by Kaylea Cross
After showering she went onto the front porch to water her pots and spotted a woman and little girl walking Beckett’s rescue dog up the lane. Must be his neighbors she’d heard so much about.
She waved and called out to them. “Hi there. Looks like Walter’s enjoying himself. I’m Poppy, by the way.”
“Hi, Miss Poppy! I’m Ella,” the girl called out, her blond ponytail bobbing as she walked. “And this is my mom.”
The red-haired woman smiled and waved, her long, apple-green Bohemian dress flowing around her as she walked. “Tiana. Nice to meet you.”
“You too. Did you guys walk all the way here?” It was a few miles from Beckett’s place to here.
“No, we left the car at the end of the trail through the woods down there,” Ella said, pointing ahead of her. “I wanted to show Walter your lane. It’s pretty.”
“Yes, it is.” Walter was taking his sweet old time as he followed, head down as he sniffed at something, the ends of his long ears trailing along the ground. “He’s on the hunt, huh?”
“He’s smelled something,” she said, giving the leash a tug. “At least he thinks he did.”
Poppy chuckled. “He doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to get home.”
“No.” She frowned and turned to face the dog, giving another tug. “Jeez, Walter, come on.”
Walter’s head suddenly jerked up. His entire body went rigid, even his tail. Then he let out a ferocious snarl, his hackles rising as he stared into the trees.
Poppy whipped her head around to look, and her heart seized. A cougar stood mostly hidden in the brush near the edge of the road, its golden stare fixed on the little group. “Ella, stop.”
Ella and Tiana both saw the cat at the same time. Tiana cried out and lunged forward to grab her daughter, Walter still snarling and barking.
The cougar stepped toward the edge of the woods, head down, its unblinking gaze locked on them.
Oh, shit.
“Don’t move,” Poppy ordered, then rushed into the house. Heart pounding, she grabbed her grandfather’s old bolt-action rifle from the closet along with two rounds, and ran back onto the porch.
The cougar was still in the same spot. Ella and Tiana had backed up a few paces, but thankfully hadn’t tried to run.
“Stay still,” Poppy told them, pulse thudding as she loaded the rifle and brought it to her shoulder. She walked down the front steps and started down the walkway toward the gate, the sun-baked bricks warm beneath her bare feet.
Ella let out a quiet sob but Poppy kept her eyes locked on the cougar.
The animal glanced at her and hissed, pinning its ears back. Then it turned its intense gaze back to the others.
Poppy stopped at the gate, her finger curving around the trigger. The cat stood poised maybe a few hundred feet away, its muscles visible beneath its gleaming gold coat. “Back up slowly,” she said, pushing aside her fear.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tiana move Ella and Walter back. The dog was still going bananas, which only irritated the cougar more. It lowered its head, tail twitching, and Poppy could all but feel its coiled power, that lithe body poised to spring.
It took one more step, the muscles in its haunches bunching. Then it leaped out of the brush and sprang at its intended prey.
Poppy fired, the report of the rifle drowning out Tiana’s terrified scream.
Chapter Eleven
The unmistakable report of two rifle shots froze Noah as he climbed out of his cruiser in the carport.
What the hell? He drew his weapon, slammed the door shut and raced around the side of his house for Poppy’s place.
The sight that met his eyes stunned him.
Poppy was on her front walkway in another dress and sweater combo, rifle to her shoulder. A cougar lay either dead or dying on the far side of the lane, Ella and Tiana huddled together not sixty feet away with Walter on his leash.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered under his breath as he ran to them. “Are you both okay?” he demanded, scanning them for injuries.
Tiana clutched her daughter to her, her mismatched eyes huge in her pale face. “Yes. Yes, we’re fine.” She hugged Ella tighter, staring at the cat.
Noah turned his attention to Poppy. She’d lowered the barrel of the rifle but was still watching the animal. “Stay there,” Noah told her, pistol up and ready as he approached the cougar.
