by Sheryl Lynn
She cleaned away dust that had accumulated during her absence and put her computer workstation back in order. Buck continued to sleep. His handsome face drew her light kisses. Not wanting to wake him, she scrubbed the bathroom and the kitchen.
An hour later the doorbell rang. Expecting Gwen to arrive with Spike, she hurried to answer. But it was her neighbor, Annaliese, who stood on the porch. She held a plate with the contents covered by a linen napkin. Desi invited her inside. She pressed a finger against her lips. “Shh,” she cautioned. “My boyfriend is taking a nap.”
Annaliese’s eyes lit up. “That is the problem with vacations. They wear you out! You need a vacation to recover.” Chuckling, she handed Desi the plate. “Welcome home. I missed you. You will tell me later about the fun you had with your handsome boyfriend. And show me pictures. Lots of pictures.”
Desi lifted the napkin and revealed a prettily arranged mound of freshly baked coconut macaroons studded with chocolate chips. Her eyes widened.
“I hope you like macaroons, Desi. It has been so long since I’ve made them.” She tapped the side of her head. “I had this urge. The sun is shining and my little plum tree is getting buds. Macaroons are perfect for a brand-new spring! I mixed in mini-chocolate chips to make them extra special.”
All Desi could say was, “Thank you.”
After Annaliese left, Desi set the plate on the breakfast counter and stared at the macaroons. She began to laugh. She laughed until she cried. “Oh, Grandma,” she choked out. “Buck was right. You always had a great sense of humor.”
She wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. “You can go now, Grandma. I’m okay, really. I guess I was mad at you for leaving me. Mad at Mom and Dad. Mad at God. Now Gwen and I are closer than ever. I know you already like Buck. We’ll be good together. I’ll make sure of it. So you can go. Thank you so much. Goodbye.”
She listened and waited for a sign. She picked up a cookie and bit into its soft chewiness.
It tasted just like what Grandma used to make.
BUCK AWAKENED in the early evening. His eyes were bright and alert. He refused pain medication. Desi helped him off the bed, but he insisted on using the bathroom without any help. Through the closed door, she said, “I hope you don’t mind, but when Gwen brought Spike home, I sent her to your place. I gave her your key. She brought you some clothes and your razor and stuff.”
“That’s cool,” he said.
When Buck came out Spike nearly tripped him. Buck flinched away from the doorjamb, and with exaggerated care, bent over to pet the cat.
“Now sit,” she said.
“I need to move,” he said. “I’m stiff all over.”
Not as stiff as he was going to be, she thought with a grin. “Then stand there. I’m going to run you a bath.” She wrinkled her nose. “You smell like the hospital.” She started water running in the tub.
From the doorway he said, “If you’ll get me a plastic bag to wrap up the cast I can take a shower.”
“No shower. You might slip and fall.” She held her hand under the water and adjusted the knobs until the temperature was just right. “In fact, you’re going to be a good boy and let me take care of you until I’m positive you’re one hundred percent okay.”
“You’re kind of bossy,” he said, smiling.
“Get used to it.” She rose and admired his chest. He wore a pair of green scrub pants they’d given him at the hospital. His chest was sculpted, his skin taut, and his good arm was hard cut with muscle. So very sexy. From the very broad, square shoulders to the lean lines of his waist he was beautiful. He took her breath away. She crossed the bathroom and tugged the drawstring on the pants.
“What—”
“Shh.” She hooked her fingers in the waistband and shoved them off his hips. The cotton fabric puddled around his feet. She went hot all over and her nerves tingled. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to see you naked.”
He looked down at himself. “Worth the wait?”
“Definitely.”
“Going to join me in the bath?”
She made a face at the bulky cast. His poor fingers looked pathetically bruised and swollen peeking out from the plaster. “Can’t risk getting the cast wet. But don’t worry, you’re in for the best bath of your life.”
He cupped her chin with his good hand and lifted her face to meet his eyes. “I love you, Desi. More than you will ever know.”
Her throat choked up. “I’m hard-headed, but I can learn. I have an eternity to figure it out. Right?” She stood on tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “I love you. I’ll always love you. In this life and into the next.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3473-8
MIDNIGHT INVESTIGATION
Copyright © 2009 by Jaye W. Manus
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.eHarlequin.com
*Mirror Images
*Mirror Images
†Honeymoon Hideaway (Elk River, Colorado)
†Honeymoon Hideaway (Elk River, Colorado)
†Honeymoon Hideaway (Elk River, Colorado)
†Honeymoon Hideaway (Elk River, Colorado)
**McClintock Country
**McClintock Country
