted a set of dishes. And wine glasses. One of those pretty, delicate tea pots. I might never use it, but I want one still the same. I want a home of my own, filled with love. Like this house.” She pointed at the farmhouse. “I needed it more than I ever wanted anything. That’s when I made plans to build a house. It’s only in the very beginning stages and I’ll be here for a while, but it should be done by the time the—” She stopped suddenly.

Was she about to mention a baby?

“You can have anything you want, Kiersten. You’re a smart, beautiful, amazing woman. I’m sure there are at least a dozen men who would love to have more with you—would love to share a dish set with you. And gets the idea of china and a tea pot. Understands you.”

Plucking a piece of grass, she rolled it between her fingers. “You’re wrong.”

He reached over, lifted a piece of her hair and twirled it around his knuckle. “No, I’m not,” he said softly.

“You shouldn’t do that.” She dropped the piece of grass and sat up, lifting her hair and dragging it over one shoulder. Susie-Q laid down beside her and she smoothed her hand down her back.

“Do what?”

“Look at me like you do.” She brought her gaze up for a mere second, cornflower blue windows to her soul.

“Let’s get this out there. I’m attracted to you and I don’t plan on hiding that any longer. So, if I look at you in a certain way remember this is what a man looks like when he sees something he likes.”

Her bottom lip trembled, but she didn’t look away. “Is that what that is?” Her soft voice penetrated every barrier he’d had in place.

“Come on, you know I want you. I’m still wondering why we didn’t repeat what we did two years ago. In my book, it was amazing and worth doing over and over and over again.” He saw a hint of a smile. “Isn’t it time we talked about that night? Cleared the air?”

“We have. A little but allowing things to get carried away puts my career, and yours, at risk.”

“Then you’ve thought about it too?”

She looked up at the sky, then brought her gaze back to him. “I won’t lie. Yes.”

“Is that the only reason why? Our careers?”

Her brows tilted over amazingly clear eyes. “I do wonder…you know, what it’d be like to let things happen, but that would only be a mess.”

He nodded. “Yes, or it could be the best time of your life. I’m not a bad guy, Kiersten. I bet we want similar things. Think about that.”

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