It was already dead. She’d hit it twice in the chest.
Blood pooled around it, trailing down the slight slope at the edge of the lane toward the forest. He pulled out his radio and called dispatch for animal control, alerting them to what had happened and asking them to pick the carcass up for disposal.
Holstering his weapon, he faced Poppy. “You all right?”
She nodded at him, unmoving.
He looked back at Tiana and Ella. “Do you guys need a ride home?”
“No, we’re okay. But I think we’ll head to the car at a run this time,” Tiana answered. Then to Poppy she breathed, “God, thank you. Thank you,” and hurried Ella away with Walter stubbornly pulling at his leash, wanting to get to the cougar.
Noah started toward Poppy, running his gaze over her. She had another sundress on, this one a pale green with polka dots, and she was barefoot. The sight of her holding the rifle, knowing what she’d just done, filled him with an overpowering mix of awe and tenderness.
She didn’t move as he walked up to her, the rifle still clutched in her hands, muzzle down, her finger off the trigger. Those things told him she’d been taught well.
Noah stopped a mere foot in front of her, scanning her face. She looked a little pale. “You good?” he asked softly.
“Yes.”
He gently took the rifle from her, burning with curiosity. He was a competitive marksman, and not a bad one at that. He’d had no idea she knew how to shoot. “Two shots, dead center mass on a moving target. How’d you learn to do that?”
“My granddad taught me. This was his.” She nodded at the rifle.
Noah shook his head. “Aren’t you just full of surprises, huh, sunflower?”
Her gaze flicked to his at the endearment, a tremulous smile curving her mouth. “God, I haven’t fired this thing in years. And the only thing I’ve ever killed before were pumpkins and watermelons. I was afraid it would pounce and I would miss.” She closed her eyes, put a hand to her chest.
Yeah, the shock was hitting her now.
“Come on inside,” he told her, cupping her elbow to lead her up the front porch and into the cottage. He checked the rifle to make sure it was empty, leaned it against the wall in the entryway and kept walking to the kitchen. “You got any chocolate around here?”
She gave him a funny look. “Of course I have chocolate.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Sit down here a sec and tell me where it is.”
She dropped into a chair at the table. “Pantry. Third shelf from the left, in an old tin chocolate box.”
He found a couple bars of bittersweet chocolate, opened one and broke off a few squares before coming back to her. “Here. Eat a couple of these. It’ll help.”
She took them, chewed slowly, and it was all he could do not to bury his hands in her hair and kiss that luscious mouth. She swallowed, a worried look in her eyes. “I don’t really have a permit for the rifle.”
Noah took another square of chocolate from her and raised it to her lips. “Eat.”
She took it, her lips brushing his finger in an unconsciously erotic move that made his blood surge hot. “Did I break the law?” she mumbled, staring at him with those gorgeous brown eyes.
“Technically? Yes. But you don’t need to worry. I’m not going to arrest you.” Although with her he could finally see the appeal of using his cuffs for something other than upholding the law. The idea of cuffing her to his bed and teasing her until she begged him to stop was hot as fucking hell. “I’m damn proud of you.”
She still looked worried. “I never thought I’d actually use it
. I just wanted to bring it with me, because it was my granddad’s favorite. I couldn’t leave it behind.”
He leaned forward to curve a hand around her nape, fingers massaging gently. “Poppy. I swear everything’s fine. You saved Ella and Tiana. And Walter. If I took you into the station at all, it would be for a medal. Now eat your last bit of chocolate and just relax for a few minutes, okay?” He offered her the last piece, tucked it between her lips and leaned in to kiss her.
When he eased back a few moments later her color was normal again and she didn’t seem shocky anymore. He stroked the hair back from her cheek. “Better?”
She nodded. “I think so.”
