his neck and she leaned into the kiss, he groaned and finally pulled back.
“This isn’t a stopping point,” he said. “Consider this moment on pause.”
Cathy’s lips were tingling from the passion of the kiss, and her heart was pounding. Someday soon they were going to make love. They had to, or she was going to die from the want of it.
Duke cupped her face, then brushed one last kiss across her lips.
“Hope and Jack are in the car waiting for me, but I couldn’t leave town without seeing you. I needed to make sure you were okay and to remind you about our lunch tomorrow.”
“I’m not about to forget anything to do with you,” she said softly.
Duke sighed, then leaned down until their foreheads were touching. “You are something special, girl. See you tomorrow around eleven thirty. I’ll come by and pick you up, okay?”
“Yes, very okay,” Cathy said.
Duke ran the tip of his finger down the curve of her cheek, then traced the shape of her lower lip with his thumb, and all Cathy could do was stand motionless beneath his touch.
“You make me crazy,” he whispered, and then he was gone.
Cathy stood in the doorway and waved as the Talbots drove off, and then the moment she closed the door, she did a little two-step and danced her way back to the kitchen.
“Oh my lord! He says I drive him crazy?” she said, and then shivered longingly at the thought of lying in his arms.
* * *
Duke got back in the car and then said nothing as they backed up and headed home, but Hope wasn’t settling for silence.
“Is Cathy okay?” she asked.
“Hmm? Oh…yes, she’s fine. Didn’t appear to faze her. She’s pretty amazing.”
“I wonder how she got so proficient with guns?” Hope said.
“Spent the first twelve years of her life living off the grid in Alaska with her parents,” Duke said, and then took off his hat and set it on the seat beside him.
“Really?” Jack asked.
Duke nodded. “I suspect she has skills in survival that we haven’t even thought of.”
“I remember she told me at the hospital that she’d hiked and backpacked her way to Blessings. What she did was amazing, but how on earth did she know those women and the children were in danger?” Hope asked.
“She was outside. Lon said she heard them screaming. She had no way of knowing the coyote had gone in this direction, but I told her about it this morning. Maybe it was instinct that led her to do it. Who knows? The bottom line is that the animal is no longer a danger. However, if I was a pet owner, I would be making sure all my pets were vaccinated. There’s never going to be a way to know if rabies has already been spread in the wild because of it,” Duke said.
“I’m going to hold the intention that doesn’t happen,” Hope said. “And just so you know, you two get the showers. I call dibs on the tub so I can soak. I don’t know which hurts more, my feet or my back.”
Jack frowned. “Bless your heart. You soak as long as you want. Duke and I will handle chores and supper.”
“Thank you. I always look forward to gathering eggs and putting the hens up at night when I work the day shift, but I’ll gladly forego it tonight.”
Duke leaned forward and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, honey.”
Hope chuckled. “I suspect this is just the beginning of aches and exhaustion…and after the baby gets here, it will only get worse. I’m beginning to think your sudden desire to move out has to do with abdicating from baby duty.”
Duke frowned. “That’s not true. I will happily help, once it gets big enough that I think I won’t break it.”
The honesty in that comment made Jack and Hope laugh out loud.
“What?” Duke said.
Hope was still chuckling. “Nothing. It’s just me picturing giant you holding a teeny baby.”
Duke grinned. “Oh. Well, I can’t change that.”
“You don’t need to change anything for anyone. You’re pretty damn awesome as you are,” Jack said.
“I’m taking Cathy to lunch tomorrow,” Duke said.
“Well, that’s one way to change the subject,” Jack said. “Good for you.”
Duke leaned back and let the conversation roll on without him. He was thinking about making love with a woman he hadn’t known two weeks. But the way he looked at it, she was a gift he’d never thought about, and certainly never saw coming, but