Page 91 of An Unfinished Memory

He was waiting by the door, Berry in his arms, when I returned. She had a pleased look on her face, and she shoved her head into him. That cat and I had a lot in common. I ducked into the kitchen to grab my coat by the door to the garage. “I’ve been waiting to tell you she hates people.”

He scratched her chin. “I’m not people.” His gaze stroked down my body. “Lookin’ good, Doc.”

He’d said the same on our real first date. “Same goes for you, cowboy.” Also what I had said to him all those years ago.

Desire filled his eyes, but he held the door open for me.

We loaded into his still-running pickup. The cab was toasty, and his smoky-whiskey-with-hints-of-vanilla smell infused the space.

“The roads won’t be bad going to town, but we probably don’t want to linger,” I said.

“As long as we get this date in, we’ll leave whenever you want.”

“The band was canceled. I checked.”

He smiled at me as he pulled onto the highway. “Don’t worry. I have a backup plan.”

This wasn’t the Wilder I was used to. He was good at going with the flow. He adapted or dropped what he was doing according to others’ needs, but I wasn’t accustomed to being the reason.

Although, I’d been the reason a lot lately. Since the night of the street dance. But getting stranded in another state during a bad storm was another level of flow. “What if you get snowed in?” He might miss work. Had Wilder ever missed a shift? He’d done acrobatics to get coverage, but he’d never even been late.

He lifted a shoulder. “I’ll figure it out then.”

I snuck a peek at him. His shoulders were relaxed, and he wasn’t clenching his jaw. This wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. I’d actually expected him to skip the date altogether so he could be in Buffalo Gully to help with the storm. “Are you really not bothered about getting snowed in?”

We were entering town, and the streetlights highlighted his chiseled profile. “It’s a worry. But I’ve covered enough for other guys who got stranded out of town in the winter.”

The warm glow he was causing inside me was going to turn permanent if he kept this up. And I kind of hoped that was exactly what he’d do.

Twenty

Wilder

The restaurant was busier than expected. Everyone in town wanted to grab a good meal before getting snowed in. The workers probably wanted a chance to get last-minute groceries and hunker down.

As much as I’d have loved to stay and enjoy Sutton’s company, I also wanted to get her home safe. And tuck myself in with her. It’d been too damn long.

What if you get snowed in?

Was I a bad guy to admit that I hoped I got snowed in? I wanted the winter storm to turn into a blizzard and dump two feet of snow on western North Dakota and eastern Montana so for once in the time since I’d known Sutton, I wouldn’t be out in some of the most dangerous weather Mother Nature had to offer. I wouldn’t be rescuing stranded motorists out of half-buried cars, freezing my ass, my feet, and my nose off, praying I wasn’t the next to be buried by either snow or an out-of-controlvehicle. What was it like to be a normal guy, hanging out in a warm house with my girl, putting puzzles together, and cuddling with the cat and the dog Sutton would surely bring inside once it got bad out?

Sutton finished the last of her pasta and pushed the plate to the side. She peered out the window. “The snow’s getting heavier.”

“Sure is.” I was silently cheering for more. “Want dessert?”

She rolled her eyes toward me. “You know I always do.”

“Triple chocolate cake or the lava cake with ice cream? We can take both to go.”

She groaned and pressed her hand against her stomach. “You’re going to get me so full I won’t be too active tonight.”

I read into her meaning. “I’ll do all the work.”

She laughed but shook her head. “I’d love the lava cake.” She dropped her gaze and picked up the wrapper that had been around the napkin and silverware. She’d gotten halfway through making a tiny paper airplane. “I didn’t think you’d make it, and I wouldn’t have been upset. You can’t help the weather,” she rushed to tack on.

“I know.” I plucked the small airplane from her grip and lightly launched it at her. I would’ve fucking walked if necessary. I wasn’t canceling a first date.

She giggled and batted the plane away. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

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