by Linda Bridey
Tim let her set the pace, willing to follow where she led. Even as the kiss deepened, he took his time, enjoying every second of what he hoped would be the first of many kisses they would share. It was clear that Renee was a very experienced kisser, which didn’t bother Tim at all—except that he wanted to be the only man she kissed from now on.
Slowly, he brought the kiss to an end and then just stood still.
“Renee, can I tell you something?” His voice had grown deeper with passion.
“Of course,” she whispered, shaken.
“That has to be the best first kiss I’ve ever had,” he said, opening his eyes.
The smoky look in them set her pulse skipping along and she said, “Me, too. I wasn’t expecting that. I didn’t know what to expect, really, but not that. I mean, I expected it to be good, but that was amazing, yes, amazing is a good word, or maybe powerful—I sound like Pa!”
They laughed and Tim said, “Speaking of which.”
She giggled while he grinned.
“This isn’t meant to pressure you in any way, but I had a very nice conversation with your pa today and he said it would be all right if I dated you. Like I said, I’m not forcing myself on you, I’m just letting you know that if you wanted to, there wouldn’t be an issue with your parents,” Tim said.
Renee couldn’t believe it at first, but then she remembered his comments about a man not letting anything stop him from seeing a woman if he was really interested in her. He’d meant what he said, and he’d backed it up, too.
“You asked Pa for his permission to court me?”
“That’s right.”
She held his gaze. “Why would you do that?”
“Because you haven’t been out of my mind ever since we danced at Devon’s wedding.”
Renee shook her head a little. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I’m not sure, really. I think I wanted to get to know you better before I actually asked you out. I guess I didn’t want there to be any pressure; you probably get that enough. I wanted to be different than the other guys you’ve been out with,” he said.
Tim was showing Renee that there was a whole other side to him besides the good-time cowboy. “You certainly are different, and I mean that in a good way. You’re always doing little things for me and you’re very gentlemanly. And so much fun. Of course all you Dwyers are, so I’m not surprised about that.”
“Yeah, you’ve had enough adventures with Jr. and Skip,” Tim said.
“I still can’t believe that Joey’s married,” she said.
“Me, neither.” He slid his arms around her waist again. “So what do you think? Would you like to be my little snuggle bunny?”
“Snuggle bunny?” she asked, giggling.
Tim grinned. “It’s a little-known fact that snuggle bunny is an old Scottish term of endearment.”
“Really?”
“Really. It’s from around 1680 or so. Chester told me that a while back,” he said.
“Snuggle bunny. I like that.” Renee wasn’t sure what to say. “Can I think about it?”
Tim was thrilled that she hadn’t said no. He could be patient a while longer. “Of course. No pressure, remember?”
“I remember.”
“Well, I better get you home. We both have work in the morning,” he said. “How are those pillowcases coming along?”
“Good,” she said, locking the door.
It didn’t take long for him to drop Renee off and when he did, he only kissed her briefly, keeping things light and pressure-free. He surprised himself by the level of restraint he was able to maintain around her. Maybe it was just that he’d never cared about a woman so much. He watched until she was inside before driving away, smiling as he relived their kiss.
*****
“He wants me to be his snuggle bunny.”
Marcus looked up from the newspaper article he was reading to see Renee closing the door to his office. “Huh?”
Renee had always felt comfortable talking to Marcus about anything. He had a unique ability to put people to ease and he never gave the impression that he didn’t care.
“Tim. He asked me last night if I wanted to be his snuggle bunny.”
Marcus laughed. “I’ve never heard that expression. It’s cute, though.”
“He says it’s an old Scottish pet name.”
“Ah. I see,” Marcus said. “And what did you say?”
“That I’d think about it.”
Her coy expression amused him. “Playing hard to get, huh?”
“No, not exactly. I really did want to think about it a little. He’s so different from other men. He listens to me and he cares about what I think.”
Marcus leaned back in his chair, propping his right ankle up on his opposite knee. “That’s a good thing. It shows that he really cares about you and that he’s not just lookin’ for a good time.”
“What if I mess things up between us, Marcus?” Renee asked. “I’m scared that I’ll lose him completely.”
“Yeah, that’s a tough decision. Trying to be both friends and lovers is hard unless your lover is also your best friend. Like me and Claire,” he said. “You’ll never know if you don’t take a risk. Relationships can be risky, but in my opinion, you and Tim laid a little bit of a foundation, so it might not be as risky as two people who just start seeing each other romantically right away.” He smiled. “Do you want to be his snuggle bunny?”
Renee giggled and blushed. “Listen to me—and I hardly ever blush!” She put her hands to her hot cheeks.
Marcus’ warm laughter filled the office. “I’d say that’s a yes. Whenever a girl giggles and blushes, it means yes.”
“He sent me the most beautiful red roses yesterday and he took me to dinner, too.”
“Boy oh boy! You better snap him up, girl. Rope him and hog tie him before some other filly gets to him,” Marcus said. “That’s what Seth would say.”
She stomped her feet a little before getting up. “I think I will! Thanks, Marcus. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Anytime,” he said, smiling as she left. “Snuggle bunny,” he mumbled and went back to reading his article.
