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Hawk
When she cameout of the house, she headed straight toward me and Vale. There was a look of interest in her eyes, and I was certain they were set on me.
That changed as soon as I greeted her and now that we're alone, my little rebel’s gone distant, but it’s not the same cool distance she usually puts between us.
Something's different about her tonight, letting me fall into step beside her and making small conversation as I escort her to her door.
Maybe it's wishful thinking, knowing I've taken a step closer to courting her and claiming her. Desperately looking for signs that I'm on my way to making Terra mine.
As long as she'll have me, of course.
Her brothers' teasing rings in my ears and I know her family is right; Terra's a headstrong young woman that's determined to control her own destiny. Maybe that's what it is about her that has my body on fire at the thought of her.
All I know is that the curvy little thing climbing the steps to her front door beside me is the only woman that’s going to be in my bed and definitely the only woman who will ever be in my heart.
This is my chance to say something that will make her see me as more than just the local badge, more than a friend of her family, more than some stammering old man with a crush on her.
It's my chance to make a connection with her. Show her that I'm a man. A man who can care for her in every way she'll ever need.
Instead, I stumble over myself, too intimidated by the beauty standing only a couple feet in front of me, looking like she's ready to bolt through the door and leave me out here in the cold all alone.
I ask about her book. Pathetic small talk but I've seen Terra with a book in her hand plenty of times. I know she reads romances and I’m curious what sort.
The thick paperback she's clinging to now looks innocent enough but when I ask about the book, a deep blush rises in her cheeks. Her breathing picks up a notch and she wets those tempting, pillow lips with the tip of her tongue. The sight makes me go hard instantly.
"Is it any good?" I ask, nodding toward the book, fighting to keep the conversation going and keep myself from overstepping the boundaries that still lie between me and that sassy mouth of hers.
"It's okay," she answers evasively, making me even more curious about what she's reading.
I make a mental note of the title, visible along the spine, with plans to look it up later to see what kind of book she might be reading that she doesn't want to talk about.
"So what were you guys doing tonight?" There's a familiar snark in Terra's tone that sounds more like the woman that has me hopelessly transfixed.
Shuffling my feet on the worn wooden boards of the porch, I drop my head and scrub the back of my neck with one hand.
"We had some business to discuss."
Terra snorts, her dark eyes lighting with mischief.
"'Business,' riiiight. Drinking beer and playing pool, just the guys, on a weeknight. Whatever you say, Deputy."
She looks toward the big farmhouse where Alex and Marcia live, her pretty features changing from laughter to curiosity.
"Would your little 'business' meeting with the boys tonight have anything to do with the newpondat Mable Hart's place?"
Suddenly I'm choking on my next breath, caught in a coughing fit at the unexpected mention of the latest prank in the ongoing feud between Terra's grandmother and three other women that make up the local historical society.
"You heard about that?"
"Zephyr's my bestie, remember? She says it's way too big for a couple of old ladies to have dug it overnight with shovels."
A tired sigh escapes me.
"I was told the Harts dug it. Had to go out and cite them for not getting a permit first." I explain the official story calmly, sticking to the legalities of the matter without letting myself think about the details.
Terra eyes me skeptically. She's suspicious, I can tell.
"But you know the Harts didn't dig a pond...in the middle of the night...in January. Right? You know it was Abu and Alice. It happened the night of Mesa and Robin's wedding, they must have snuck back out afteryoutook them home."
