Page 60 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

Slowly, I push away from his back. I come around to his front.

“Did you mean it?” he asks.

I look at him with a curious expression.

“I meant every word I said to him. I’m not with him, and I left without disclosing my location. He is a callous attorney in the Seattle area. The guy with him was his best friend, James Lindell, who is also an attorney in the area,” I clarify.

He shakes his head as his hands come up to my jawline. Lifting my gaze to his, I see his eyes are soft. His thumb pad rubs my cheek.

“I figured that much, but the phrase I heard that I need to be clarified was ‘I’m in love with another man,’” he murmurs as his eyes search mine.

My cheeks go red, and I bite my lower lip.

Averting my gaze to the side, I murmur, “Yeah, it was true, and to clarify it further, you are the man I was referring to, Lachlan.”

A tear slides down my cheek in fear of rejection. He is the first man I've ever truly loved. It happened overnight and without warning. But before I can spiral and try to take it back, he eases my mind with a gentle kiss on both my eyes. As I close them, his mouth moves to my lips. Tender and sweet, he kisses me until my breath becomes short and frantic. We separate on gasped breaths, with his forehead pressed to mine.

“I love you too, Hurricane. You came in swirling, fast and wild. I didn’t even know it was you I'd been waiting for. You knocked the wind out of me with just one look, and I was actually knocked over from just one dance move,” he murmurs, kissing my forehead.

I take in a relieved, shuddering breath and smile up at him through watery eyes. “I love you, Lachlan. Thank you for protecting me but also giving me the space to fight for myself. I feel safe in your presence and protected in your arms.”

His smile takes up his whole face as I hear a fake gagging noise behind him. We both slowly turn to see Ingrid smiling like rainbows are dancing across the sky and Callum grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“When did you get here?” Lachlan asks Callum. “You missed the party.”

“No, I saw it all from the barn. I had a shotgun slung over my shoulder in case Calamity Jane over here wanted to do some target practice. Don’t worry. I would have been here in mere seconds if you needed the manpower. Looks like Aislinn took care of business, though. Not sure that stuffed suit will bear children after the knee to his junk she delivered.”

My cheeks feel like they are on fire. All of the moves I attempted were taught in self-defense class. At least those courses paid off for me.

Callum and Ingrid approach us as Lachlan continues to rub circles on my back, soothing my nerves as I come down from my adrenaline rush.

“Ingrid said the DEQ sent an email?” Callum says, drawing our attention to him.

I look up at Lachlan, who is grinning. “Yeah, I got the email just before Thing 1 and Thing 2 came to the ranch. The DEQ supervisor and a geologist will come on Thursday to see the mine and assess it for liabilities. There is some government program associated with abandoned mines as well. Oddly, she said there is no documentation of a mine in the area.”

Smiling, I say, “That is awesome that they are coming out here. Hopefully, we can get some answers. I have to get to the clinic right now, but are we still on for going to the alpaca farm this afternoon? I thought we could get some dinner in Whitefish.”

He squeezes my waist, but before he can respond, Ingrid squeals, “Alpacas! Oh my goodness, can I name them? In keeping with our weather naming theme, if we get two, can they be Dewdrop and Sunray?”

I giggle. “Those are such cute names. Maybe we can find a golden one and a gray one?”

She claps and jumps up and down. “Oh, this is going to be amazing! Alpacas, Callum!”

Lachlan presses his hand into my lower back as we all say goodbye.

Guiding me to my Jeep, he says, “Why don’t you let Chloe stay at the ranch today with Finn? She can run and tire herself out. If we leave here around 3:30 p.m. we can be at Whitefish by about 4:00 p.m. and then get dinner afterward. I’ll drive and bring our trailer, just in case we find some alpacas.”

I nod and go up on my tiptoes to kiss him. “See you after three. I’ll miss you. If I have time, I’m going to go home at lunch and pack some more clothes. I have gone through the extra outfits I usually keep stored in my trunk.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan. Feel free to pack a bit extra to store here,” he says softly.

His cheeks get a bit of a pink hue as he rubs the back of his neck.

“I will,” I reply winking. “See you soon, handsome.”

I pull out of his driveway with a big grin on my face. In the rearview mirror, I watch as Lachlan’s figure gets smaller. He stands watching my taillights until I’m out of sight. Plugging Paisley’s number into the phone, I hear it ring two times before her voice comes across the line.

“Sunshine Architecture and Design, Paisley speaking, how can I help you?” she says, full of vibrancy.

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