Page 78 of Take My Kiss
“Auntie Raven’s gonna play with us today.”
“Yay! Can we play dolls?”
“Of course. Whatever you wanna do.” I grab a washcloth and get it wet before wiping her sticky face and hands. “Maybe Auntie Raven can drive us into town so we can get out of the house for a bit and do some shoppin’.”
“You think that’s a good idea?” Colton asks, and I nearly jump out of my skin.
“Shit, I didn’t hear you.”
As soon as I face him, my jaw hits the floor.
He’s not in his usual work attire of slacks and a button-up shirt. Dark-wash jeans hug his muscular thighs with a gray T-shirt that stretches tightly across his chest so his nipple piercings peek through. But it’s the black cowboy hat on his head and his worn boots that have me drooling.
“Sorry,” he says, as Sam announces, “Bad word!”
“Go change,” I remind him, noticing the way he holds out his palm. “I’ll pay up later.”
“You always say that,” he grumbles before walking away.
“Since when do you dress like a cowboy?” I take in the view, checking him out from head to toe.
“When I go ridin’ or am forced to help in the pastures.” He adjusts his hat slightly. “You like it?”
“Uh-huh.” I lick my lips, forcing my eyes up. “Very much.”
“Didn’t peg you as the type who was interested in rugged men.”
“Why’s that?”
He shrugs casually. “You’re kind of a city girl, so I figured you preferred city boys.”
Although he’s not wrong, I wouldn’t consider any of my exes that.
“No…I tend to attract the criminal-types.” I snort. “Not on purpose, though.”
“Guess that means I have a chance.”
“Maybe I should come with you if y’all wanna go into town,” Colton offers. “Bodie, too. Just to be on the safe side.”
“What time do ya think y’all will be back? Lily still needs to nap this afternoon.”
“Not sure.” He scratches along his jawline. “If you can’t wait, maybe bring Bellamy with you. She’s more familiar with downtown than you and Raven.”
“Sure,” I say.
“And Wilder’s been postin’ random photos and locations on your social media pages to look like you’re still in Sugarland Creek, so if your stalker is followin’ ’em, you should be fine to go out for a few hours.”
“Assumin’ he believes I’m postin’ accurate information,” I counter. “If he hasn’t been seen since the night he showed up at my house, I’m not sure he believes I’m still there.”
“I dunno, but Wilder mentioned the sheriff hopes to get security footage from nearby businesses this week to see if theycatch him leavin’ the store. If so, they can grab his license plates and search who the SUV belongs to.”
“That’d be a relief.”
Especially since I don’t want to be a sitting duck waiting for him to reappear, but I also can’t hideout in Colton’s house forever. I need to get back to my job, and Sam has school in less than two months.
Plus, we’ll get cabin fever if we don’t get out of this lockdown and back to our lives soon.
Sam’s ready by the time Bodie and Raven arrive. I’m not sure how long she’s staying, but Bailey’s in good hands until she goes back. I texted Bellamy earlier, and we made new plans for the day, so she’s on her way too.
