Page 62 of Dairy and Deadly

“Good.” He gently bumped noses with her, nuzzling the edge of her mouth. “I love you, Ash.” His voice grew thick with emotion. “I know I’ve never said it before. I should have, but…”

Her heartbeat spiked to crazy levels. She’d known it for a while, but it was nice to finally hear the words. Really nice. She touched her lips to his to assure him she understood. They’d been taking things slow, both of them.

“I love you, too,” she whispered. Love wasn’t a word either of them tossed around lightly.

He claimed her lips again. Hungrily. Tenderly. Like a man who couldn’t get enough of her.

Happiness crashed through her as she kissed him back.

“Can’t believe you’re gonna just get in the car and drive off after telling me that,” he grumbled against her lips.

“I’m coming back, Johnny.” Just thinking about it made her giddy with anticipation. It was wonderful to have someone to come home to. Someone who mattered to her the same way she mattered to him.

“Not soon enough.” He gave her one final hard kiss before letting her go. “Let me know when you get there safely. Please?”

“I will,” she promised.

He carried her suitcase to the car and tossed it in the backseat for her. Then he held open her door and leaned in for another lingering kiss. “I’ll be praying for a safe trip there and back.”

“I’m going to be okay.” Having him fuss and worry over her was seriously one of the most wonderful feelings in the world.

He waved as she drove away and kept waving until she couldn’t see him anymore through her rearview mirror. Then her eyes grew damp as the missing him part began.

She swallowed her emotions and forced her mind back to the case. To pass the time, she plugged in her phone and played her case notes aloud. It made the drive go a lot quicker.

Her dad was waiting in the doorway of his brick patio home when she pulled into the driveway. At the sight of her, he jogged down the sidewalk to pull the car door open for her. He was several inches taller than her, and his auburn hair had long since become threaded with white. Otherwise, he was the same rangy electrician that she remembered.

She stepped from the car straight into his wiry embrace. “Hi, Dad!”

“Hey, baby girl!” He held her like she was made of glass. “Means the world to me that you drove all the way here to see me tonight.”

“You’re worth it.” Her eyes grew damp. It was so good to see him again.

An answering sheen of dampness covered his eyes as he held her at arm’s length. “You look just like your mother,” he choked. For a moment, the familiar pain was back in his eyes. Then it was gone. He beckoned her up the sidewalk. “Come on inside. I’ve got dinner set out already.”

Though the outside of the house looked like the same old red brick, the inside had undergone a metamorphosis. “Wow!” Mixed feelings churned in Ashley as she absorbed the pale lavender walls of the living room and the sage-colored linen sofa. So many throw pillows were piled on it that there wasn’t much room left for sitting.

Jeff Perkins looked mildly uncomfortable. “It’s all Darla’s doing.”

I bet.Ashley didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t comment on the changes. Her heart ached at the memory of the simpler beige tones and comfy leather furniture that had graced the home she’d grown up in when her mother was still alive. Sadly, Darla had blown into their lives with her starchy British accent and snooty college professor attitude and turned everything upside down.

Ashley gave the air an appreciative sniff, trying to stay focused on the positive. She was glad there were a few things that hadn’t changed since her last visit. Her favorite Italian restaurant, for instance. She snatched up one of the breadsticks as she made her way into the kitchen, sighing her way through her first bite.

“Whoa!” Her father shook his head as he pulled out a chair for her. “I haven’t blessed the food yet.”

“Go ahead.” She waved her breadstick at him as he took a seat next to her. “Don’t forget to mention the bite I already took.”

He snorted and reached for her hand.

She continued clutching the breadstick while he said grace and stuck the end of it back in her mouth the second he said amen.

“You’re a nut.” He watched her in amusement.

“It feels like forever since my last breadstick.”

“You should come home more often then.” He passed her the bowl of salad.

“You’re right.” She stopped short of promising to do so, not sure how much of her stepmother’s and stepsister’s snide attitudes she could handle.

---