Moving On (Rolling Thunder #7) - P.J. Fiala Page 0,6

on the road for a while.

He passed Lickety Split, the little custard ice cream place about two miles from his house, and Olivia waved to him from the big service window.

Thoughts of her raced through his head. Over the past couple of years that he lived in this area of Green Bay, he had stopped in there. Olivia had given him every indication that she was available and interested. At one point, Olivia had asked him, "Are you ever going to ask me out?" To which he replied, "If I answer that, I'll ruin the surprise."

A week later he stopped in and asked her out, but she had a date that night and he never asked her again. She'd told him just a couple of months ago that she was no longer seeing that man and he took the hint. But by that time, he knew LuAnn was going to be getting out and he didn't want to get involved. First, because he had every intention of remaining friends with LuAnn. Secondly, women never appreciated or tolerated a man remaining friends with his exes, and LuAnn was an ex. They'd spent many nights together with little sleep.

Now though, he wasn't sure where he and LuAnn were going. If he compared the two women, it seemed like a no-brainer that Liv was likely the better choice for him. She owned Lickety Split, built it from the ground up, managed it and did a bang-up business. Liv was beautiful with her long, blond hair and big blue eyes, full lips and a sexy body. She was the total damned package.

LuAnn by comparison used to have blond hair. She had a stellar body and he remembered how she felt pulled tightly against him. How she felt when he made love to her. All of it. It was what a man fantasized about when he dreamed of a woman to spend his life with. Her lips knew just how to fit perfectly to his. Her mouth, when she sucked his cock, fuck, she swirled her tongue at just the perfect time then sucked down hard on him and his engines revved at full speed. But, and it was a big but, she wasn't in love with him; she loved Dog. And, that was the part that hurt the most.

Riding down the country road that led him away from home, he enjoyed the horses running and playing in the pasture as he past the Olson farm. Turning right at the first road, he sped down the straight road to clear the negative thoughts out of his head, then made the next right and headed toward home.

As he entered the town line, he found himself in front of Lickety Split. Without another thought, he pulled in to get himself a custard cone and chat with Liv.

5

Dragging the bag of weeds toward the garage, LuAnn enjoyed the freedom of being able to leave the area without asking permission. She'd spent this past week creating Linda and Tanner’s flower beds. Her sister wasn't shy about the fact that she knew nothing about gardening and what's more, she really didn't want to learn. LuAnn found herself feeling useful in beautifying their home and reflecting on what came next.

Tanner made it perfectly clear that he was less than happy she was staying in their home. He and Dog got along great, of course, and LuAnn was a source of embarrassment to him. Dinners were quiet, and she'd fought the urge to eat in her room for a couple of reasons. First, she needed to be sure she didn't shut herself away. Secondly, she deserved his annoyance. She thought that if she desensitized herself to his treatment, it wouldn't hurt so bad when she finally gathered her nerve to leave the house. She would be less scared when she left their home, too.

"How's it coming?"

LuAnn jumped at Linda's voice as she entered the garage.

"Good. Come out and take a look; I think you'll be happy."

She deposited the bag of weeds alongside the garbage can to toss later and exited the garage with her sister behind her.

"I have day lilies scattered throughout the garden in various colors. Each corner has the wheat grass that I moved from that back corner, which adds height and movement. The dragon lilies and the dusty tall sedum are over there, and I'll be adding some coral bells after I go to the greenhouse."

"Oh, my goodness, LuAnn, look how pretty everything is. And, you've done all of