by Claire Adams
I barely recognized myself.
A woman of fine, mesmerizing beauty stood before the mirror. The perfect curves of her body defined her captivating charm. Undeniably, men would glance for a second look just to witness the goddess that walked on earth.
The immaculate fair white skin complemented the black dress, exposing a luscious and flawless complexion. Her golden blonde hair fell just under her breasts, its curls adding extra impact on her entire alluring ensemble. Those long, unblemished legs were inviting. What the fuck? Could a dress really make you feel so damn good?
This one did. Yep. I had to have it. Period.
“Hey, Kylie! Did it fit you well? Cat and I wanted to see!” She spoke over the door, bringing me back to my senses. I stopped looking at my reflection and turned the dressing room’s knob. As I opened the door slowly, Bailey’s eyes glowed in delight.
“I told you, Kylie! It looks great on you! So freaking hot!”
Even the saleslady gave an approving look, stunned by its fit on my body. I felt my cheeks flush for a moment, unable to believe that I could look this good. I guess those pants and cowboy shirts covered my body that I myself barely knew I had.
“If only I had the same body, I would buy all the sexy and pretty clothes I could. Unfortunately, these saddlebags loved me so much that they did not want to leave,” she joked and reached for Cat’s hand.
“Thanks, my friend. I’m not sure what to say. I’ve been dressing like a cowgirl for so damn long that I forgot how good this feels.” I ran my hands over my hips. “I love it. I feel pretty.”
“You should. Get the dress for sure. If you won’t, I’ll buy it for you, and you don’t have to pay me back. That looks totally perfect on you. Do it,” she whispered, smiling at me giving me no other choice.
“Okay. I’ll get it.” I smiled and closed the door, my heart light and burdens gone for the time being. Maybe I should find my courage and talk to Hunter. I had a few things I could bring up…like those damn hogs tearing up our yards. He was the owner of a gun store. He could shoot them for us. Yeah…that’s what I could do. Anything to get in front of him.
I returned with my checkered blouse and tattered pants again; I held the dress over my arm. I directly went to the cashier to check out. Bailey and Cat stood outside the shop, carrying a shopping bag from the store we were in.
I walked toward them, meeting my best friend and cuddly goddaughter outside the shop. Cat was pointing over to the ice cream stand, begging for her mom to buy her one.
“Yeah, Cat’s right. We need it on this hot afternoon.” It was late afternoon, but the sun was out and in full effect. It was late spring, but it already felt like summer.
While we walked toward the ice cream stand, I noticed how she struggled to carry her daughter and bring her bags all at once. I volunteered to hold the bags to ease her burden, to which she agreed.
“Thanks, Kylie. That saved my ass a lot.” She pulled Cat up and cuddled her.
Cat smiled at her mother, pressing her mother’s cheeks with both of her tiny hands.
“I know I don’t ask you often…” I trailed the words, searching the nicest ones to address my curiosity, “but don’t you want to find someone special?”
She frowned. As we stopped and recited our orders to the ice cream store attendant, she answered my query. “You know how things worked out for me and Marco. All the shit that happened in our relationship. Most men are nothing but trouble. I can’t risk my heart again. Not yet at least. I’m not ready.”
She had a point. Too bad her previous marriage ruined her perspective about men and relationships. So, what was my problem? I’d never really had a bad relationship, just boring ones. There hadn’t been a guy in my past worth sticking with, or even thinking about once it was over.
Thoughts of Hunter rolled through my mind. His career choice was dangerous, as were his hobbies. Such a daredevil. A brave kind of man with strong hands and a fearless spirit. Hot.
Maybe taking more risk would be a good thing. It made him who he was. Interesting. I felt my body warming and turned my thoughts. The last thing I wanted to do was get turned on in public. Brother…
After we had finished up our ice creams, we decided to go home. I parted ways with Bailey and Cat at the parking lot, got in my car and drove home.
Thoughts began to flash before my eyes. I imagined myself wearing the dress once again. What if Hunter saw me in it? Would he finally notice and like me then?
