I was kicking my dumb ass thirty minutes later though. After settling her down in my living room with ESPN highlights playing on the television, I’d run off to the kitchen to fix dinner. When I set out plates at the coffee table a while later–the same place I ate all of my meals–her face twisted into something I didn’t recognize.
“What’s wrong? Does it smell? Maybe that meat wasn’t the freshest–”
“It’s not that.” She held her palm over her nose. “Well, it is.” She backed away from the plate. “I’m sorry. I should have said something earlier. I was just so distracted by how beautiful your home and property is…”
“And?” I stabbed at the steak, sawing off a piece and throwing it into my mouth. “It tastes fine to me.”
“Yeah,” she nodded, sinking deeper into my couch as Bruno hopped up beside her, leaning his big head against her shoulder. “It’s just…” She leaned forward and slivered off a tiny piece of her baked potato. “I’m a vegetarian.” She turned to my dog and smiled. “I love animals too much to eat them.”
I dropped my fucking fork with a clatter on my plate. “Are you shittin’ me?”
Her eyes finally found mine. “Sorry not sorry?”
I shook my head, unsure of what the hell to do about this. I was a caveman, carnivore through and through. How on earth could I even share space with a hippy, plant-loving vegetarian type?
“I don’t mean to put you out. I should have said something earlier. I’m usually so good at mentioning that before I eat with anyone. I just didn’t know when you picked me up that we would be sharing a meal together, and…” She stuffed a giant bite of potato in her mouth, free of the sour cream, butter, and cheese I’d left on the side for her. “This baked potato is amazing though. You have a talent.”
I broke and belly-laughed then. The absurdity of her statement finally hitting me. “You don’t have to lie. The only thing I do well is meat, and now I’ve failed from the get-go with that.”
She tipped her head to the side, pushing her beans around her plate. “You’re good at plenty of things.”
“Really? I wouldn’t recommend the beans–they’re made with bacon.”
She cracked into a laugh, dropping her utensil with a clang. “Ok, so, you’re good at fixing up hundred year old cabins and protecting the people of Thickwood. Sounds like a pretty good situation to me.”
“You’re generous.” I stabbed at my steak, normally so appetizing, but a lot less so when someone so kind and loving was sitting across from me with my dog in her lap. “You want to eat at the diner? We can stop when I bring you back to the school for your car.”
“Oh, I don’t have a car. I’ve been walking to work every morning.”
Shock rattled me a bit. “Well, I’m afraid walking from here won’t be possible, especially not come winter…Miss. Winters.”
I couldn’t help using her name with a wry smile.
“Can I catch a ride with you in the morning? And I don’t mind staying late at school grading papers and stuff, as long as it’s not putting you out. I don’t want to interrupt all this precious solitude you’ve so carefully cultivated up here on your mountain.” Her eyes were twinkling, and hell if I didn’t want to haul her across the couch and into my lap right now to cover those pert pink lips with my kisses.
“Sheriff?” Her voice broke me from my thoughts.
“Yeah…uh, whatever you need, I’m happy to help.”
“Thanks.” She scooted closer, creamy thighs exposed to my greedy eyes. I turned away, warmth creeping up my body. I could hardly be this close to her and there was a big ass coffee table between us. How would I handle being locked in my truck so close to something so beautiful every morning and every night?
“Sheriff Shephard?” She pulled me from my obsessive thoughts again.
“Uh huh?” I swallowed.
“I said we should probably drop the formalities since we’ll be living in close quarters. You can call me Reese.”
My heart stuttered and stalled.
Reese Winters.
Suddenly, my daily commute was looking a whole lot brighter.
Chapter 4
Reese
“I’ve never seen anyone dig into a salad like that,” Elliot said as he sipped his coffee.
I looked down at my fork, filled with a giant piece of lettuce, smothered in sauce. “Years ago when I went on a lettuce diet I developed a taste for the stuff.”
“Why would you ever need to diet? Your body is incredible.” He said it so matter of factly I think I believed him. My face grew hot.
“I know…” I said, trying to combat my inner teenager screaming that this man found me attractive. “Being a thicker girl was hard when I was a teenager, but as I got older I started to love how I looked.”