“Good.” Noah kissed her again, groaned when she curved her hands over his shoulders and squeezed while her lips clung to his. With effort he drew away. “I promised you dinner. And if you keep doing that, we’ll be skipping it and going straight for dessert instead.” He drew back and pushed to his feet, not even attempting to hide the erection shoved against his fly. He wanted her to know what she did to him. “I’m gonna run home to shower and change. I’ll pick you up in twenty minutes.”
By the time he was done and headed back to get her, animal control had arrived to take the cougar away. They’d washed the blood off the pavement, too, so she wouldn’t have to see it.
Poppy met him at the door looking as fresh and beautiful as ever, her sweater draped over one arm rather than covering her arms, maybe because she wasn’t ashamed of him seeing her scars now. Her smile filled him with a tender possessiveness he’d never felt before. She continued to surprise him. What other things did he have yet to discover about her?
Noah slid his hands into his jeans pockets and rocked back on his heels to admire her. “Hey there, pretty lady. You ready for our date?”
“I’m ready.” She all but floated down the front steps in a swirl of green and white, stopping in front of him to lift up and plant an assertive kiss on his mouth. “So, where are you taking me?”
“Hopefully someplace you’ve never been before.” He let the double entendre hang there as he smiled and reached for her hand on the way to his cruiser. He wanted to show her things she’d never experienced before.
Noah opened her door for her and handed her the seatbelt, then closed the door and rounded the hood to get behind the wheel. “My family used to eat at this place a couple towns south for special occasions while Sierra and I were growing up,” he said, lacing his fingers through hers as he drove down Honeysuckle Lane. “It’s got spectacular views and great food.”
She gave him a sunny smile. “Can’t wait.”
The twenty-minute drive passed quickly, and the place was just as Noah remembered it. He’d reserved them a table by the window, overlooking the water where the sea crashed against the base of the cliff.
“Oh, wow,” Poppy breathed.
He smiled at her reaction. “I know. It’s something else.”
They enjoyed a leisurely dinner and good conversation, getting to know one another better. “So what made you want to become a police officer?” Poppy asked him as they ate their main courses.
“I’d always thought about it. But there was one incident that solidified it for me.” He briefly told her about the night their honorary “Uncle Tom” had tried to rape Sierra’s friend.
“Oh God, that’s terrible,” Poppy said, eyes wide. She’d stopped eating, was hanging on his every word.
“Yeah. I stopped him, but the thing that bothered me most afterward is that I didn’t prevent it. I didn’t see it coming. I’d known the guy for years, all the signs were right there under my nose and I missed it.”
“So did your parents. You were just a kid.”
“But I was the one there that night. I felt responsible.”
“I understand why you’d feel that way, even though I think you’re being unfair to yourself. It’s like with—” She stopped, lowered her gaze.
“With?” he prompted, sensing she was about to reveal something important. She was such a fascinating mix of personality traits. Brave enough to pack up, leave everything and everyone she’d ever known behind and come here to build a new life for herself. Brave enough to shoot a cougar to save people. And yet still shy and vulnerable, too.
She released a breath. “I always felt responsible for the lifestyle my mom got herself into. She only started…earning a living the way she did after I came along. I felt like it was my fault. It’s why I stole those few times, and why I started working after school when I was twelve to earn a little money for us. I didn’t want her to have to do that kind of thing anymore. But now I realize that thinking that way isn’t fair to me, because I was so young. It wasn’t my fault.” She met his eyes. “See what I’m getting at?”
He gave her a gentle smile. “I do. I guess I didn’t want to forgive myself.”
“I get that too.” She cocked her head, raised an eyebrow. “I also heard a rumor that you’re afraid of snakes. Is that true?”
He grimaced. “Damn you, Sierra.”
Poppy laughed. “Even garter snakes?”
“I just don’t like ‘em. Not the way they move, or the way they sound. It creeps me out.”
She shook her head, her eyes brimming with laughter. “The things I learn about you.”
“Mostly good things though, right?”
Her expression turned thoughtful. “Yes. And that’s a nice change of pace for me, I gotta say.”