I shook my head and focused on the road. Anyway, he’s my neighbor. I could peek in the windows and see him out in his barn. He often cleaned the place without any shirt on. A little eye candy during the mornings, he was my buzzing espresso.
I looked at the digital clock on my car’s dashboard. It was already 6:08 p.m. I hoped he was finally home, but I guessed he was still busy at his gun shop. I just hoped I could see him.
As I slowed down in front of my house, I realized that my front door was wide open. My heart skipped a beat. “What the fuck?”
Without a doubt, I remembered triple locking the house before I left that morning, but now it was unlocked and open for anyone to enter. I called 9-1-1 on my phone and locked the doors in the car, parking out in front of the house. Fear raced through me. Someone might attack and abduct me if I showed up outside without a weapon: not that I would know how to use the damn thing anyway.
“9-1-1. What’s your emergency please?”
“Hello? Please come by my place. Someone broke into my house.” I enunciated my address to the police and the details of the surroundings of my house. They advised me to go to any nearby neighbor’s house and stay. Seeing Hunter’s lights on, I knew he and his son were inside. Shit. I had no clue what to do.
I sat there, lost in indecision until the sound of sirens filled the air around me. As the cop car pulled up, I got out and walked toward him. Hunter’s door opened, and he walked out in jeans and a t-shirt, his shoes off and his hair a mess.
Had I not been terrified of what I was going to find in my house, I would have stared him down with unabashed intent. He was beyond gorgeous. Vince jogged up beside him, reaching up and taking his hand. My heart melted. How cute were the two of them, living life together?
“Hey. What’s going on?” Concern crossed Hunter’s handsome face as he walked toward me. “You okay?”
“I don’t know.” I glanced over at the cop car. He’d pulled right up to the house, and two of them had their guns drawn and were going into the open front door. I jumped and yelped as Hunter squeezed my shoulder.
“Hey. It’s just me. I’m sorry.” He gave me a warm smile.
“You okay, lady?” Vince asked, reaching up and slipping his hand into mine. “You look upset.”
I smiled down at him. “I just got home from shopping all day. Well, working and shopping.” I glanced over to Hunter, not quite sure why I felt the need to tell him that I was working. I was such an idiot sometimes. “The house was open. Like the front door was wide open.” I let out a soft sigh. “I saw someone driving around the other day, and it seemed suspicious. I don’t know. I just called the cops.”
“Good. You should have.” Hunter released me as his eyes moved across my face. “Come on. Everything’s going to be okay. Come with me and Vincent and let the cops do their job.” He extended his hand toward me, and I took it without question.
“Come join our movie night!” Vince yelled with excitement. We were just making popcorn.
“No, buddy. She’s gotta lot going on. Let’s just help her through this, and if she wants to come over after the cops leave, she can.” He gave me an apologetic look, stealing my heart for the millionth time. I’d never been in his house, but I loved the idea of going over there now. I was freaked the fuck out.
“Are you the owner of the house?” A cop walked toward us.
I pulled my hands away from the guys and walked toward him. “Yes. I’m Kylie Tomms. This is my house.”
Hunter moved up beside me, standing close as if he were rea
dy to protect me from any and everything. He had no idea how much it meant to me.
“Detective Jones. We found nothing lost, Ms. Tomms. Although one of your windows was smashed, we can’t find any trace of the object used. Still, we will investigate the evidence left behind.”
Although nothing was taken, I still felt unsafe going back in there.
“Thanks, Officer,” I replied as I watched the other officer head back toward the house. Hunter was still by my side, listening the entire time.
“Well, damn. First the hogs and now this.” He gave me an apologetic look. “Come over to my place for the night. I know we barely know each other, but we’ve been neighbors for six years. It’s the least I can do.”
“No. I’ll just go stay with my mom. I don’t want to be a burden, and honestly, I don’t feel safe staying here anymore.”
