started.
But not here, and not now, so he braced his feet and prepared himself to make do with kissing and the feel of her in his arms.
There was the sound of someone clearing their throat and then a quiet, “Allison?”
She froze in his arms.
“You’re going to be late.” Then there was just a condemning closing of the door again.
Ally pushed back and put her hands in her coat pockets again. “She’s right. It wouldn’t look good for me to be late.”
“What’s your mother got against me, anyway?”
“I have no idea. She always thought I was rather stupid to give you up in the first place.”
There was that word again. Stupid. She seemed to use that an awful lot in reference to herself. He didn’t like it.
“You probably should go. And maybe reapply your lipstick before you leave.” He ran a thumb over her lips. They looked plump and deliciously kissed. “Let me know how you make out. And come see Moose sometime. He’s fetching now and bringing it back without prompting. Of course, he’s figured out that he gets a treat and sticks his nose in my pocket.”
“I’d like that. I’ll call you.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
He didn’t want to leave but she had to get on the road. “You sure your car will start?”
She grinned. “I gave it a tune-up. Changed the oil, plugs, everything. She’s got to get me through the winter, you know.”
“You did that?”
She nodded. “I can do some things on my own,” she replied.
“You,” he said, touching her nose with a finger, “are constantly full of surprises.”
“I hope so,” she answered. “Now get going. And thanks for stopping by.”
She slipped by him into the house and he went back to his truck. His footsteps felt lighter than they had in ages. If she wanted time, he’d give it to her. But not too much time. There were some things he was eager to get moving. Like making love to her again—properly.
Did he really want to go down this road? If he were brutally honest, he did. His pain had been real when she’d given him back the ring, but she’d explained her reasons. And he had been impatient. Maybe he could have given her more time, but he’d pushed, made it all or nothing. She wasn’t the only one to blame.
Maybe they could get it right this time.
He started the engine but waited until she’d come back outside and started her car without incident. Only then did he put the truck in gear and head home.
Ally pulled a pair of gloves off her hands and shoved them into her jacket pockets. There’d been a frost this morning and the chill had stayed in the air long after the October sun had burned away the delicate crystals. The valley was an area rich in agriculture, and right now was the height of the harvest. Pumpkins were piled everywhere, the apple U-Picks were going full swing and there was never any parking near the corn maze, which brought families from far and wide.
It was Ally’s favourite time of year. She loved the fall colors, loved the fresh fruit and late-harvest vegetables. She loved the sunshine and the particular blue of the sky and how she got to wear cozy soft sweaters and gloves.
But she wasn’t quite enjoying it as much today. Her mother and father had insisted she join them for the annual tea and sale at the Greenwich Fire Department.
Normally she loved these sorts of community events. The food was always top-notch, the conversation predictably local and gossipy, and the good-will contagious. But not today. Today she had too much on her mind. The career counsellor had been helpful, but it had been Chris’s suggestions that had set off a chain reaction of possibilities in her head. He was right. She should work with animals and she didn’t truly know why she hadn’t thought of it before. Perhaps it had been the constant references to a real job that had held her back. A real job didn’t sound like fun. Work wasn’t supposed to be fun .
Except there was no reason why it couldn’t be. The
But not here, and not now, so he braced his feet and prepared himself to make do with kissing and the feel of her in his arms.
There was the sound of someone clearing their throat and then a quiet, “Allison?”
She froze in his arms.
“You’re going to be late.” Then there was just a condemning closing of the door again.
Ally pushed back and put her hands in her coat pockets again. “She’s right. It wouldn’t look good for me to be late.”
“What’s your mother got against me, anyway?”
“I have no idea. She always thought I was rather stupid to give you up in the first place.”
There was that word again. Stupid. She seemed to use that an awful lot in reference to herself. He didn’t like it.
“You probably should go. And maybe reapply your lipstick before you leave.” He ran a thumb over her lips. They looked plump and deliciously kissed. “Let me know how you make out. And come see Moose sometime. He’s fetching now and bringing it back without prompting. Of course, he’s figured out that he gets a treat and sticks his nose in my pocket.”
“I’d like that. I’ll call you.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
He didn’t want to leave but she had to get on the road. “You sure your car will start?”
She grinned. “I gave it a tune-up. Changed the oil, plugs, everything. She’s got to get me through the winter, you know.”
“You did that?”
She nodded. “I can do some things on my own,” she replied.
“You,” he said, touching her nose with a finger, “are constantly full of surprises.”
“I hope so,” she answered. “Now get going. And thanks for stopping by.”
She slipped by him into the house and he went back to his truck. His footsteps felt lighter than they had in ages. If she wanted time, he’d give it to her. But not too much time. There were some things he was eager to get moving. Like making love to her again—properly.
Did he really want to go down this road? If he were brutally honest, he did. His pain had been real when she’d given him back the ring, but she’d explained her reasons. And he had been impatient. Maybe he could have given her more time, but he’d pushed, made it all or nothing. She wasn’t the only one to blame.
Maybe they could get it right this time.
He started the engine but waited until she’d come back outside and started her car without incident. Only then did he put the truck in gear and head home.
Ally pulled a pair of gloves off her hands and shoved them into her jacket pockets. There’d been a frost this morning and the chill had stayed in the air long after the October sun had burned away the delicate crystals. The valley was an area rich in agriculture, and right now was the height of the harvest. Pumpkins were piled everywhere, the apple U-Picks were going full swing and there was never any parking near the corn maze, which brought families from far and wide.
It was Ally’s favourite time of year. She loved the fall colors, loved the fresh fruit and late-harvest vegetables. She loved the sunshine and the particular blue of the sky and how she got to wear cozy soft sweaters and gloves.
But she wasn’t quite enjoying it as much today. Her mother and father had insisted she join them for the annual tea and sale at the Greenwich Fire Department.
Normally she loved these sorts of community events. The food was always top-notch, the conversation predictably local and gossipy, and the good-will contagious. But not today. Today she had too much on her mind. The career counsellor had been helpful, but it had been Chris’s suggestions that had set off a chain reaction of possibilities in her head. He was right. She should work with animals and she didn’t truly know why she hadn’t thought of it before. Perhaps it had been the constant references to a real job that had held her back. A real job didn’t sound like fun. Work wasn’t supposed to be fun .
Except there was no reason why it couldn’t be. The
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