*****
On her lunch break, Renee popped in to see her mother. They’d been working out their differences since the night they’d fought.
“Hi, honey,” Hope said.
“May I use your phone for three minutes? That’s all the longer I’ll be. I don’t want to tie the line up in case there’s an emergency,” she said.
One of the things Hope loved about Renee was her sense of responsibility. “And I suppose you’d like me to step out for those three minutes?” she teased Renee.
“Please? I’ll tell you all about it when I’m done. I just can’t do it with you here beside me,” Renee said.
Hope put her pen down. “I suppose. Actually, I don’t mind. I need to go get some coffee anyway.”
She left, closing the door after her, and Renee picked up the receiver.
“Switchboard,” said Black Fox.
Renee smiled at his no-nonsense greeting. “Han, Grandfather.”
“Hau, Granddaughter. I heard that you rented an apartment.”
“Boy, word travels fast,” Renee said.
“Yes. It is a small town.”
“Very true. Would you put me through to the Dwyers, please?”
“Yes.” He came back in a moment. “I have Chester for you. Go ahead.”
“Oh, Grandfather, I’ll be exactly two minutes.” This indicated that she didn’t want him to listen the way that operators sometimes had to so they knew when a call ended.
“Ok. Two minutes. Here is Chester.”
“Thanks. Chester? It’s Renee Keller.”
“Hello, Miss Keller. How may I help you?”
“Would you be a dear and fetch Tim for me, but only if he’s up at the house. I don’t want to disturb him if he’s in the middle of something. But don’t tell him who it is,” s
he said.
“Certainly. I believe he’s in the playroom. One moment.”
Tim came on the line in a few moments. “Hello? Who’s this?”
“It’s your snuggle bunny,” she said, muffling a giggle.
He laughed. “It is, huh? You mean the snuggle bunny I kissed last night?”
“The very same.”
“Mmm. I like the sound of that.”
“I’m glad. Now, I only have a minute left before Grandfather comes back on the line. I’d still like to come over to see Kyle tonight. Is he going to be home?”
“Yeah. Come for supper.”
“Ok. I’ll see you then. Snuggle Bunny signing off.”
He chuckled. “See you then.”
Once they hung up, Tim let out a whoop and ran out of Joe’s important office, almost colliding with his mother. He grabbed her and danced around with her in the hallway.
“What’s going on?” she asked, laughing.
“I am officially courting Renee Keller. That’s what’s going on,” he said.
Lacey’s eyes widened. “You are? I thought you were just friends.”
“Well, things sort of developed. I already asked Switch and he gave me his blessing,” Tim said.
Lacey hugged him. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Me, too. She’s so beautiful, Mama. And funny and kind and sweet,” Tim said. “Well, I better get back to it. I have to get that mare ready for Captain Davis to try out when he gets here. See ya later.”
Chapter Eight
On Saturday, Tim, Switch, Skip, Devon, and Sawyer helped Renee paint her apartment. She’d elected to paint the kitchen a soft, buttery yellow, and the parlor, bedroom, and water closet a pretty cream. Renee had never painted before. Her attempts were clumsy and had to be gone over by someone else.
Switch finally sat her on a stepstool and said, “You sit here and look pretty and we’ll finish this.”
“Is that your way of saying I stink at this, Pa?”
“Yes,” he said, laughing.
“You’re awful. But you’re right,” she said. “I know. I’ll go to the bakery and get us a treat.”
“All right,” Switch said, going back to his painting.
Tim watched her leave, his gaze roaming over her shapely, jeans-clad backside while Switch’s back was towards him. He smiled and turned around to see Devon grinning at him.
“Shut up,” he said.
They’d been out almost every night, including last night when they’d cleaned up pretty good at the Howler again. He’d tried to give her his half of their winnings, but she’d turned him down again. He liked that she didn’t want money from him. Some women would since he was rich, but Renee wouldn’t hear of it.
She returned with all sorts of pastries and some sandwiches. Once the painting was done, which didn’t take long, they all sat down on the floor and ate the goodies. Switch watched the byplay between Tim and Renee and he was glad he’d given Tim permission to see his daughter. Tim was gentlemanly and respectful of Renee and Switch’s confidence in their relationship grew.
*****
A week later, Renee was set to spend her first night in her new apartment. D.J. and Frankie Samuels had come through with a nice bedroom suit and refused to take money from her. She decided that she was going to make them a nice quilt as repayment for the furniture. Switch and Hope had bought her a kitchen table and chairs. Her parlor now contained a matching blue-and-gold sofa and wingback chair, a coffee table, and two end tables.
Tim had bought her an Edison Pathe windup record player and several records, telling her that it was a late Valentine’s Day present. Renee loved the ornate cabinet and she looked forward to hosting little dances for her family and friends. She and Tim had already tried the record player out and it had excellent sound quality.
