“Hey,” he whispered, his breathing still jagged. “No crying. You’ll make me think I’ve done something wrong. Like defiled you against your will.”
Her laugh was a soft one. “You know better.” She sniffled. “Sorry about the tears. You’re just everything I’ve never had. And so much more than I’d ever imagined.”
“We are damn good together.”
“It’s you,” she said in a quiet voice.
With a sweep of his arm, he threw back the blanket to shoulder level. Enough moonlight filtered in through the cracks in the shutters that he could look into her eyes.
“It’s us, Reese. Honest and simple. I’d buy stock in this.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek. He quickly whisked it away.
She smiled. “Aren’t you just a fantasy come to life?”
“I’m workin’ on it,” he said with a grin. “Maybe someday I’ll have you convinced you deserve better cards than the ones you were dealt.”
“I chose those cards,” she was quick to say. “Can’t blame anyone but myself.”
“You didn’t deserve to have someone beat you down, sweetheart.”
“That is true.” She sighed. “But I put up with it so, again, who’s really at fault?”
He realized she had to accept the situation with her ex for what it was on her own terms. He couldn’t talk her into feeling any different. But he could certainly help her see she was worth more than she seemed to give herself credit. Perhaps that w
as why he’d innately gone for the big, showy flowers. To prove he believed she was worth the time and effort and expense. And hoped she believed it too.
His lips brushed over hers and then he said, “Don’t you move, darlin’. I’ll be right back.”
He slipped from the sofa to tidy himself up in his bathroom, then returned to snuggle with her again. She hadn’t put his shirt back on and he was glad, because he wanted her naked beside him.
Holding her in his arms, he kissed the top of her head and said, “A few more winks might do us both good. Don’t rush off when the sun’s up. There are still leftovers I can take out to the ranch so you don’t have to cook.”
“I don’t mind cooking.”
With a chuckle, he said, “You need to learn to read between the lines.”
“Well, I wasn’t planning on running off if you had another condom handy.”
“Picked one up on my way out of the bedroom.”
She laughed. Then yawned. She settled more soundly against him, and soon he heard her light, steady breathing and it lulled him to sleep as well.
Chapter Six
Reese kept her word and didn’t slip away to cook at the crack of dawn. Instead they stayed under the covers until eight, and then they made omelets together. Following breakfast, they both showered before heading out in Caleb’s SUV. His property was a good ten miles northwest of town, edging the lake, as he pointed out. She hadn’t been in this particular area for some time and found the scenery spectacular with the tall pines and the mature cedars and elms lining the two-lane stretch of asphalt.
“Wilder really is beautiful,” she said.
“I thought so when Nadine first emailed me photos. Prettier in person, though. The foliage is lush and the colors are rich.”
“The people are decent too, for the most part.”
“One bad apple in the basket doesn’t spoil the pie.”
She laughed. “My mother used to say that.”
“Oh, yeah? She live in town?”