He stretched out all the kinks. Sleeping the full night on his back never left him without a few aches. Not to mention he slept on top of the comforter instead of under it. But he didn’t care. Liam was simply happy to have been out like a light. He didn’t even remember dreaming. Well, maybe there had been a couple with Tessa. In the new house.A family.
“Let’s get outside, Raven.” He led the husky out the back door, inhaling the cool, crisp air that promised rain. Sunset Ridge had been blessed with a beautiful summer. Just enough rain to keep nature happy. No forest fires nearby to cover the town in a cloud of yellow smoke or to dust cars in ashes. Even the mosquitos seemed to be traveling in thinner droves.
The clouds didn’t linger too low in the sky, so Liam figured visibility should be good enough for a flight. He’d double-check once they were back inside.
Raven let out a gentle whine, drawing his attention. Ed stood at the trailhead and stared back, ears mostly raised. But the wild look in the moose’s eyes warned Liam he wasn’t crazy about a dog nearby. “C’mon, Raven.”
The husky stood ten feet away, heavy debate hanging in her eyes. She recognized the antlered beast from the other day, no doubt. Probably by the scent more than Ed’s unusual antlers. Though he was adored by the majority of Sunset Ridge, a provoked moose was a dangerous moose, no matter how cherished. Ed was still a bull who wouldn’t hesitate to charge if threatened—and he had more than once.
“I sure wish you could be bribed by blueberry scones,” Liam muttered at Raven, slowly stepping toward his dog. He was prepared to dive for her if she decided to chase Ed. “Let’s get inside.”
Two feet away, Raven looked back at Liam and finally seemed to register what he was saying. She trotted toward the back door, leaving Ed to his mischievous ways.
“Something smells like heaven,” Liam said as he entered the kitchen. He’d gone a little heavier than usual on the aftershave; figured it couldn’t hurt in persuading Tessa to come with him today if she needed the extra nudge.
“Eggs Benedict,” Tessa told him, an easy smile on those lips he had a hard time not staring at.Guess I did dream about kissing her. “Want me to fix you a plate?”
“Please.”
Liam slipped into a chair at the table he’d become very comfortable around lately. Though he ate a lot of to-go meals on the fly, he spent more time at this kitchen table than his mom’s, a detail she frequently reminded him of since he took up residence at the lodge. Jolene wanted him to be home with the rest of the family, but the tension between Liam and his dad made meals uncomfortable lately.
Tessa carried a plate over to him. “Any chance you’ll get to work on my car today?”
It wasn’t the question Liam hoped she’d ask, but it served his plan just the same.
“Maybe.”
She stopped halfway to him, plate clutched in both hands. Her expression steeled, then loosened again. “I might have to leave any day, Liam,” she said gently. “Is there any chance you can work on it today?”
His gaze lingered on the woman standing before him. They’d both grown up so much since they were kids. It only made Tessa prettier with his breakfast, especially without all that stage makeup. “I’ll make you a deal.”
“Here we go,” mumbled Tessa, setting the plate in front of him and crossing her arms. “What do you want?”
Liam smirked, cutting into his Eggs Benedict and savoring a slow bite just to make her wait. When she tapped her foot and huffed out a couple of breaths, he finally said, “I need to go to Anchorage to get a new radiator.”
“What?”
“I don’t know if you noticed, but no one else in town has a Mustang. I don’t keep those radiators in stock.” He could get one from Seward—closer by a hundred miles—but that wouldn’t work in his favor the way Anchorage would. “So I have to make a trip to get it.”
“Can you go today?”
“Possibly.”
The half-dozen emotions flashing across her face amused him before she settled on a response. Tessa was obviously trying hard not to get worked up, but she knew him well enough to know he was up to something. “Just spit it out, Liam. What’s this going to cost me?”
“Come with me.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
She turned away, busying herself at the sink rinsing off dishes. “I can’t.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?”
Her shoulders rose and fell with her heavy breath. “Both?”
“I want to show you something, Tessa. But you have to come with me.” He’d give anything to freeze time. The clock was ticking too fast these days. Since that wasn’t an option, he had to play a little dirty. “Either you come with me, or I don’t go until Monday.”
