“That ought to keep her busy for five minutes,” Jeanne Louise said with amusement.
“Yeah.” Paul smiled wryly and opened his eyes. “Just long enough for us to deal with feeding you.”
Jeanne Louise’s eyes widened with surprise at the words and he grimaced.
“Not with the feeding itself, of course. I meant, I haven’t forgotten you need to feed and I wanted to reassure you that we’ll see to it later. Just as soon as Livy goes to bed.” Paul paused and then when she remained silent and wide-eyed, asked, “All right? Can you last that long?”
Jeanne Louise stared at him for a moment. Her gaze then dropped to his bare chest and his lap before rushing back up to his face. Tongue now stuck to the roof of her mouth, she merely nodded.
“Good.” Paul leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then got up to follow his daughter and help gather wood for a fire and branches to cook the weenies on. Boomer trailed him, wagging his tail.
Jeanne Louise stared after him, her eyes gliding over every inch of tan male skin that his red trunks revealed. Damn, he was feeding her later. That was definitely something to look forward to.
Nine
Jeanne Louise turned onto her back in the water and stared at the darkening sky. It was still light out, but the sun was setting, the sky awash in umber and purple. It wouldn’t be long before those colors too were gone and full night fell. In the meantime, she’d decided to catch that swim she’d been yearning for all day, but hadn’t dared take while the sun was out.
Breathing out a pleased little sigh as the water slid over and around her body, Jeanne Louise turned her head in the water and glanced toward the cottage. The lights were on in the kitchen and living room. While it was still bright enough to see out here, inside, shadows were already filling the spaces.
They’d had their weenie roast, and then roasted marshmallows as well. Paul had built the fire at the very edge of the beach where the shade from the tree had offered Jeanne Louise some cover so that she could participate. Afterward, they’d gone in to watch one of the huge selection of movies that belonged to the cottage. Most of them were older movies, with only one or two current ones, but they hadn’t minded. Livy had begun to doze off toward the end of the movie so Paul had decided it was time to put her to bed.
Leaving him to it, Jeanne Louise had come outside, taken one look at the water under the darkening sky and had decided it was time for her swim.
The clack of the screen door closing drew her attention to the house and Jeanne Louise smiled when she saw Paul walking down toward the sand. Shifting to her feet, she started to walk out of the water. Paul met her at the water’s edge, unfolding a beach towel she hadn’t first noticed he held.
“Thank you,” Jeanne Louise murmured as he wrapped the towel around her shoulders. “Did you manage to get Livy off to sleep?”
“Out like a light with Boomer curled at her feet,” he said with a smile. “And not one headache since arriving at the cottage.”
“Maybe the fresh air is good for her,” she suggested, clutching both ends of the towel under her chin.
“Maybe,” Paul agreed, stepping back. He stared at her for a minute and then said abruptly, “You’re probably hungry.”
Jeanne Louise stilled. He wasn’t talking about food. And he was right. She was hungry. The gal in the public washroom at the mall had barely been a snack. The problem was she was worried about getting overexcited and taking too much blood from him.
“Howdy, neighbors.”
When Paul glanced toward that call, Jeanne Louise did as well, a smile automatically lifting her lips in response to the grin on the face of the tall, lean middle-aged man approaching them.
“I’m Russell Jackson,” he announced, holding out his hand as he got nearer.
Paul took it first, shaking in greeting. “Paul Williams,” he introduced himself, using the name Jeanne Louise had used to register them at the motel. She could hardly use their real name when they were on the run, and Williams had seemed better than Smith. Turning to gesture to Jeanne Louise, he added, “And this is my wife, Jeanie.”
She glanced at him with surprise, but recovered quickly and managed a smile as the man then turned to offer her his hand as well.
“Pleasure,” Russell said as he released her hand. “We’re renting the cottage next door. Been here a week. Have one more before we head back home to work,” he said with a grimace that suggested he’d rather stay on vacation.
“Nice here?” Paul asked.
Russell nodded. “Beautiful. The weather’s been good, the cottage is gorgeous and so far the others staying around here have been great.”
“Good to hear,” Paul murmured.
“Well, we all get to know each other and sort of hang around together. At least we did last week. All but two families were only here for a week. The Corbys on the other side of you and us.” He gestured to the cedar building on the right of their cottage. “My family and I are in the one on your other side,” Russell added, gesturing back the way he’d come.
“Are the Corbys as friendly as you?” Jeanne Louise asked with a smile.
“Yep. Good people,” he assured her. “They have a couple boys eight and ten, and my wife and I have a daughter who’s six and a son who’s nine. The four of them have been playing together and having a whale of a time while we adults relax and visit. Both families went to the provincial park today, took the kids for a little nature walk while the leaving renters cleared out. Stopped for dinner on the way back and just got in. That’s why no one came to greet you sooner,” he admitted and then asked, “You got kids?”