ChapterThirteen
Emery woke to the sun streaming through the huge bedroom windows. She blinked and rolled over. Savory aromas from the kitchen beckoned to her, and she could hear Greer moving around out there. His tender, delicious, passionate kisses came back to her, and she smiled.
Then it hit her. She hadn’t had the nightmare.
She jumped out of bed and raced into the living area. “Greer!” she yelled.
He spun, released the spatula, and hurried to her. “You all right?”
“Yes! I didn’t have the nightmare!”
He grinned, picked her up, and spun her around in a circle. Emery threw back her head and laughed. Greer’s kisses last night had been magical. Had they cured her of the nightmare? She was so happy. She looked down into his beautiful blue eyes and she wanted to kiss him all over again. His lips could cure her every ill.
Cool air brushed her rear and horror rushed through her. “Please set me down,” she begged.
Greer set her down. He was still holding her and smiling. She broke from his hold and backed away. He released her, and his brow furrowed as his smile slid away. “What?”
She tugged at the T-shirt. “You need to turn around or you’re going to get a show you didn’t pay for.”
His eyes widened and he quickly turned around.
Emery all but ran for the bedroom, yelling, “Sorry!” before she slammed the door behind her. She had her clean clothes waiting on the bathroom counter, so she hurried to shower and get dressed. She was almost out of the travel-size toiletries she’d brought with her. Greer had mentioned he needed to go to the grocery store soon. She could ask him to buy her some things, or if she got brave today and told him who she was, she could drop the façade of hiding from her ex and go with him to the store. Greer hadn’t referenced her ex at all. She could hardly remember the fake guy’s name. It made her think Greer knew who she was. It was time for her to admit it and let him help her figure everything out with the Voice, the Delta family, and her brother’s death.
She heard music playing as she walked back through the bedroom. Though he had a nice sound system and speakers built into the house, Greer had only turned music on a few times since she’d been there. Always some country song. She’d never really listened to country before, but she liked how a lot of the songs told a story.
She gingerly opened the door, wanting to observe him for just a moment. He was unloading the clean dishes from the dishwasher and singing along to a song she’d never heard, “God makes five foot nine, brown eyes, and a sundress.”
Emery laughed, but he didn’t hear her with the music turned up. She missed some of the words, but then Greer sang, “Jack makes good whiskey, but God makes the good stuff. When he made five foot nine, brown eyes, and a …”
She walked out into the living area and Greer stopped singing. His eyes widened. He set the cups in his hand down and just stared at her.
“Alexa, stop the music,” he said.
Emery smiled at him and tucked her hair behind her ear. She was five foot nine and had brown eyes. This felt liketheirsong. “Guess I need a sundress?”
His slow smile came then. “For sure.”
She bit at her lip. She wanted to kiss him so badly. He gestured toward the food, but she didn’t want food. She wanted him.
They sat down and prayed and ate. Throughout breakfast they talked about Bentley, country music, her not having the nightmare, and what the plan was for the day. Greer admitted he’d stayed up until after midnight waiting for her to scream, but she never had. He seemed thrilled she hadn’t had the nightmare, but she knew he woke at five a.m. and worried that he hadn’t gotten much sleep. He just smiled like it didn’t matter.
The day passed far too quickly. Emery wanted to savor each moment with him. She didn’t know what would happen when they both revealed the secrets they’d been hiding. There was no way he could’ve killed someone as devoted to his country and good to her as Travis had been.
She’d been scared, terrified, petrified, alarmed, frightened to tell him the truth about her coming to him and having the huge can of worms burst open. Now she found she was getting more and more anxious to open up and see what the future held. Her only fear was that everything might implode. What if Greer was mad at her for lying? What if his family had killed Travis and he defended them, tried to convince her Travis was in the wrong?
After dinner, she used the bathroom before they went out for nightly chores and their walk. There was a frustrated text from the voice,I am so sorry to push you, but we need answers soon. Your time is running out.
My time?she texted back.
The Deltas are smart. They’ll figure out who you are and they’ll either kill you or hurt you to get to me. I can’t protect you without information. Can’t you access his computer or phone?
Emery rolled her eyes. The Voice had tried to be kind, but she didn’t believe him any longer. It was most likely his fault Travis was dead. She hadn’t met any other Deltas besides Greer, but he was the best of the best and there was a peaceful feeling in this valley. These people couldn’t be deluded criminals who would kill her. Who had killed Travis. For all she knew, the Voice had killed her brother and had manipulated both of them for whatever agenda he or his higher ups had.
I’ll see what I can find out, she texted back, but truly her only intention tonight was to talk to Greer and sort out the truth from his perspective and the information they each had.
She left her phone in her backpack. Greer was waiting for her in the main area. My oh my, his eyes were really blue and enchanting. They held hands as they went outside. The summer night was glorious, but nothing was as beautiful as Greer.
They worked through the feeding and checked on the cattle together, then held hands as they walked along the lake trail. It was peaceful and perfect. She loved this valley. She’d never had that feeling of home that people talked about, but she could see herself having Christmas and Easter and another Fourth of July here. Raising children here. Growing old here. Most importantly experiencing it all with Greer, her handsome, tough, patient, incredible Maverick.