Chuckling, she braced her palms on his chest.“Let’s not rush into anything else just yet.”
“You think it won’t stick,” he said, his eyes narrow.
“I didn’t say that.I just need you to behave like a normal person at the beginning of a relationship.”
He arched a brow at the request.“You fired a shotgun in my direction the day we met.I bribed my father to get you out of jail this afternoon.We sailed past normal before we even started.”
“Humor me.”
“Fine.Let’s have dinner tomorrow night.”
“I’d like that.”
Wade nuzzled her neck.“In the meantime, why don’t we go to my room in the barn, and I’ll make love to you until you can’t remember your name?”
“I’m willing to go to your room, curl up next to you, and fall asleep.”
“That’s a terrible compromise.”
“Take it or leave it.”
He took it.
Chapter Thirty-One
Meredith stood nextto Wade as he knocked on the door of his mother’s new residence in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Wynona had graduated from the rehab facility after sixty days.Now she was staying in a halfway house with a dozen other women.Desert Breeze Aftercare was a small complex of quaint adobe structures situated around a bright courtyard.
Wade seemed nervous about the reunion with Wynona.He’d donned a white linen shirt that he’d rolled up to the elbows, along with tan-colored trousers and lightweight tennis shoes.Meredith was wearing a lavender dress and leather sandals she’d bought on their previous trip.They’d visited the family farm in Plainview about a month ago.Wade had played football with her brothers, gone fishing with her father, and picked a bouquet of wildflowers for her sister.They’d all adored him.
Things were more settled in Lost Lake.The truck Meredith bought had been repaired and restored as a gift from Wade.They’d taken the bus to Last Chance to retrieve it and spent a romantic weekend exploring some of Wade’s favorite nature trails.During the week, she spent her days doing ranch work and making beauty products.Wade went to the sheriff’s station every morning and came home every night, hungry for her touch.They hadn’t discussed future plans since the hostage crisis, but they expressed their love to each other in a thousand different ways.She’d never been happier.
Charlie Franklin was in jail, awaiting sentencing for attempted murder.A few reporters had contacted Meredith about Tripp Gilley, but she’d refused to comment.Deputy Slate had never posted his interview with her, probably because Wade had told him not to.Gilley’s enormous estate had gone to his parents, and the press found another scandal to focus on.A young starlet had claimed she was pregnant with Tripp’s baby.
Meredith ignored the news, unconcerned about Tripp’s fortune or possible offspring.Her period had come like clockwork, with the usual pains.Wade had insisted that she see a doctor, so she’d attended her first checkup in years.The OB/GYN had declared her healthy and fertile and given her a new medication for cramps.
Wade tugged at the collar of his shirt.“I should have brought flowers.”
Meredith’s attention shifted to the door as it opened.Wynona stood there in a summery blouse and a long skirt.Her face looked fuller, with softer edges.She gave Wade a hug that lasted several moments.Then she pulled back to study him.He met her gaze steadily, aware that his resemblance to Cameron Pickett would always strike a chord in her.
Instead of flinching away from him, she sighed and patted his lean cheek.“You’re better looking than he was.”
“Am I?”
“Of course you are.You have my eyes.”
Wade arched a brow.“Your eyes are blue, Mom.”
“It’s not the color.It’s the gleam.”
He laughed, and Meredith smiled in agreement.They both had a warmth to them, a vibrant light from within.They were magnetic and irresistible.
Wynona hugged Meredith and ushered them inside.She had a pitcher of lemonade at the kitchen counter, which she poured into glass tumblers.The living arrangements appeared to be communal, but no other residents were milling about.Wade shoved his hands into his pockets and stared out the window.
Wynona brought Meredith a glass.“Do you mind giving us a moment?I’m supposed to be making amends.It’s one of thesteps.”
“Of course,” Meredith said, and slipped outside.She sipped her lemonade in the shade, content with the situation.Wade had started the reconciliation process with his mother.Wynona was doing the rest.
