Page 44 of Mountain Rescue
She hadn’t been expecting him back this early and had planned to change before he returned. The denim shorts barely covered her butt cheeks, and the midriff top was a little snug, not to mention she wasn’t wearing a bra under it, so no surprise his eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets. Although she hadn’t intended him to see her dressed like this, she liked the appreciation in his eyes. A lot.
He rubbed a hand over his face and muttered something that sounded a lot like, “My new fantasy.” Then he gave his head a shake, lifted his nose in the air, and sniffed. “Something smells good in here. Did the little woman spend the day sweating over a hot stove?”
She wanted to laugh at his silliness, but she leaned back against the counter and glared. “The little woman is going to bop you over the head with a frying pan if you keep calling her the little woman.”
“You really have a thing for wanting to bash my brains out.” He grinned. “Should I be worried?”
“Yeah, you might want to sleep with one eye open.”
“Duly noted.” He opened the oven door and peered inside. “Pot roast?”
“Get your nose out of our dinner.” She didn’t cook much, but a pot roast was easy. Just pour some red wine and beef broth over the meat, add some potatoes, carrots, and onions, and then cook it forever.
“Yes, ma’am.” He closed the oven door. His eyes slid over her again. “When I was fifteen, I saw a rerun ofTheDukes of Hazzard. I had erotic dreams about Daisy for months after that. You—” he pointed at her “—are the new Daisy Duke in my dreams.”
Okay then. “I don’t even know what to say to that.” Other than she liked the idea of being in his dreams.
A smile curved his lips as he inched close enough to touch her. He trailed the tip of his finger over the top of her shorts, his fingernail lightly scraping against her skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. “Wear this outfit when we get married, and I promise you we’ll burn up the sheets on our wedding night.”
She sputtered a laugh. “You’re ridiculous.” Before she decided they should get an early start on their wedding night, she stepped away. “You’re back early. How’d your day go?”
“Great.” He dropped his hand down to Bella’s head, and the dog sighed. Rachel knew the feeling. “I’m impressed with what Jack and Noah are creating for our brothers and sisters who are having problems now that they’re back in civilization. You should come with me tomorrow. Check it out.”
“I’d like that.” It beat spending another boring day hanging around the cabin.
“Good. To why I’m back early, there’s something I need to talk to you about. Why don’t we grab a beer and sit on the porch?”
“Okay.” She took two bottles from the refrigerator and handed them to him, then opened a drawer to get a bottle opener. Before she could find it, he’d twisted off the caps with his hand.
She followed him and Bella to the porch, and when he settled in a rocker, Bella attached herself to his leg. The dog was head over heels in love with him, and Rachel wondered what would happen to Bella when Dallas returned home.
“I think you’re a dog whisperer.”
He smiled down at Bella. “No, just the first person who was nice to her. We’ll bring her with us tomorrow. Jack wants to start working with me and her.”
“I’d love to watch that.” The way Jack had with dogs had always fascinated her. She glanced at the yard, then frowned. “Where’s the Jeep?”
“Parked on the side, next to the bedroom window.” He absently scratched Bella’s head. “Keeping it there will make it easier to get away if it comes to that. If the worst happens, and Hargrove and his men have the front and back doors covered, we can go out the bedroom window, jump in the Jeep, and beat feet.”
“Beat feet?”
“Haul ass in military lingo.”
“Oh. Okay, that sounds smart. I just hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Me, too, sugar. Me, too.”
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
He combed his fingers through his hair. “I really need a haircut.”
“Then get one.” She was sure that wasn’t what he wanted to talk about. What was so bad that he was delaying telling her?
“I... I can’t.”
Oh, Dallas. You’re breaking my heart.Because he’d said he could bear her touch, she put her hand on his arm. “I can cut your hair.”
He stared at her hand, then lifted his gaze to hers and grinned. “Like what, you’ll just put a bowl on my head and cut around it?”
