Salvation in the Sheriff's Kiss(47)

“I asked Foster what he remembered about the cattle rustling. Yucton worked here during that time.”

Meredith nodded, her breath catching in her throat. “I recall. Did he remember anything?”

“He did.”

Meredith’s heart tumbled inside of her chest. She was afraid to get her hopes up in case it was just another dead end. She’d met enough of them during her father’s trial to last her a lifetime, each disappointment scarring her deep. But hope was a hard habit to break. When they reached the house, she stopped and turned.

“What did he tell you?”

The sound of voices and laughter filtered out, coaxing them inside. She ignored them, her focus on Hunter and those intoxicating dark eyes. Lord, she could get lost in them so easily. Hardly took any effort at all. Her hand had slipped out of the crook of his arm but he had captured it and held tight. Even with her gloves on, his touch flowed through her, battering back the cold and making her tingle with warmth.

The wind whipped up and grabbed a lock of her hair, wrestling it free from her pins. Before she could rescue it, Hunter reached up and tucked it behind her ear. She shivered as his calloused fingers brushed against the sensitive curve of her ear. Without meaning to, she leaned into it. Into him.

“This probably isn’t the place for this conversation. They’re waiting on us. I promise to tell you all about it on the way home.”

She nodded but his words skimmed over her, her gaze intent on his lips, her memory reminding her heart of how wonderful they had once felt. How they had the power to blot out all the bad and make her feel only good. What she wouldn’t give to feel that again. Just for a moment.

The fingers that had tucked the stray hair behind her ear had moved and now traced a gentle path down her jaw, to her lips.

“We should go inside,” he said.

She nodded again, certain what he said made sense, but wanting nothing more than for him to stop talking and to kiss her. Heat pooled in her belly, then lower, urging her closer. “They’re probably waiting on us.”

She would have nodded yet again, but his thumb had moved to explore the outline of her mouth and she didn’t want to move, afraid if she did the strange bubble they were trapped inside would pop and disappear and all of the magic that made her remember the good and forget the bad would evaporate with it. She didn’t want it to end. It would soon enough, but for now, for this moment, she wanted what she’d once had, even if it was only an illusion.

Hunter must have wanted the same thing. His hand slid around her neck and urged her closer. She let him, knowing it was crazy, knowing she would regret it ten times over when she thought back with a clearer head. But as his lips touched hers, all those thoughts rushed out and caught the wind and all that was left was the gentle coaxing of his kiss and the sense of how right it was. How right it had always been.

She breathed him in. The masculine scent of cold air and leather mingled around them and for the first time since arriving in Salvation Falls she felt as if she’d finally come home. For one reckless heartbeat, she wondered if they stood a chance, if the broken pieces could be stitched back together and made stronger for having been torn apart.

“Land sakes, you two, you’ll catch your death. Now quit makin’ sweet on each other and git yourselves in here afore you freeze.”

Freedom came and went from the front door before Meredith had time to gather her wits about her. Her face burned and her gaze flitted from one thing to the other avoiding Hunter’s. She released the hold on the front of his jacket, surprised to even find her hands there. When had that happened?

Hunter cleared his voice. He’d dropped his hand away from her neck and the traitorous lock of hair that had started it all let loose once again and threw itself across the bridge of her nose. He moved to address the problem but Meredith held up her hand, stopping him.

“No...no, I’ll get it.” She tucked it back behind her ear. “We should...ah...we should go inside.”

“Maybe we should talk about what just happened?”

She shook her head. That was the last thing they should do. Besides, how would she even find the words to explain it? She could hardly admit she wanted his kiss. Had wanted it since the moment she opened her hotel door and found him standing on the other side demanding to know why she had returned. No. Absolutely not. She could never admit that.

“There is nothing to talk about. It was just a...a moment of madness.” Fueled by foolish hope and old memories, but she left that part out. “We should go. Like you said, they’re waiting on us.”

She stepped away from the warmth of his body. Cold air rushed in to take his place and fill her with regret, though whether it was regret over what she couldn’t have, or regret over what once was, she couldn’t say.