Exhausted, it was mid-morning before she wandered into the kitchen.She’d found a white terry cloth robe in his closet, and she let the ties trail along the floor behind her.“Smells good,” she said.“What are you making?”
“Waffles,” he said.“With lots of butter and syrup.”
Her eyes widened.Her newly restricted caloric intake certainly wouldn’t survive butter and syrup.Watching Ben work industriously over the waffle maker, humming, pouring in batter, she couldn’t tell him that.For some reason, she resisted telling him she’d decided to return to modeling.Not now.Perhaps she could get away with eating half a waffle.
Her stomach rumbled, reminded her of how hungry she’d been the whole time she’d spent in her profession.She remembered denying herself simple food, starving, and she recalled hating the necessary evil.Unless one was plus-sized, overweight models didn’t get work.Gritting her teeth, she glanced into his fruit bowl for lemons.Naturally it was empty.
Sigh.
From the counter, her phone chirruped.It was Milly.
“Hi, honey,” Milly said, her voice upbeat.“I’m here in the diner with your dad.We’re calling to see how you’re doing down there in Texas?”
Sarah smiled secretly at Ben.Her lover.“I’m just fine.Ben takes me to his work and I get to watch a lot of training.It’s fun.How are you?”
“Good, good.I wanted you to know that things have really quieted down here in Mountain Wood.”Milly paused.“It was a good idea Ben had, getting you out of the vicinity.Nothing bad happened.Maybe that guy has given up.”
“You think he’s gone?”Sarah asked, hopeful.
“Well, I don’t know.Whoever was threatening you went silent, though.Here, your dad wants to say hello.”
Big Jim got on the phone.“Travis Butler and I’ve been watching the ranch real close.We haven’t seen anything, but I don’t want you comin’ home until the coast’s clear.”
Sarah drew a breath.“I know, Dad.I think Ben will want to keep me here a while longer.”
Ben used a spatula to ease a waffle on a plate for her.He grinned.“A lot longer,” he mouthed.
She hung up the phone and ate the whole waffle.
****
The long weekend wasspent in Ben’s bed.Neither Sarah nor Ben wanted to leave, exploring each other’s bodies, insatiable, drugged on lovemaking.He had food delivered and on Sunday evening they sat up in bed, pillows at their back, drinking glasses of pinot grigio.Well, she had half a glass.
On the nightstand, Ben’s phone buzzed.He reached a lazy arm across Sarah’s nude body to study the screen and put it to his ear.“Chief King,” he said.“What’s up?”
Sarah tensed, watching him.
Ben listened, his features hard, then suddenly, he relaxed.“Damn,” he said.“I’m glad to hear it.I’ll tell Sarah right now.Damn,” he repeated.
Putting his phone down, Ben reached for her hand.“Good news,” he said.“Ridley Kemper was caught in Idaho, selling drugs.He’s now in police custody.”
