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She stepped back out on the porch with her binoculars and saw Mr. Gorgeous on his horse outside the gate. She sent a return text.I’ll be right there.
He’d gotten off Spooky by the time she reached the gate.
“I apologize,” he said.
“No need. I’m glad you saw it. Now I can be honest with you about why I’m here.”
As she unlocked the gate, she realized he might not have intended on coming in.
“Did you want to come up to the cottage?”
“Yes, if that’s okay. I won’t stay long.” He pointed at the sky and laughed. “I do this so I won’t be a pest and outstay my welcome.”
“Why don’t you take Spooky home now and come back in your truck? I’ve been on a ladder scraping paint all day and could use a shower. Come back for dinner.”
“Are you sure?” he asked with a grin.
“Trust me, it won’t be much,” she said, laughing. She was going to let him in, bypassing her previous judgment that it was dangerous to get involved. And she felt a little chemistry returning.
“Don’t you bother. I’ll bring dinner,” he replied. “I’ll see you in an hour. Will that be enough time?”
“An hour is perfect. I’ll text you the combination so I don’t have to walk back down here again.”
“I get the combination? Isn’t that like being admitted to the inner sanctum?”
“I don’t know what that is,” she said.
“Oh, okay,” he replied, chuckling. “It means a secret place that only a few are admitted to.”
“Welcome to the inner sanctum, then,” she said, laughing. It was a perfect expression.
He turned Spooky back toward the trees and tipped his cowboy hat before disappearing.
Returning to the cottage, she realized she was happy that he was coming back. The night stretched out before her, lonely after Russ’s miserable appearance. Adding it to the list of things she had to tell her family, she decided she didn’t have time to call and read Rose the riot act if she was the one who told that misfit where she was. And then she thought of Randy Jaeger. Would her lawyer have dared to reveal her location? She hoped not. He was one of the few people she trusted.
In an hour, she heard the familiar sound of Justin’s truck, the clanging of the chain and the squeaking of the gate being opened. She waited for him on the porch, holding little Brulee. The sun had set and the truck headlights swept over the yard.
“Hey,” he said, getting out of the truck with a bag and a large pan of something.
“What’s that? I’m ready for food. I’ve had donuts and cheese and crackers today.”
“My dad’s housekeeper is an awesome cook, but she always makes enough for an army. Tonight it’s something in tomato sauce.”
“I love a surprise.”
“And salad and rolls and pie for dessert.”
She opened the porch gate for him. “I love pie.”
“Pie is key,” he said, laughing.
“How’d your day go?”
“My day was nonstop. As a matter of fact, you’re the fourth person to stop by today. First my lawyer. I can tell you about that later. Then Steve Casson came over in his boat.”
“Uh-oh, Steve might get jealous if he finds out I’m here in the inner sanctum.”
“He’ll have to get over it,” Maggie said, winking at Justin as she unpacked his bag. “Then that man, Russ, my ex-husband, showed up unexpectedly. And last but not least, you.”
