“Maybe after a while you will regret being tied down to one woman.”
The touch of his hands on her cheeks sent waves of scorching hot heat through her whole body. She’d never had sex on the beach because the very thought of getting sand in a place where it did not belong made her shiver. But she could very easily change her mind. His lips lowered, and she splayed her hands out on his chest. She forgot all about where they were, what was on the quilt, and got ready for what she figured would be the hottest sex she’d ever known right there under the stars in front of the little birds and even God Himself.
But then he pulled away, stood up, and held out his hand. “This is not the place, Lula Ann. When we make love for the first time, I want it to be in a special place, not on a sandy beach.”
She put her hand in his. Her breath came out in short gasps, and her body was on fire. At the same time, she thought about how sweet it was for him to be planning their first time to be in a more comfortable and special place.
“We need to cool down,” he whispered, and pulled her toward the water.
“I’m … not …” She was still trying to catch her breath when she was waist deep in the water. “I didn’t … plan … on swimming.”
“Me, either. But I need to cool off.” Bubba grinned.
Holly stepped out a little farther and let the next wave soak her all the way to her braids. “That should do it for me.”
“I love …” Bubba said with a twinkle in his eyes, “this night and all the time I’ve spent with you this week. I’m glad I came to the speed-dating event.”
“I’ve got to admit that I didn’t want to go without my friend Darlene, but I’m glad I did, too,” she said as she tugged at his hand to get him started walking back to the beach.
He pulled her toward him and kissed her again, this time with wet lips that tasted faintly like salt water. The waves crashed around her, and she leaned into him for support. When the kiss ended, he scooped her up in his arms like a new bride and carried her back to the quilt. “I’m starving now. What’s in that paper sack that you brought?”
“That’s just like a man,” she teased. “Hunger after making out like a couple of teenagers.”
“Takes a lot of energy to work up that kind of internal heat.”
“I can agree with that,” she said as she took out containers and set them on the quilt.
“Is that fried chicken?” Bubba groaned.
She removed the lids to reveal chicken in one, potato salad in another, and baked beans in the third. Then she pulled a stack of disposable plates, napkins, and plastic cutlery from the bag. Finally, she brought out a square container with six fried pies. “Three cherry and three coconut,” she told him with a smile.
“You remembered,” he whispered, and leaned over to brush a soft kiss across her lips.
“That’s all I get when I slaved over a hot stove all day?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a real kiss. “Now,” she said when she moved back, “eat, because I expect a proper goodnight kiss when you take me home. One that will knock my socks off.”
“I will do my dead level best.” He chuckled again and handed her a plate.
Holly caught a movement in her peripheral vision and jerked her head around to see who or what it was. A big burly man carried a burlap bag in his hands and tossed it out into the water. Then he turned around and ran back across the beach toward a beat-up, old truck. The thing sounded like the engine was on its last breath when he drove away.
“Did you see that?” she asked.
“The only thing I’ve seen all evening is you,” Bubba said.
“What if there’s …” She jumped up from the quilt and started running.
“What?” Bubba asked and followed right behind her.
“A baby …” she yelled. “That man threw a bag out into the water. Why would he do that?”
With his long stride, Bubba beat her to the water and grabbed up the bag before it began to sink. Holly got a grip on it from the other side, and they worked together to bring it back to the shore.
They untied the baling twine from the top of the bag and found three whining puppies inside. One black with a few spots of brown on its belly, a yellow one, and a light-brown one with four white feet.
Lula Ann picked up the yellow one and held it close to her chest. “Poor baby. Why would anyone try to drown you?”
“I don’t know, but I’d like to tell him what I think of anyone who would do this, or maybe even get a little physical with him.”
“Me, too,” she agreed. “Look, Bubba, their little ribs are showing. They haven’t been fed right. Should we take them to a shelter?”
