Page 57 of Wandering Souls

“What have we here?” She winked, trying to glance down at the picnic set up.

“I missed you,” he whispered, nudging his nose against hers. “So, I made you lunch.”

“You cooked?”

“Um, if you call making sandwiches cooking, then yeah.”

She chuckled and pressed her lips to his once more, the slow, lingering contact stoking the fire in his groin. “I spent the day with Stevie.”

“Your sister?”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Is there anyone else named Stevie? Yes, my sister. We met for breakfast, which turned into lunch.”

The light in her eyes was radiant. “You two got on like a house on fire, didn’t you?” He would expect nothing else. They seemed as kick-ass as each other.

Abi’s fingers touched his cheek. Nostalgia crossed her face. “And I’m an aunt. Max is adorable.”

“I’m really glad for you. Will you see her again?”

Abi nodded and a lock of hair fell into her eyes. Ray removed it but held onto the silken strands, letting them slip over his skin. Everything about her appealed to him.

“You can let me go, Ray.”

Much as he didn’t want to, he relinquished his hold and set her back on her feet. “How’s the leg today?”

They sat opposite each other with the basket between them. It was overkill to pack their sandwiches into the large wicker basket, but it felt wrong to turn up with little more than a paper bag. Ray opened one side of the basket and withdrew a container of crackers and dip. Abi’s eyes widened as she spied the food.

“Not too bad,” she said absently. “Is that hummus?”

Ray popped the lid and set it between them. “You’re not allergic to anything are you? I’d hate to think something I have in here will give you anaphylaxis or hives.”

She chuckled and set her hand on his. “Nope. Not allergic to any foods or bites or stings, and I have no known respiratory conditions like asthma. Relax, Ray.”

He noted the genuine happiness in her voice. Seeing her at ease with life delivered a sucker punch straight to his gut and it became clear to him he’d do anything to keep the good times coming. Selfish it might be, but if she were enjoying getting to know her family, it increased the likelihood of her staying—or at least coming back.

A crack of thunder in the distance brought both their faces up to the sky. “Damn.”

“A little rain never hurt anyone.”

He tangled his fingers with hers and met her smile with one of his. “You’ve never experienced a Wills Crossing thunderstorm, have you?”

“Maybe not, but thunderstorms are thunderstorms no matter where you are.”

She was in for a shock, as another clap of thunder sounded overhead. “I thought we’d have time before it hit.”

Her head tilted to the side. “I’m game to stay if you are.”

The dare in her voice spoke to him. “Challenge accepted. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Okay, okay,” she chuckled blithely. “So.” She picked up a cracker and scooped up some of the hummus. “How was your day yesterday?”

Ray thought back to the day spent chasing up break ins and stolen goods, and the hours he’d spent at the youth center trying to build relationships with the Crossing’s growing number of disenfranchised teens. The booming town’s population had sent unemployment, youth unemployment in particular, through the roof.

There just weren’t enough jobs at the local supermarket, cafés and other small businesses for them all. A couple kids had scored apprenticeships at the airport, another with Magnus at the local garage and two more with the town’s largest plumbing store, but again, there weren’t enough to go around—and keeping the rest of the youngsters out of trouble had become a part-time job.

“It was a very busy day. Actually, the last couple had run me off my feet.”

She looked skeptical. “This is a small town.”

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