***
Sheri’s heart ping-ponged against her ribs at the wash of masculine scent wrapping around her. A.J. winked as he stood and disappeared into the cabin. It gave her time to gather her scattered brain cells back into some semblance of thought.
Dear God, the man can kiss. Heat flushed through her, cascading with awareness that left her tingling. She rubbed her thumb against her lower lip. It was like she could still feel him touching her.
“What do you want to drink?” His voice drifted out through the open door.
“Um….” She twisted toward the sound of his voice, trying to find her composure again. “Beer is fine, if you have it.”
The pop of a bottle cap made her jump.
“I definitely have that.”
Excitement skated over her nerves. She hadn’t been able to think of anything else since details for the evening arrived in her inbox. She spent all day at the library half-expecting comments about the sign she posted stating the library would close at three on Saturday and not reopen until Monday. But nope, not a word.
A.J.’s boots thumped the wood floor of the porch as he strolled back out and set the bottle in front of her. He started to sit and frowned. “Did you want it in a glass?”
“Nope. Bottle’s fine.” She took a long pull to demonstrate just how fine she was with it. He sat and stretched his legs out in front of him.
Dragging her gaze up from the way his jeans molded to the thick muscles of his thighs, she found him staring at her with a hint of amusement. “Good evening.”
“Good evening.” Self-conscious laughter bubbled up. The habit was one of her least favorite; the inability to control the nervous chuckle. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you. Welcome to Freewill.” He grinned, tipping his bottle toward her.
“Thank you.” They clinked the bottlenecks together and she followed his cue with another swallow. She was a cheap date, the alcohol in the beer relaxing the butterflies flapping through her belly.
“How long have you been here?” He shifted in the seat and crossed one ankle over the other, settling in for the long haul. Everything about him rang true to her wish—everything. God, even his black Stetson complemented his tanned skin and true blue eyes.
“Six months, give or take a week. I arrived in the middle of winter.” An unpleasant time to show up considering how deep the snow had been, but she’d found no shortage of helpful hands, and it didn’t take her long to find an apartment in town and get the job at the library. In fact, the town council was thrilled to have the library open six days a week.
“You seem right at home now.” He tipped the bottle up for another drink.
“I like it. I like it a lot. I thought after Los Angeles, I wouldn’t want to live in the middle of nowhere. But it’s quiet. There are no gunshots in the middle of the night. No worries about drive-bys. No ex-husbands to run into.” She grimaced. She hadn’t intended to bring him up.
“Most of the town shuts down at nine. The quiet is good.” The emphasis he placed on quiet seemed significant.
“Did you grow up here?”
“Born and raised.”
She relaxed more, leaning back in the chair and toying with her beer bottle. A.J. oozed a definite masculine sensuality, but peaceful, too. All the ruffles and worries seemed to smooth away.
A hundred different questions scrolled through her mind, but his favorite sexual position might not be appropriate. Yet. “How long were you gone?”
“You don’t already know?” He lifted his eyebrows, skepticism sliding under the words.
“Well, yes, I do know. Seven years. You enlisted right out of junior college, and you served overseas for most of your contract. You made sergeant fairly early and showed great promise. You’re a credit to Freewill, and they are exceptionally proud of you.” She wrinkled her nose. “Even if you did sneak home and not let them throw you a parade.”
He threw his head back and laughed, a warm, throaty sound that sent tingles zinging all the way from her breasts to her toes and back up again. “Not many secrets in Freewill.”
“True. I had noticed that. Bea at the café got my whole life story out of me before Christmas.”
“She’s good at that. So’s Bud and Brady and Jamie and Guy….” He winked again. “We’re all very good at knowing everyone else’s business.”
“It’s kind of sweet.” In a town like Freewill, her ex-husband wouldn’t have been able to get away with affair after affair. In fact, he wouldn’t have gotten away with a passing interest in one without her hearing about it.
“Sweet’s one word, nuisance is another.” He sat forward and tipped his hat up, his expression serious and somber. “Tonight, for example. Folks know my truck. You came down from the big house. They’ll know. They may not say anything to you directly, but they’re going to know we were here—together. Is that a problem for you?”