“You’re not a burden, and you need to stay here. That’s the best thing to do during this situation. That way if they come back, we’ll both be watching for them.” He looked concerned.
Come back? I swallowed hard.
“Hunter, is your gun shop open tomorrow? Can I come by?” I managed to work up the courage to speak to him, far surpassing my two-word record before that night. It was irrelevant at this point, my head still thinking about the threat to my life and property.
“Yeah, sure thing. I’ll be there all day,” he replied, looking at his son who was holding his hand tightly. He was watching the cops moving around my house, checking all the details they could use to trace the culprit who broke my window.
“Great. I’ll come and buy a gun. I always thought our neighborhood was safe. Maybe things have changed.”
I thought of the town we lived in. We knew almost everyone around, and I could not say anything bad about the people who lived in Mesquite. Perhaps outsiders had planned on robbing our houses and getting away without getting caught.
“You sure about going to your mom’s?” There was a neediness in his voice that surprised me. Maybe I was making it up. Did he want me to spend the night? Sure felt like it.
“Yeah. I need to see her. She’ll be pissed if I tell her about it tomorrow and she knows I didn’t come over there.” I offered him a kind smile. “Can you keep an eye on the place? Please?”
“Yeah, of course. Come by tomorrow and I’ll get you set up with a gun and teach you to use it.” He licked the side of his mouth and studied me. “And I’ll be right here next door all the time, anytime, if you need me.”
“Me too!” Vince chimed in. “And I’m tough like my daddy!”
I felt my cheeks burn, grateful for his kind offer. After smiling down at Vince and agreeing, I waved goodbye, got in the car, and left. The police officers would take things from there. I needed to tell my mother anyway. She should be told what happened. She might even scold me for not telling her as soon as I could.
My mind raced with the possibility of what could have been if I slept over at Hunter’s. Would he have given me the bed? The couch? Access to his body… Fuck me, I wanted to lie down next to a brave, strong guy like him and let my worries go.
On the way to my mother’s house, my head began to drift away to deep thoughts once again. My chest still beat fast, unable to process the things that happened today. Never did I think that things like this would happen.
It was my first time talking to him really, and though it had been centered on the robbery, it was still a conversation. I had to think through what we might have in common, which didn’t seem like much. Maybe I would focus more on him, give him a chance to talk about what he loved? I didn’t give two shits about what we were talking about, just that we were in fact talking.
I was in love with my neighbor, and if I was being honest with myself…I had been for a long, long time.
Chapter Seven
Hunter
“Wake up, buddy. Let’s eat our breakfast.” I shook Vince’s leg, inviting him to join me in my early meal. He stretched and yawned, his tummy sticking out of his shirt. He seemed to have outgrown his clothes.
He sat up while rubbing his eyes. I picked up him and kissed his cheek. “Good morning, buddy.”
He wrapped his arms around my neck, resting his head on my chest. “Did the cops find anything last night at Miss Kylie’s house?”
“No, buddy.” I pressed my cheek to his forehead and carried him to the living room.
Despite the craziness of the night before, we’d had a blast together. The dark circles under my eyes were proof of our fun movie marathon. We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning with Vince falling asleep on the couch as we watched his favorite cartoon movies.
He lifted his head up and sniffed. “I’m hungry, Daddy. What are we having for breakfast?”
“I’ve made a pile of blueberry pancakes, and of course your favorite too.”
“Bacon?” He untangled his hold on me and pushed at my chest, forcing me to put him down. He grinned and took off toward the kitchen.
I walked in lazily to find him sitting in his favorite chair at the dining room table, swinging his feet merrily as he waited. I made it quickly and fixed myself on too before sitting down in front of him.
“You like it?” I picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite as he tore into his food. The little guy wasn’t going to be little if he kept eating so much, and so fast
“Love it. You’re a great cooker, Dad.” He licked his fingers and smiled, his innocence drawing me in deep.
I ate my meal, hungered by last night’s tiring fun. I almost finished my plate when Vince spoke, asking about yesterday’s incident.
