Page 27 of Evergreen Desires
Will's gaze remained fixed on me, locked onto my eyes. Then, suddenly, he closed the space between us.
"Welcome to the family!" he exclaimed, pulling me into a tight bear hug.
"You're squishing me. I can't breathe."
"Sorry." He only eased the pressure slightly at first. It was only when the hug began to feel a few seconds too long that he fully released me. Stepping back, I noticed the glassy glimmer of unshed tears in his eyes. "So, you saw him beast out?"
"Is that what it's called?"
"Well, that's what I call it. I've been the only person outside the family who knows up until now."
"Well, we haven't had a chance to discuss it yet. I don’t even know what happened. We were a little preoccupied with other things, and then he was out checking the property when I woke up."
"Preoccupied?" Will wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.
Heat flooded my cheeks. I took a deep breath. "Yes, but there were also people trying to break in! There are bigger things to worry about here."
Will pumped his fist in the air. "You're right, but we'll come back to how the date went later. You and Beau aren't getting off that easily. Do you know who...?"
"Will, leave him alone," Beau's voice interrupted, accompanied by a chuckle, as he walked through the door of the greenhouse, barefoot as usual. Beau crossed the dirt floor, leaning down to give me a passionate, lingering kiss.
"You're not getting off that easily!” Will repeated. “Well, not as easily as you got off last night," he added, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. My cheeks burned even hotter.
"What is this, high school?" Beau rolled his eyes. "We'll have time for you to tease me later. Right now, there are more pressing matters."
"As long as Icantease you later."
"Fine. The three of us can have dinner later. But clearly, I owe Jake some explanations. Not to mention a ton more kisses." Beau leaned in, giving me a quick chaste kiss, his hand boldly squeezing my ass. Will hooted. "But we do have a problem if people are trying to break in. I called Police Chief Mat to come out and make a report."
"Wait, Mateo is coming? You should have led with that!" Will said, quickly heading towards the office. "I need to freshen up a little. I don't want him to see me looking disheveled." He left the office door open as he disappearedinto the bathroom right inside the doorway. "Keep talking, I'm listening."
“I didn’t catch anything on the trail cameras. But I moved them around just in case. I can see shoe footprints out there, they seem to come up the back driveway by your house, Will. My guess is they park down the by the road out of site and hike in.”
“We have never had a problem before,” Will called out from inside. “We don’t advertise our cannabis; most people just think it’s strictly a tree farm.”
“I know. I’m guessing that Rich has something to do with it. He confronted me last night, until my knight here yelled at him”.
“My knight? Oh, I want to hear more about that!” Will walked out with his hair brushed back, wearing a clean shirt. The shirt might have been a little small for him, but it showed off his farm boy muscles nicely. The office doorbell rang. “Just in time. I’ll get it!” Will said, heading through the office to open the door.
Beau smiled down at me, his eyes locked onto mine. "Are you okay? Sorry I missed you this morning. You looked so cute and peaceful sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb you." He leaned in again, capturing my lips in a long, passionate kiss.
Oh, I coulddefinitelyget used to this.
CHAPTER 24
BEAU
"Let's address the current situation," Chief Mateo said with a small grin at Will before shifting his attention to me and Jake, who stood off to the side.
I walked the three of them down the tree line, recounting the events of last night, providing additional details about the dual nature of the farm. I pointed out factors like the farm road that led to the other side where Will's cabin was located.
Drawing closer to the spot where everything unfolded, Jake explained how he stumbled upon the two men and their conversation. Mateo diligently took notes, showing a keen interest in listening rather than bombarding us with questions. Occasionally, he asked for clarifications.
"So, two voices? Did you happen to recognize them?" Mateo asked, his pen frozen over his notepad.
"Sorry, but no." Jake shook his head. "I'm still new to town, and I haven't really ventured out much yet. The few times I have, it's usually to one of the neighboring towns for errands or to grab dinner."
"I understand. I know it was dark, but did you see anything that might help identify them? Shoes, clothing, facial hair, anything?" Mateo probed further.
