“I guess she really got ’em good, huh?” I joked.
“Maybe so.”
We stared at each other, and the pressure in the cabin increased. Trust me, I wanted to kiss him, but time was dragging on. Kissing could wait; whoever was down on the other side of the bluff could leave.
It appeared that I had made my decision. I cuddled Lady closer to my chest. “I had a great time. Thank you for that.”
He smiled and started to open his door. “Let me walk you up.”
“Okay.” I mean, it would have been rude not to let him walk me up, right?
He came around, popped open my door, and as I slid out, my purse caught on the latch of his glove box. As I worked it out, the lock sprang and the lid fell open, revealing a handgun.
“Oh.” I didn’t hide the startle in my voice. “Didn’t expect to see that.”
Shane leaned over and shut it. “I carry a lot of money on me sometimes, making deposits to the bank. I need protection. You never know when someone might try to rob you.”
“In Peachwood?” I nearly laughed. “It’s such a safe place.”
His eyes darkened. “You never know.”
A lot of folks carried guns around. It shouldn’t be a big deal to see that Shane carried one, too. So I shrugged it off and let him lead me up the sidewalk.
“I’d like to see you again,” he murmured.
“Sounds good to me.”
“How about this weekend?”
I smiled widely. “I’m free.”
“Great. Maybe this time we’ll do something more official.”
“Wow,” I joked, “sounds so serious.”
Shane chuckled. “Not at all.”
We reached the front door, and Shane stared at me, his green eyes shining with affection. My heart thundered in my chest as he leaned down.
Lady suddenly jerked in my arms. I lost my balance, and the only way that I could keep from falling was to lunge forward.
“Lady, be careful.”
She jumped down and darted into the bushes.
“Lady,” I called after her.
“Need me to help look for her?” Shane asked, the kissing moment shattered once again.
I waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. She does this sometimes. I’ll nab her in a few minutes.”
“I’ll stay,” he said.
“No, go on. I’ll see you soon.” I shot him a wide smile.
Shane returned it. “Okay, but if she stays gone for too long, call me and I’ll come back to catch her.”
“Thanks.”