That night, her family stayed for quite a while, loathe to leave her. Skip sulked a little. He and Renee were close and he was going to miss having her at home to talk to whenever he wanted. Finally, they left, and Renee changed into her nightclothes and fixed some tea. She liked working in her kitchen and was happy with how the apartment had turned out, thanks to all of her helpers.
She took the tea into the parlor and put a record on the player. Sitting down on the sofa, she put her feet up and picked up a magazine she’d bought that day. She’d begun reading an article on quilting when someone knocked on her door.
Going to it, she asked, “Who is it?”
“Hello, Snuggle Bunny.”
She smiled as she opened the door. “Come on in, handsome.”
He took in the sight of her in her pretty nightgown and practically salivated. Her lustrous dark hair flowed over her shoulders in waves and the garment left no doubt that she was a woman. “Good God, you look good enough to eat,” he blurted.
Renee laughed. “Thank you. What’s in the basket?”
Tim opened it and took out a fluffy orange kitten. “I thought you might get a little lonely, so I brought you a buddy to keep you company.”
“He’s so cute!” She cuddled the little feline, who purred when she scratched behind his little ears. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. His teeth are little, so I brought you some crushed-up chicken to get started with. I also put a couple of little tin dishes in here for food and water.”
Her eyes held wonder. “You think of everything, don’t you?”
He smiled. “I try. How’s it going so far?”
“Fine. The family left not long ago. I was just having some tea and reading while I listened to music on the splendid phonograph a very handsome man gave me.”
“Well, he must think an awful lot of you to do something like that,” Tim said.
“Yes, he must. Thank you again.”
“No need to thank me. Well, I’ll let you get back to your reading. I just wanted to drop off your new roommate.”
“Oh, no. I’m not letting you get away that fast,” she said. “Would you like a drink? I have some scotch.”
He smiled. “Who am I to turn down a nice offer like that?”
“Good. Here, you hold Romeo while I fix it. I had ice delivered today. Do you want some in your scotch?” she asked.
“No, thanks,” he said sitting down on the sofa.
“Very well,” she said, going into the kitchen.
She thought it was so nice fixing a drink for them in her new little place. She cut up some cheese, put a few pieces of chocolate bar on a plate, and set it all on a tray.
“What did you do?” he asked as she set the tray on the coffee table. “You didn’t have to go to any trouble.”
She sat down by him. “It’s no trouble at all.” She handed him his drink and took her own.
Tim raised his glass. “A toast to your new home. May you have good times and happiness here.”
“Hear, hear,” she said as they clinked glasses and each took a sip. She tucked her feet up under her. “So, tell me about your day.”
As he did, he could hardly take his eyes off her. They ate their snack and talked about all sorts of things. She found that Tim was hands on, but in a nice way. He squeezed her hand here and there and wound a long tendril of her hair around his fingers. He’d never done that before and she surmised that he must have been holding back because their relationship hadn’t been romantic at the time.
She liked his gentle touch and the way he looked her in the eye as they spoke. He wasn’t constantly ogling her and he paid attention to what she said. The kitten had gotten brave and jumped off the couch to explore his new home. He got frisky and started playing with his tail. They laughed at his antics and Renee thanked Tim again for giving him to her.
“Well, I know you have to work tomorrow, so I’d better let you get some rest,” he said.
“All right, although I’m not sure how much I’ll sleep. I’m a little wound up about sleeping in a new place,” she said, running a hand over his arm. “Will you stay just a little longer?”
Her touch
set him on fire and he thought, I’ll do anything you want. “Sure. What were you reading?”
She moved closer to him, her hand moving up to caress the nape of his neck. “Nothing that would interest you.”
The look in her eyes fanned the flames of his desire and Tim put an arm around her. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
She gave him a seductive smile. “I might have been told that a few times.”
“Well, you are, and I’m gonna go crazy if I don’t kiss you right now,” he said.
He was surprised when she rose up, pressing her mouth to his, and sliding her arms around his neck. He wasn’t going to refuse the chance to hold her and kiss her. He pulled her against him, kissing her urgently.
Tim’s kisses were unlike anything Renee had ever known before and she couldn’t get enough. He knew what he was doing and he was thorough. He tasted of scotch and chocolate and it was a heady combination of flavors. His lips were warm and soft. She lightly bit his lower lip and he growled against her mouth, burying his hands in her hair.
His lips left hers to press kisses along her throat down to her collar bone. “You smell so good,” he said, inhaling her slightly floral scent.
“Thank you,” she said, threading her fingers through his short hair.
Tim shuddered slightly at her touch and knew he was reaching the point of no return. He was perfectly willing, but he didn’t want to move too far too fast. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her. “I better go before something happens that we’re not ready for.”
Renee appreciated his consideration. “That’s probably a good idea, but for the record, you’re hard to resist.”
“Likewise,” he said.
He got up and she followed him to the door. “Goodnight, Timmy.”
“Goodnight, Snuggle Bunny,” he said, giving her a last kiss.
She locked the door after him and then sighed. “How am I supposed to sleep after that?”
She fed Romeo and then took him to bed with her. He curled up on her pillow with her, his presence comforting to her in the new place. Eventually, her eyes drifted shut and she slept soundly.
