Page 183 of Mountain Grump
I know the voice belongs to Ethan, but my heart is still racing from the surprise.
Hand against my chest, I turn toward him just in time to see Quackers fly up from beneath the deck, flapping straight for Ethan’s handsome face.
I open my mouth to yell at Quackers. But before I can tell her to stop her attack, Ethan darts his hand out and catches her midair, his large hand gripping her by the chest.
My mouth stays open.
“Knock it off,” Ethan snaps.At the duck.
He looks past Quackers to me.
I lift a hand. “Hello.”
He lifts the duck. “Happy birthday.”
I stare at the man. Possibly in shock. Then I grin as Quackers starts to flap her wings.
It’s mayhem. And the perfect amount of goofy. Because Ethan is here. For my birthday. And if I don’t let the humor win, I may break into tears at the sweetness of it all.
“Enough,” Ethan barks, and Quackers instantly settles. “I’m going to put you down. And if you try to bite me, I’m going to be upset.”
He’s being so stern. And it’s making me warm.
Ethan slowly lowers Quackers to the ground.
She flaps her wings once, then waddles back under the deck.
“Could you please grab my mug?” I point to where I threw it.
The edge of Ethan’s mouth pulls up. “Sure thing, Starlight.”
That warm feeling turns molten.
Then I spot the present in his hand. And all that heat turns into something tender.
Before he even reaches the mug, I’m rushing through the screenless door, into the house.
Chapter 98
Ethan
Tilda disappearsinto the house in a cloud of pink.
I shake my head as I bend down, reaching for the ceramic mug that Tilda flung over the railing.
It’s no wonder my house has felt so lonely. One minute in Matilda’s presence is more interesting than anything I’ve done in the last forty-eight hours.
I hook a finger through the handle of the mug, and the damn duck darts out and tries to bite my hand.
I hiss at her. She quacks at me. But we come to an understanding, and she waddles alongside me as I circle around to the front of the house.
There’s a little splash as she hops into her pool, but I keep walking through the door Tilda is holding open for me.
She shuts it, and I feel satisfaction at the sound of the lock turning.
My wife knows I’m here for the night.
Tilda moves to stand before me.
