Marlie pressed a hand to the doorframe. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.” Then her gaze ran over the cuts and bruises on his face. “Rough mission?”
“Normal mission with an extra side of training thrown in.” He wiped a scab near his chin, emotionally withdrawing without moving a muscle. “I’d invite you in for food or something as a welcome to the building, but I haven’t been home in two months, and there’s nothing in the fridge.” His hand dropped to pet the dog’s head. “My place is probably full of dust and discarded mail, anyway.”
She smiled. “That’s okay. Fabio was a lovely welcome to the building, and it was very nice to meet you.” She wanted to start unpacking and stop looking at the too-hot guy who’d just become her neighbor.
Bosco nodded. “Yeah. Welcome to Timber City, Marlie.” He turned and headed toward his apartment with the dog dancing around his feet.
She swallowed and shut her door. Wow. She had just moved to town and definitely wasn’t looking for romance. But even so. That was one fine male body. Sighing, she turned to unpack. It was time to get organized, and she’d do it without thinking about her sexy neighbor. Yeah, right.
As darkness started to fall,Bosco carried bins of Christmas decorations to his door, narrowly escaping tripping over the dog. “Would you please get out of the way?” He chuckled. “I should’ve left you at Nonna’s house.” He opened his door, stepped inside, and set the containers safely against the wall. The entire apartment smelled musty and deserted. He kicked his boots out of the way, and even though he’d wiped off the snow at the entrance to the house, more still scattered on the wood.
A small cry had his head shooting up.
Fabio barked and ran into the hall, dashing so hard toward Marlie’s door that he hit it head-on.
Bosco followed, automatically scanning for any threats. He knocked, edging sideways in case he needed to break down the door. “Marlie?”
The door opened, and she stood there, blowing hair out of her face. A dollop of dust smudged her smooth cheek, and her wild hair gave her a just-kissed look. “Hi. Sorry. I slipped on the counter.”
His eyebrows rose. “Why were you on the counter?”
“The top cupboards are high up there,” she said, her smile simply adorable.
His body warmed. The woman was about five-two with sandy-blond hair, stunning hazel eyes, and feline features. “I’m often used by family and friends to fetch things from a top shelf. I can help, if you want.” Then the scent of something freakin’ delicious caught his attention, and he lifted his head to sniff. “What is that?”
She opened the door and gestured him inside a mess of boxes, crumpled packing paper, and garbage bags. “Comfort food. Cheesy noodle casserole along with sugar cookies with chocolate in the middle. Are you hungry?”
“Yes.” He shouldn’t be, considering Nonna had just fed him. But with the delicious aroma, he could probably eat again. “Tell you what? Why don’t I put everything on the top shelves that you want there, and you can pay me in food?” It was a fair trade.
“Okay.” She leaned down and petted Fabio.
Bosco shut the door and headed into her kitchen. He was familiar with the apartment because Mrs. Balerto had pretty much adopted him as a grandson, which meant a lot of homemade food. The living room was quaint with a white-painted mantel over the fireplace, the kitchen updated with stainless steel appliances, and a cute powder room by the door. He’d never been in Mrs. B’s bedroom or master bath.
“I just need those other two dishes up on the top shelves. I don’t use them.” Marlie pointed to some fragile-looking white bowls. She’d gotten a lot done during the day after their first meeting, and empty boxes littered the wall near the door.
He gently lifted the China to the top shelf and pushed them back a little. “There you go.” Without waiting, he reached for a cookie and chewed happily. He looked around. “Do you have furniture coming?”
She nodded. “Yeah. My bedroom set arrived today, and everything else is supposed to come tomorrow.” Then she dug into a grocery bag and drew out paper plates and utensils, looking around for something. “You know what? I forgot to buy drinks. Why did I forget that? All I have is water.”
“I have beer,” he said, scratching his head and trying to ignore how adorable she looked with her eyes all befuddled. Stunning green-and-brown eyes—the perfect shade of hazel. Nope. Not going there. He wasn’t looking for a woman, and even if he were, it wouldn’t be the one living next door to him. Not with his life and considering he might get transferred to do what he needed to do. “I’ll go get the beer.” At the moment, he could really use one. He hustled toward the door and out to the hallway.
Fabio didn’t follow him.
He strode sedately into his apartment, grabbed the six-pack of beer, and fetched a bottle of red wine from the bin of decorations. Then he blew off the dust and moved back to her apartment. “Hey. I have a bottle of red from my nonna. She sent me home with Christmas decorations and wine this afternoon.” He placed the Cabernet on the counter and dug his multi-purpose knife out of his back pocket. “I have an opener.”
“I have glasses.” She reached into the cupboard and drew down two wine goblets. “Where does your nonna live?”
“She lives over in Silverville by the river. It’s a small mining town just through the pass.” He opened the bottle. “My whole family either lives in Silverville or here in Timber City.” He poured the wine.
She accepted a glass. “I wasn’t aware there was an Air Force base in northern Idaho.”
He grinned. “No. I’m stationed out of Fairchild on the other side of Spokane. I’m a pilot and work in air refueling support and hot-pit refueling.” He opened a beer. “As well as a couple other specialties we don’t need to talk about.”
“Hot-pit refueling?” she asked.
“The jet lands, keeps one engine running, and you refuel it right then and there so it can head off again.” He grinned, and his phone buzzed. He glanced down at the screen and then answered. “Hey, Rory. What’s up?” It was good that Rory had called. Things were getting a little cozy, and he needed to get a grip.
“Hi. We’re down at the Clumsy Penguin throwing darts. Get down here. I need a partner,” Rory said, boisterous laughter behind him.
