Page 75 of A Twist of Faith
Her smile broke free. “Me too and now I might have trouble remembering what I was going to say.”
“That’s okay. I have a one track mind anyway.”
She put a hand to his chest to stop his forward momentum and laughed. “If you keep distracting me, I’ll never remember.”
“Alright. I’m listenin’.” He focused on her lips again. “Mostly.”
She slid her hand to his cheek and took a deep breath. “Well, I have this fairly important engagement to attend next week. It’s a large party in Charlottesville called the Autumn Leaves Ball.”
Reese’s gaze came up to hers and his moustache twitched. “A ball? Like in Cinderella?”
“Nothing as grand as that kind of ball, but it is a fancy affair, with music and an extravagant dinner and—”
“Dancing?” He pronounced the word like it hurt.
She bit the inside of her cheeks to control her grin. “Probably.”
“Oh.” He groaned. “It’sthatkind of party. I’m more of an outdoor-barbeque-type fella.”
She studied his grimace, working up the courage to ask … or worse, confess. His honest, brown eyes had become a regular fixture in her dreams. He harnessed power and strength into the gentlest touch to cherish her. She’d never understood the true meaning of the wordcherishbefore, but cocooned in the haven of Reese’s arms, her mind awoke from a long, lonely solo into a full symphony. Charlottesville and all its splendors dimmed to the backlight in an instant, and she knew.Home wasn’t about a place or time—it was about relationships, and there was no place like home.Right here.
Her will wrapped around the awareness like an iron fist. She wouldn’t hurt Reese or his family, even if Charlottesville offered grand prize. Shelovedhome too much.
“Dee? Do you want me to go with you? Is that what you’re saying?” Reese searched her face.
The fact he offered to go secured her decision. The wager was over. Alex’s win held no prize greater than the one holding her. She loved Reese Mitchell. Relief swelled at the inner declaration and inspired a ridiculous giggle. “You are so sweet. Did you know that?”
He raised a brow. “Are you just figuring that out?”
“I’m a slow learner.” She placed a gentle kiss against his lips and then rested her forehead against his chin, an overwhelming sense of gratitude shaking her to her core. Love? The fragile and mysterious melody hummed beneath her skin. Amazing.
“So about your Cinderella Ball?”
His fingers sifted through her hair and she snuggled closer into his strength. Home never felt so good. “I just wanted you to know I’d be away.” She swallowed the brief edge of disappointment. “Would you mind feeding Haus for me?”
“Is that all?” His voice rumbled in his chest and his arms tightened around her. “Old Haus has grown on you a bit?”
“There’s something catchy about Ransom.” She kissed him, long and tenderly with all the freedom running through her veins. She’d totally underrated lips. Though great for eating and using certain speech sounds, they reached their functional pinnacle in kisses, or at least in the right kind of kisses.
She savored the afterglow of loving him, acknowledging it, and reached for the truck door. No more wager. No more lies. She’d earn her own way to Charlottesville, in her own time. “Goodness gracious, Mr. Mitchell, we’d better get inside before we miss out on those tater cakes.”
“You can share a little more dessert with me first.” His grin turned wicked. “I’m not in a hurry for lunch unless you are.”
She slid to her door, slapping at his hand and turning up her best Appalachian accent. “We’ll be in a heap of trouble from one hawkeyed Mama if we don’t show up for her vittles.”
He laughed and sent her a look withhungrywritten on each sparkle in his eyes. Her misconceptions about mountain people, the Appalachian culture, and true love fell over and over again, but not without being rebuilt into the possibility of a new dream, a new understanding. Now all she needed to do was call Alexander Murdock, and forfeit Charlottesville.
Dee closedher front door and leaned her back against it with a content sigh. Lunch with a loving family, snuggles with two cute kids, and an afternoon kiss from her handsome farmer?Stellar day. The warm fuzzies hitched on one thought: Charlottesville, and the call she needed to make. Haus’ paws clipped across the wooden floor and followed her to the couch, where she collapsed. Her unlikely companion settled on the rug near her feet and smiled up at her.
She scratched him behind an ear. “It’s been a good day, boy, but I think it’s about to get harder.”
His grin didn’t change.
“I’m serious. Charlottesville was so close and now?” She shrugged, the weight of a dying dream throbbed into a deep ache. “Not impossible, just a longer wait.”
She stared at her phone in hand, the heaviness landing with full force in her mind, but she wouldn’t turn back now. One click of a button rang Alex’s number. Waiting worried a hole in her stomach. One ring. Two rings. Three. Pride pinched to the stinging place. Admitting failure to anyone else would have been three times easier, but to Alex Murdock? Four. Five. An automated voice opened his voicemail. Leaving a message was the way of cowards.
Beep. “Hey Alex, it’s Adelina. The wager is off. I’ll bring my research to the ball. Bye.”
