am head over heels in love with him. My heart stutters. My cheeks flush. And I would go take a moment to catch my breath but I can’t stop looking at him.
I watch in fascination as he pulls a wine glass down from the cabinet and pours some of my favorite wine.
He turns and smiles at me. “Here. You’ve earned it.”
“Are you trying to butter me up for something?”
He takes my hand and leads me into the living room, where we sit on the couch. He’s on one end, and I’m on the other, but my couch isn’t that big, so we’re not too far from each other.
“What do you mean?”
“You did all of my chores for me.”
“I didn’t realize they were your chores,” he says as I watch him over the rim of my wine glass. “They’re just things that needed to be done, so I did them.”
I could cry. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed, and having him here to help with these things, without even being asked, is a huge deal.
He did all my work for me, so now all I have to do is relax.
I feel like I won the lottery.
“Thanks.” I lean back and rest my head on a pillow. “I appreciate it.”
Sam reaches for one of my feet and starts rubbing the arch with his thumb.
“You’ll put me to sleep.”
“How do you feel after your day in the saddle?” he asks.
“God, I’m tired.” I laugh a little. “Riding is hard on the body.”
“You looked damn sexy on that horse. I knew that Seth taught you and Monica to ride, but I didn’t know you were so good at it.”
“There’s nothing like being on horseback,” I say with a sigh. “Even when it’s cold outside. And did you notice that by the time I got on, the clouds decided to settle in? It was damn chilly.”
“I noticed.”
Of course, he did. There isn’t much he doesn’t see.
“Well, even when the air is cool, it’s awesome. And Suzie is a sweetheart.”
“You impressed the kids.”
“Yeah.” I close my eyes and sigh when his thumb digs in at just the right place. “That was a side benefit. Kevin isn’t easy to impress.”
“I don’t know. He seems impressed by me.”
“Of course, he is. You’re a firefighter, Sam. He thinks that’s the coolest thing ever. On Halloween, he suggested that he should go ahead and start a fire so he could put it out, just like you.”
He stops rubbing. “Jesus, what did you say?”
“That he’s not a real fireman and he absolutely cannot do that. But I’ve stopped lighting candles around the house, and I threw out the candle lighter, just in case. Replaced them all with the flameless.”
“Good thinking.”
“Is Kevin going to end up being one of those kids that everyone thinks is a big jerk and gets in trouble all the time?” I can’t even believe I just said that out loud. “Because we all know kids like that, and I do not want him to be that way. He’s usually so sweet, but there have been moments these past few months when he’s just a brat. God, please don’t tell anyone I said that.”
“Kevin’s a good kid,” Sam says quietly. “He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body, and you said yourself that he’s been doing better this school year.”
“Yeah, so far so good.”
“I think the adjustment has been rough on everyone,” he continues and switches to my other foot. “They lost their parents, moved in here. New routine, new people. I think, all things considered, they’re doing well.”
“You’re right. They really are. I just worry about them. At least I have a fireman living here, in case he decides to rub two sticks together.”
“No Boy Scouts for that kid,” Sam says with a laugh. “And speaking of living here, I think it’s time I let the apartment go.”
Hope sets up residence in my belly, but before I can ask questions, he keeps talking.
“I only go there to gather more clothes. It’s a waste of money, and someone else could be renting it. Gage, for instance. I’ll have to go through some of the boxes and will probably need another storage unit, but it’s silly to keep it.”
“Okay, I—”
“I heard from the Spokane department,” he continues, clearly on a roll, and I narrow my eyes at him. “They said I could take through the holidays to figure out what I’m doing.”
“So, you’re still considering that job?”
He sighs and pushes his hand through his hair. “It’s the job I’ve worked