“You don’t have to feed us. That’s not why I stopped by, either.”
“The way I see it, the more guinea pigs, the better.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of that, Eth. We’re guinea pigs.”
“If I can’t have a dog, can I at least have a guinea pig?”
Sam smiled at his son, rubbing a hand over his son’s curls. “We’re going to have to see on that one, kid. Maybe we should check out what guinea pigs eat first.”
She managed to tear her gaze away from the tenderness between father and son. “In my kitchen, they eat fabulous food. Just wait and see. And if the guinea pigs are very good and try a little of everything, they get to have some of my fantastic brownies as a reward.”
“They really were good,” Ethan told his father.
“You must know some very happy guinea pigs,” Sam said.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
She couldn’t seem to look away from his smile. “Why did you? Stop by, I mean?”
He blinked a little, as if he’d forgotten. “Oh. To say hello, for one thing. That’s what neighbors do, isn’t it? I hadn’t seen you in a while and I...well, wanted to see how you are.”
Had he missed her, too? Probably not. He probably only wanted...brownies.
“I’m fine,” she answered. “Nervous about this weekend, but otherwise fine.”
“Good. That’s good. I, uh, also wanted to ask you about the blue recycling can. I can’t seem to figure out when they come pick that one up.”
“Every other Monday, so tomorrow would be the day. You probably just missed the first pickup of the month when you moved in.”
“That makes sense. Okay. Thanks.”
They gazed at each other and she remembered the delicious heat of his mouth and the implacable hardness of his body against hers and the slow, heady churn of her blood.
“Are we going to eat?” Ethan asked.
She looked down at his son as color rushed to her cheeks. “Right. Yes. Come on back to my kitchen.”
CHAPTER TEN
SAM FOLLOWED ALEXANDRA and her dog into the warm, delicious-smelling kitchen, wondering just how he had managed to stay away so long.
He had missed her. A dozen times he had wanted to stop by and see her when he had driven past and seen lights on at her house, but he had reminded himself every time of that shock and dismay on her features when she had discovered he was moving permanently to Hope’s Crossing.
She didn’t want him here. She had made that much clear, so he had just figured he was better off not bothering her.
The dog hurried in ahead of them all and began licking his water dish, looking completely at home.
“Before you say anything, no, I haven’t found his owners yet. I’m beginning to think maybe he was dumped off here, although that doesn’t explain the collar.”
“Maybe he wandered into town from some far-off location and his owners don’t even know to look for him here.”
“It’s been known to happen,” she answered. “Hope’s Crossing has always been a haven for strays.”
That described him perfectly. A stray, somebody who didn’t have connections anywhere else. He wanted to make this a home for him and for Ethan.
“On the menu today was turkey cutlets, a really delicious apple-pear salad, pumpkin risotto and roasted artichokes. According to the reports, the risotto is not the best thing I’ve ever made but I actually thought it was quite tasty.”
“My dad was going to grill a couple of hot dogs later for us but he’s been too busy installing a new toilet,” Ethan announced. “I was helping him but eventually I got bored and went for a ride on my new bike.”
He made a face at his son for the overshare. “Plumbing. Always such a fascinating topic of discussion.”
She smiled even as she pulled plates out of the cupboard and began arranging food on them for him and Ethan.
“This looks delicious.”
“Thanks.”
“Guinea pigs eat really fancy food,” Ethan observed with a worried look. “I wonder if they like hot dogs and chicken nuggets, too.”
Alexandra laughed. “Guinea pigs actually have pretty special food. They would be sick if they ate any of this. I was teasing before. When I said you were my guinea pigs, that was only a figure of speech. It meant I was going to let you taste the food I fixed so we can tell whether you like it and if I should serve it in my restaurant.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Ethan took a nibble of the rice dish and then apparently liked it enough to try another and another. He didn’t touch the artichokes—a personal aversion—but ate all the turkey she set on his plate.