Lila gave me a worried look, and I got the impression that Wade wasn’t going to like our prank very much. Not to mention that I had two very important questions that I was afraid to ask: how would one exactly go about catching a raccoon, and what exactly would someone do with the raccoon once they caught it??
CHAPTER 40
Kipp
“You think I’m trouble? Those sisters of yours are seriously whacked. No offense.” She waggled her slice of pizza at me, causing Fish to follow it with his nose, whining pitifully. We stopped to pick up a fresh pie and then swung by the farmhouse, where Fish had spent the whole day with Maggie, hanging out in the shade looking like he’d been sleeping with the worms. “And Lila.” She nodded. “All of them. I’m still going to go to book club. They said I had to.”
She didn’t seem too upset about it. Hattie was still adorably tipsy but was starting to sober up now that she was soaking up that alcohol with some pizza. Hopefully, the combo of booze and grease wasn’t going to make her sick, but she’d insisted she needed it, and who was I to deny her what she wanted?
There was no doubt that the women were trouble, but Hattie fit right in with them. My guess was that theywere planning some sort of prank, but I wasn’t going to spoil it for them. The target was probably Wade since he’d gotten Phiny last time by swapping all her sugar for salt. It had ruined a whole batch of sweet rolls she’d been making, and he’d teased her ever since. To be fair, she’d been making them in the morning and had been hungover, or she’d have figured it out on her own.
“You looked really cute out there on the dance floor. Did you like the line dancing?” I asked, instead side-eyeing her as she went in for another piece.
“I’m pretty terrible,” she said happily. “But yeah. I had fun.”
Blowing a strand of hair out of her face as we slid to a stop in front of Cabin Twelve, I took the box from her. “I’m glad. Stay there, and I’ll open the door for you.”
Coming around the hood, I helped her to the door, surprised that she was so steady on her feet. “Let’s get you tucked in. You feeling okay?”
Still eyeing her skeptically, I refilled Fish’s water bowl while watching her brush her teeth. I hadn’t asked her about coming to my cabin, but this was where she belonged. Over the past week, her duffel had landed here, filled with changes of clothes, and now toiletries were spread across my counter. When she emerged from the bathroom again, wearing one of my T-shirts, she flopped onto the bed with a sigh.
After a turn in the bathroom, I stripped down to my boxers and pulled her close. “Come here, little spoon.” She snuggled back tightly against me, burrowing as she made little grunting noises of satisfaction. “Jesus, Hattie.”
“A little hard?” The laugh in her voice was unmistakable.
“Maybe.” I pressed gently against her. “It’s impossible not to be hard around you, but let’s just rest for now.” Spreading my hand over her middle, I settled into her, breathing deeply. No way were we going to do anything other than some cuddling when she inhaled so much tequila.
“Do you want to talk about it?” The words were tentative.
“Maybe. Do you?” I had wondered if she was going to bring it up. She had sobered since she’d eaten, but she was probably still a little tipsy. “You okay for this conversation now?” Bending to kiss the side of her neck, I closed my eyes as I nuzzled against her.
“I was sad. Is that weird?” Her hand came up to cover mine on her stomach as she threaded her fingers with mine. “I was hoping …”
“Me too. It’s not weird. We can be honest and admit that we both liked the idea. It’s okay to be sad.” I hugged her a little closer. “Hell, I want this to be a permanent thing.” Letting her feel my teeth just a little as I licked along her neck, I pulled her as close as I could. “Will you stay here?Live with me? We can try again to make our own little family.”
She wiggled in my arms until I loosened my hold, twisting around so she could turn and face me. “You want that?” Her eyes were wide in the dark with hope.
“Fuck yes.” I pulled her close, her tits pressing against me. “That’s exactly what I want. It’s selfish when I know you love your job, but we can figure it out, can’t we? If that means traveling part-time, I can make something work.”
My life as a game warden would make things a bit more complicated, but it would depend on her answer. If I ramped up the marketing for the cabins and hired someone on-site, we could bring in more income here. Even if I wasn’t home all the time, it still remained a viable side hustle. There were other jobs I could do, even if I wasn’t working for OSP.
Tipping her face up, she kissed me hard, her tongue stroking against mine before she pulled away. “That’s exactly what I want. To be here with you, but I’m not going anywhere.” She gave me another hesitant look. “You’re sure about this?”
“I’m positive.” There were no doubts. “I love you, Hattie.” Letting my fingers travel lightly over each curve of her face, I tried to impart the words to her. “So much.”
“I love you too, Kipp. I’ve been thinking for a while since I got here that I’ve found my place, and my person.You’re my home.” She gave me a shy little look under her lashes at the word ‘home,’ but it was exactly how I wanted her to start thinking of it. “I’ve always worked on the side, taking on clients. For the last six months, I’ve been considering winding down the podcast. It’s been heavy.”
Pulling my hands through her hair, I massaged her scalp. She liked that, and her eyes closed immediately, her shoulders relaxing.
“Tell me about it. Which parts were heavy?”
“Starting it was not giving up hope for my sister,” she leaned further into me, her cheek resting against mine. “But as time has gone on, each case has become a little harder. Being so involved, I’m starting to lose perspective.” I could almost hear her chewing it over. “There hasn’t been any balance in my life for a long time. I’ve been lost too.”
“Not any more. I’ll always find you.” The promise was easy to make.
CHAPTER 41
Hattie
