Kyle’s mouth dropped open. “Did I just actuallyhearthat?”
“You did. Like I was saying, at this altitude, you can sometimes hear them if they’re close enough. I’ve only heard one other.”
Kyle laughed and shook his head. “That is one of the coolest damn things I’ve ever seen.” He looked around and nodded. “Yup. I could get used to a place like this.”
It just got better and better with him.
“So, what was that one thing you were gonna tell me before my wingman here interrupted us?” Kyle asked.
Arden grinned. “Well, you’ve already addressed it. There’s no way I’d ever move to California.” She looked around, even at the dark smudge of the ruined barn she’d been avoiding. “This is my home.” And with Kyle and Camo here, her words felt true again.
Two more silent meteors sped across the sky and they oo’ed and ah’ed.
“So, what would you think of me expanding your home?” Kyle asked.
“What do you mean, expand my home?”
“Well, I’m looking at buying some property here.”
Arden had no idea what he was getting at, but she’d play along for now. “I know someone who’s newly in the market to sell. Name’s Ellie Sanders. Her property borders mine.”
“Oh, I know the Sanders’ place. That could work.”
“But there’s a problem.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“Well, she only wants to sell to a local. She doesn’t trust out-of-towners flashing their dollars.”
“That’s not a problem then.”
“No? Why not? I thought you lived in California.”
“Ididlive in California. But you see, my boss has decided that Watchdog Security needs to expand, to find some land where we can spread out the training operations, maybe have a few dogs around. He’s given me a promotion, but I have to relocate here. So, looks like I’m a local now. Or I will be, soon as I find a place to live.”
“You make it sound simple, but it’s not that easy.” God, she felt mean when his eyes widened for a moment. She also had a hard time not laughing.
“No?” He looked down at her, one eyebrow raised. Aw, damn, he was getting to know her too well.
“Nope. You have to show that you can mingle with the natives. When you move here, they issue you a copy ofThe Eagles Greatest Hits, a pair of skis, and a dog.Afteryou prove you know all the lyrics to ‘Rocky Mountain High.’”
“Well,” he ticked off on his fingers, “I’ve already got the dog, I love The Eagles, I’ve never skied in my life so that might be a challenge. As for John Denver…” Kyle cleared his throat. “He was booooorn in the summer—”
“Okay, okay!” Arden laughed hysterically. “You pass. Please stop singing.”
“My voice isn’t that bad.”
“It’s atrocious. You, my friend, are no John Denver.” She ran her hand over his velvety cheek and loved the way he put his arms around her and pulled her close. She could stand out here and hug him forever. She tilted her chin up and they kissed with the promise of more to come. So much more.
They watched a few more meteors arc above the Christmas tree. Camo inspected the yard again for a few minutes then rejoined them. Kyle kept her close and warm until they decided to go in for some oversized mugs of hot chocolate—still impossible to take seriously those words together in the same sentence.
“That was an amazing meteor shower,” Arden said. “I just wish Sean could’ve been here to see that. And to have met you.”
Kyle pulled her closer. “Let me tell you about a dream I had.”
Twenty-One
Five Months Later, May