“Dad, what happened yesterday? Why were there police officers at Miss Kylie’s house anyway? What were they looking for? Clues?” He took another bite of his food and watched me with wonderment.
I wasn’t sure what to tell him, but the truth seemed like the best answer. He was too smart as it were. He’d figure that shit out on his own without me. “Bad guys broke into her house yesterday, Vince.”
He looked at me with a worried look, putting the fork down on his plate. “Dad, are bad guys around here? Near our house? Will they come here too?” His eyes widened as he shrunk back in his chair.
“No, buddy. Those bad guys won’t take a good boy like you. In case they come, I’ll wrestle them down and punish them hard. Nothing to worry about with your dad right here, okay?” I patted his hand and made sure he was okay.
A smile replaced the skeptical look on his face, the little tike probably grateful to hear that he had protection he could count on. He took his fork and continued eating, speeding his pace up so he could help me clean around the house.
Right after we finished the household chores, Vince and I prepped to go to the gun shop. It would be hard since Garren was out of town for the weekend, but we could handle it. I’d manned the shop a million times by myself over the years. After securing the lock, we left the house and drove off in the direction of the gun shop. I couldn’t help but glance back, not sure if I’d find Kylie’s car there or not.
Nope. Good. She didn’t need to be alone for a few days. My stomach tightened at the thought of her coming to stay with us. She wouldn’t, but I sure as fuck wished she would. So beautiful. Perfect.
I forced myself to focus on the road and made small talk with Vince as we drove the rest of the way up to the shop. He held my hand as we walked into the shop, and a big smile spread across his face as the bell above the door jingled.
“I like this place.” He gave me a curt nod and took his backpack with some books, crayons, toys, and snacks in it and walked away. He sat on the desk as he watched me clean up, right before customers started pouring in. Weekends were always crazy.
“Are you okay there, buddy?” I asked every now and then, making sure that Vince was occupied until the end of the shop hours.
“Yeah, Daddy. I’m coloring this book until the last page today!” he exclaimed, excited to finish the book off. He was humming happily as he kept himself busy, behaving well while se
ated at my desk as I continued to work.
As customers went in and out of the shop, I thought of Kylie. She said she would come today and buy a gun. The thought of seeing her left my pulse spiking. What was it about the woman? Had to be her unassuming attitude. Or maybe the fact that she was the only woman in town who didn’t throw herself at me.
It left me wanting to test the theory that she was pure, untouched. How beautiful would it be to have her open herself up to me? To trust me with her body. With her heart.
I served customers until I could not count, yet there was still no trace of her. Did she forget? Had she changed her mind? Why was I even thinking about her? I should focus on the work in front of me, not on her. It was a busy day, and getting sidetracked was doing nothing but slowing me down.
Just when the sun was about to set, I spotted Kylie coming in. Unexplainable relief flowed in my veins, and my heart skipped a beat. It was a little disturbing. How long had I wanted to get to know this woman, my neighbor?
The peace of mind I experienced was a little out of place, but I knew it was from the innate need to protect her. I kept telling myself that it was because I was a good guy. Besides, helping her get a gun was the best help I could offer, especially after the unknown break-in that happened the day before.
“Hi.” She raised her hand, speaking in a shy tone. She looked nervous as hell. Was it because of all the guns around? Did she feel threatened instead of feeling safe? Or was it me?
I leaned on the glass counter, greeting her back. “Hey.” I lost all thought and couldn’t remember what the fuck else I should have said. Her pretty face left me falling into silence. Those perfect blue eyes were deep, drawing me into her. Thank the heavens, she kept the conversation running.
“So, as weird as it sounds, I think the break-in incident yesterday was a sign. I thought about it a million times, but I finally decided to do something. So, yeah, I’m finally buying a gun.” She smiled shyly, looking far too cute for her own good. She was bright and pretty, and I could not take my eyes off of her. That day when she caught me staring at her in their store was embarrassing, and yet I’d do it again a million times.
