Currant Creek Valley(27)

He knew he shouldn’t be so happy to see her but he couldn’t ignore the delight that burst through him like the sun between those clouds outside.

He just liked looking at her, plain and simple. All that long, wavy blond hair, those deep jade eyes, the sweet curve of her mouth. Alexandra McKnight was one hell of an appealing package.

As if she felt the heat of his thoughts, she finally broke off her conversation with the woman and shifted her attention to him. When she saw him, something bright and glittery flashed in those eyes before she shifted her gaze down.

“Wow. Somebody must be thirsty,” Alexandra quipped.

He held up the carry tray with a half-dozen cups. “Making a coffee run for the whole crew this morning. Somebody’s got to do it.”

All he wanted to do was stand there holding the coffee and stare at her. He realized in that moment of seeing her again after all this time just exactly how much he had thought of her in the past week, half the time without even being fully aware.

Thoughts of her had been simmering under his consciousness since he had last seen her drive away on a darkened Hope’s Crossing street.

He had known the whole time he had worked at the restaurant that this was her kitchen. Did she prefer pull handles or knobs? Would she notice this or that extra little touch while she cooked in the kitchen? How could he make the space work best for her?

The other woman suddenly cleared her throat, and he realized Alexandra was staring right back at him, her glittery gaze fixed on his mouth. She had to be remembering that cataclysmic kiss.

And if it had affected her, too, why the hell was she avoiding him?

“Oh. Yes.” She looked away and he saw a hint of color climb her elegant cheekbones. “Mom, this is Sam Delgado. He’s finishing up the restaurant kitchen for Brodie. Sam, this is my mother, Mary Ella McKnight.”

He smiled, juggling the to-go container to his left arm so he could shake her hand. She had auburn hair where her daughter was blonde but they shared the same finely etched bone structure, the same slender build.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. McKnight.”

“Hello, Sam. Alex was telling me how quickly the work is going at the restaurant. I do hope you’re enjoying your stay in Hope’s Crossing.”

“I’ve only been here a week or so, but so far everyone has been very kind. Your daughter even gave me a guided tour the other night.”

“Did she?” Mary Ella gave Alexandra a surprised look.

“You know me. Always doing my part to welcome visitors,” Alexandra murmured.

Mary Ella’s mouth tightened and he sensed some current between them he didn’t quite understand. He probably should be on his way but he was loath to leave now that she couldn’t avoid him, hot coffee notwithstanding.

“I saw the sign still up for Leonidas when I came in,” he said. “No luck finding his owner, then?”

She shook her head. “For now, I’ve still got company.”

“Leonidas? That’s the name of the dog you’ve been keeping?” her mother asked.

He probably shouldn’t enjoy sharing this little secret with her but he couldn’t help it.

“That’s what I’ve been calling him, anyway,” Alexandra answered. “Remember those Belgian chocolates I gave you for Mother’s Day last year?”

“How could I forget? I only let myself have one of them a week and savored them until Labor Day. This must be some dog.”

“He is pretty great. I still haven’t had any luck finding his home. Every day I call the two vet offices in town, the shelter, everywhere I can think of. I think they’re getting a little annoyed with me. So far, no one has reported a missing chocolate Labrador. It’s the weirdest thing. He had to come from somewhere. Someone certainly seems to have been taking good care of him, right? He was skinny but not starving.”

Ethan had hounded Sam again for a dog when he talked to him on the phone the night before. His son seemed to think adding a canine member to their family was a given once they finally settled into their own place, after all these years of moving around.

He didn’t have the heart to tell the kid they would be so busy settling in that a dog was somewhere far in the future.

At least he had made a little progress that morning finding somewhere to live. He was meeting with a real estate agent later, and Brodie Thorne had given him a lead on a couple places, including one house on the outskirts of town that needed some work but would be livable in the meantime. It was well within his budget.

He started to ask Alexandra if she knew anything about the neighborhood but she spoke before he could.

“My kitchen is looking fantastic.”