Page 23 of Need Me
Chapter 6
Brooke drove down Greenwood Drive,tapping the wheel to the beat of Ed Sheeran’sPerfect. She felt a little giddy over seeing Robert again and laughed at herself. It had been a long time since she’d been so excited about aman.
And not just any man. Robert was what she called a man of substance. He was down to earth, steady, and sexy without even trying; all things that drew her to him. Unconsciously, she frowned as she thought that her ex-fiancé could take some lessons fromRobert.
His house came into sight and she smiled at the odd-looking single-story dwelling. It had originally been a very small one-bedroom house, but previous owners had added on rooms at odd places. Despite its lack of uniformity, there was a certain charm to the freshly painted sea green house with white trim. The barn was painted to match and the pasture fencing was done in white. The effect was welcoming and unique, much like the man who owned theproperty.
As she turned onto his driveway, a big dog that she recognized from Robert’s Facebook pictures as Corky raced to meet her car. He ran alongside, barking the whole time she pulled up to the house. She turned the engine off and gathered herpurse.
Robert had told her that Corky was friendly, so she wasn’t afraid to get out. As soon as she opened the car door, the big pooch came to greet her. He sniffed her legs and wagged his tail furiously, happy to meet someonenew.
“Hello, Corky,” she said, petting him. “Aren’t you a handsomeguy?”
“Corky!Enough.”
Brooke looked up and her breath caught when she saw Robert. He looked scrumptious in dark blue jeans and a maroon button downshirt.
His smile practically melted her bones. “Hi there. Did you have trouble findingme?”
“No. You give really good directions,” shesaid.
He held out a hand to her and the appreciation in his brown eyes literally made her heart flutter. Giving him her hand felt more meaningful than just accepting his gallant gesture. His palm was warm and slightly rough as he closed his fingers aroundhers.
“Good.” He closed her door, but kept a hold on her hand, tucking it in the crook of his elbow as he led her towards the house. “Are you afraid ofskunks?”
His question made her smile. “I’ve never met one before, but Kate said that yours isharmless.”
Robert nodded. “That’s right. Sketch is de-scented and he was hand-raised from the time he was a baby. So he’s very friendly andaffectionate.”
She took the opportunity to squeeze his bicep a little. “I’m excited to meet him. To meet all your furryfriends.”
“Good. Right through here. Don’t mind the mudroom. It’s always a little bit of a disaster,” he told her, guiding her to a screendoor.
Brook opened it and stepped into the large room. “Wow. Do you use all thesecrates?”
“A lot of them. I volunteer with the local animal control department and sometimes we need them when we remove abused animals from homes,” hereplied.
“That’s right. Emily mentioned that you did that.” Brooke entered the kitchen and looked around. “This isnice.”
The walls were done in sand with white glass-front cabinets and white counter units. It looked like all the floors were hardwoodpine.
“Thanks. I’ve slowly been renovating it. It was pretty tacky when I bought it a few years ago.” He gestured around. “Make yourself at home. Would you like somewine?”
Brooke hung her purse on a kitchen chair and said, “I’d love some. Something smells reallygood.”
Robert shot her a smile as he opened the refrigerator. “Well, it’s not Hamburger Helper, but I hope you’ll like itanyway.”
She chuckled. “I’m sure I will. I can’t believe how silly Iacted.”
“It’s understandable, and I enjoyed it. I like hearing you laugh.” He uncorked the red wine and poured some into twoglasses.
“I sure did enough of that.” She took the glass he handed her, sniffed and took a sip. “Very nice. So, what did youmake?”
“Half-homemade spaghetti and meatballs,” he replied with a self-deprecatinggrin.
She smiled. “Half-homemade?”
“Yeah. The meatballs are homemade, but the sauce isn’t. It’s doctored up, though,” hesaid.
