Drake was already by the back door, dressed in his winter clothes and felt cowboy hat. She really liked him in that hat. The brim dipped just over his eyes and gave him this mysterious, dangerous look that had her blood skipping through her veins.
He grinned at her and held out his hand. She took it and he pulled her to him, enveloping her in his arms and layers of warmth. She snuggled in, needing his strength for what lay ahead.
When she was ready, she stepped back and pulled on her coat, scarf, and stocking hat. Her gloves waited in her pockets. Drake had the truck already warming up, and they dashed through the cold, dark night to the warm cab like two kids escaping together.
Clove laughed as she climbed inside. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.” Her head spun with giddiness and she gripped the door to keep from floating away. In less than an hour, Felix would be free, and they’d be on their way to Reindeer Wrangler Ranch. The ranch seemed like a dreamland with Faith, Mitzi, and Natasha as built in friends.
Natasha hinted at doing a series of homesteading videos with her—her! — an expert. She’d never thought of herself as such, but Natasha was blown away by the fact that she made her own smoked mozzarella cheese and got excited about filming the process. It wasn’t hard at all and literally took two ingredients.
Then there were Drake’s brothers. They seemed like a rowdy bunch of Christian men who enjoyed life and loved their women. They’d been respectful with a dash of teasing on the phone. If they were at all like Drake, then she’d get along with them well.
Of course, all this was contingent upon her and Felix staying on the ranch. Which hinged on a future for her and Drake–which was a little uncertain at the moment. Neither of them had declared their feelings–IF Drake had them. She sure did.
Not to mention, he still hadn’t kissed her.
She’d pondered that one for a while and determined that she was glad he hadn’t, because she would have felt like he was trying to play with her to get her reindeer. Orcouldhavefelt that way–especially after what Otis said. But the thing with Drake was that he hadn’t asked her for anything she wasn’t willing to give. In fact, most of the physical contact he initiated was to support her, hold her up, or comfort her. His actions spoke volumes.
Which was one reason she wanted that kiss. If their lips ever met, it would mean something to both of them.
For her, it would mean that she’d let him into her heart—which was huge.
Drake drove slowly through town, with only the fog lights on. The diesel truck was as loud as an elephant, but at least their lights wouldn’t shine through the windows. Drake grinned. “Excited to sneak out?”
She laughed. “Probably too much.”
He patted his chest, an excited smile on his face. “It makes the heart race, like peeking at presents.”
She widened her eyes. “You wouldn’t!”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He winked, and she decided she’d forgive him for peeking as long as his brown eyes smoldered at her like that. She wrinkled her nose as she grinned back at him. The drive to the animal shelter went by quickly. No one was on the roads at 3:00 a.m. which wasn’t a surprise. They’d decided to leave at three so the road conditions would get better as they drove across the state. It was a twelve to thirteen hour trip to the ranch, and they wanted to make it in one day.
They parked across the street from the animal shelter. It was a solitary building in the middle of an open field. The light on the back of the building was on. Other than that, the safety lights inside the building cast a soft glow across the snow. Sheriff Hoffman’s parking spot was empty, and the place looked as deserted as Scrooge’s mansion on Christmas Eve.
Drake shook his head. “How is he supposed to sleep with that light on all night? No wonder he’s been anxious.”
“It won’t be a problem after tonight,” Clove didn’t wait for him to open her door. Her boots hit the ground, and the snow crunched. She giggled. “I didn’t take into account crunchy snow when I planned out this jail break.”
He shrugged. “We’ll have to do our best.” He shuffled through the snow instead of lifting his feet. It helped with noise control, so she stepped into his tracks and followed his example. It was probably better that way, anyway. They didn’t want to leave behind any identifiable footprints.
There weren’t cameras in the front of the building, so they walked easily, not worried about getting caught. Clove’s pulse thrummed in her wrist and under her collarbone. She told it to relax, that all was well, but her body knew that they were breaking the law and it didn’t like it one bit. Her heart beat so loud that it drowned out all other sounds. How did bad guys ever steal anything without passing out?
She’d never make it as a burglar. In a giddy, ridiculous way, she crossed that career path off her list and giggled.
Light exploded right in her face, and she screamed, throwing her hands up to protect her eyes. “What in the snowballs?”
Drake jumped in front of her and she dropped her arms, using him to block the light so she could peek around him. “Who's there?” he demanded.
“Sheriff Hoffman! Drop your weapons.”
Clove moaned and dropped her forehead to Drake’s back. They’d been caught. Her life of crime was officially over.
“We don’t have any weapons.” Drake lifted both his arms into the air.
“You too, sweetheart,” griped Hoffman.
“She’s not your sweetheart,” Drake growled low. If he was half as dangerous as he sounded, Hoffman better watch out. Clove thrilled at the protective and jealous notes in his voice. They weren’t here to have an alley fight though, so Clove stepped out from behind Drake, her hands up.
“No weapons. See.” She waved her gloved hands.