He was so curious about her relationship history, but didn’t want to kill the mood by asking her about it. “What about you? You afraid of spiders?”
“No.” Her gaze turned thoughtful. “The dark. I hate being in the dark. And I’m a little claustrophobic too.”
There was a story here, he sensed it. “Did something happen?”
“You really want to hear this?”
“Yes.” He wanted to know everything about her.
“There was a series of really bad storms one summer when I was little. About six, maybe. We were hit with a tornado outbreak. My mom grabbed me and put me in the storm cellar under our little house. It was old and we weren’t prepared. She put me in there and told me she’d be right there, but she never came back in.
“The tornado missed us but I could hear the sound of it as it went by. I was stuck down there in the pitch black until she came to get me out.” She toyed with her silverware. “I think she was drunk and must have passed out.”
Wow. “Yeah, that would make anyone claustrophobic and hate the dark.”
Her lips quirked. “It did for me.”
Noah shook his head in wonder. “You’re a survivor. That’s what you are.” And yet she still had such a tender heart. Her inner strength amazed him after all she’d been through.
The waiter came back. “Can I interest either of you in dessert this evening? Here’s tonight’s offerings.” He set a small menu card on the table, took their plates and left.
Noah raised his eyebrows at Poppy.
“I was thinking we could have dessert at my place,” she said, taking him by surprise because it was clear she meant more than actual dessert. “If you want,” she rushed to add.
Oh, baby, you have no idea how much I want that. “Sounds good to me.”
The drive home seemed to take forever. They talked a little, Poppy asking questions about the towns they passed through, but when they got close to Crimson Point, she got quiet. He could all but sense her anxiety building and wasn’t sure what was causing it. Did she regret asking him back to her place? Was it just nerves because this was their first time?
He parked in front of her place, turned in his seat to look at her. “You don’t have to invite me in if you’re not ready.”
She met his gaze. “What happens if I do and things get weird after? We live next door to each other.”
“Why would they get weird?”
She gave a tense shrug. “Lots of reasons. What if things don’t go the way you expect?”
“I don’t have any expectations bes
ides making you feel good.”
She gave him a startled look, then made a strangled sound and faced the windshield.
“What?” he said, grinning.
“Nothing. I’m just not…used to hearing things like that.”
He wanted to kiss her so badly. Tangle his fingers in her hair and claim her mouth with his, touch her until all the nervous energy was burned away by need and sensation. Work her up to the point where she couldn’t think and only feel.
“There’s no pressure,” he said quietly. This had to be her decision, and he wasn’t going to push even though he wanted to get her naked more than anything.
Poppy glanced over at him, watched him a long moment, then reached for the door handle. “Okay. Come in.”
Chapter Twelve
She was out of the car and halfway up her walkway before Noah had even reached the gate. Inside she slipped her shoes off and put her purse and sweater down, running a hand through her hair as she watched him come in.
She’d left some lamps on, filling her home with a soft glow. He liked the way her eyes tracked over his body, making him hum with anticipation.
He shut the door and took off his shoes, the quiet settling around them. Poppy stood there, watching him, and he could read the desire battling with the uncertainty in her eyes. “Got any more of those strawberry tarts left?” he asked, wanting to put her at ease.
“Um, I’m not sure,” she said with an adorably confused frown. “But I might have some cake or something.”
“Sounds good.” He enjoyed the sway of her hips as she headed for the kitchen. He didn’t want cake or tarts or anything else, just Poppy. But this would give her time to become more comfortable.
“Angel food,” she called over her shoulder. “With whipped cream icing and raspberries. That okay?”
“Perfect.”
“Want to sit out on the back porch? I’ll bring this out in a minute.”
“Sure.” What he wanted was to come up behind her, wrap his arms around her to push the hair away from her neck with his nose so he could nuzzle it. He wanted to be pressed close to her curves, feel her warmth and hear the little catch in her breathing when he brushed his lips over her sensitive skin, then dragged his tongue over it.
