Absentminded Angel(Divine Creek Ranch 20)(34)
“The rockwork is beautiful.”
“We like it,” Jared said. “I bet you’ll like the floors in the front portion of the house, too. They’re made from the same rock as what covers the front of the house. In the morning you’ll be able to see the rest of it, which they matched to the front.”
“It has lots of windows,” she said as Jared rolled to a stop.
Jared nodded and said, “The back of the house faces the river and there are even more windows back there.”
“This is so not what I expected.” She turned her head and blushed. “That didn’t come out the way I intended. I’m sorry.” Jared just chuckled and shook his head. The nerves were in her voice again and he heard it when she gulped. “It’s like a fairytale.”
Behind the seat, Kendry gave a silent fist pump and thanked God they’d had time to mow and rake around the house to make it pretty for her. You’re not doing your best to sell her on the idea of living here at all, are ya?
Knocking around that big house had felt more and more wrong with each passing night, knowing she was working out her future from a loft apartment that was four hundred square feet maximum. Even so, her little space was saturated with the feeling of home to him now.
Kendry climbed down from the truck, opened her door, and said, “Allow me.” The way her eyes glowed as she gazed at him made him feel like “the man” as he helped her out of the vehicle.
She sniffed a little. “Did you just mow? It smells like fresh cut grass out here.”
“Yeah,” Kendry said. “I hope you’re not allergic. With it being so warm this fall, the growing season must’ve been longer than usual. We wanted things spruced up for the holiday.”
“No, no allergies here,” she replied softly as she looked down at their hands which were still joined. Just then she was startled by the dual greeting of their dogs from beyond the back of the house. Whoof! Whoof!
“Gracious,” she squeaked. “Are those yours?”
“Yeah, our dogs, Thor and Loki. Sound carries weird out here because of the river. We’ll introduce you in the morning.”
“They sound huge.”
“They’re big dogs,” Jared said as he reached for the other door to get Whit out of his seat. “And one of the reasons we chose a place with eight acres. Don’t worry. They’re well behaved and are great guard dogs. You’re perfectly safe.”
The look in her eyes said, “Safe with them or safe from them?”
They gathered her belongings and walked her up to the rustic entry.
“Watch your step,” Jared said as he gestured for her to enter. “The rock floor may feel uneven under your feet at first.”
While she turned in a circle and gaped, he and his brother watched her with enjoyment. She drew in a surprised gasp as she spotted the big fireplace dominating one wall in the den located beyond the kitchen. “I love your home.” For the moment, her nerves seemed forgotten.
Jared spared Kendry a grin and said, “Why don’t you pour our lady something to drink and I’ll start a fire.”
She took Whit from Jared and followed Kendry into the open kitchen. Looking down at the rock floor, she said, “This stone gives your home such a solid, cozy atmosphere. Is this where the original house ended?” From that step down, the floor plan opened up to the den and bedrooms down a hallway on the side.
“Yeah. The original house was tiny. There was a fire a number of years ago in the back portion of the house and they nearly decided to knock the structure down completely.”
“I’m glad they didn’t. What’s left makes a nice entry and living room.”
When he held up a bottle of red wine and a pitcher of iced tea for her to choose from, Presley Ann pointed at the wine. “Doctor Emma told me that one glass of wine in the evening occasionally wouldn’t hurt and might…” She bit her lip as though something weighed on her mind, and he busied himself with getting her a wineglass.
“I noticed when you talk about her you call her Emma, like you’re close to her,” Jared said as he worked by the fireplace. “What else did she say?” Kendry grinned as he poured the wine and offered her the glass. Jared was an intuitive guy.
After taking a sip of the wine, she looked at Whit and smiled as his eyes closed again and he snuggled up against her. She smooched his little forehead in a decidedly tender gesture.
“Kitten?” Jared murmured from the place he kneeled at the hearth, putting a log on the lit kindling. Pink rushed into her cheeks, and she looked from him to his brother.
“Sorry. I saw her earlier this week at my six week postpartum appointment.” Kendry held back a smile, understanding what she was getting at and certain that Jared knew as well.