AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dove and Quaide broke apart, laughing. She picked up the tongs again and placed the grilled food on a clean plate.
When everyone was seated, she looked around at the relaxed faces of her loved ones and new friends.
“Dig in, everyone,” she urged, sliding onto the picnic bench next to Quaide.
“I don’t have much time to scarf down food. I’ve got to look at that electrical panel and see if I caused the power outage.” He bristled with annoyance at the complication.
“It’s not that big of a deal. Power will be restored soon.” She passed him the plate of chicken.
“You’re not taking this seriously enough, Dove. I know it’s a problem with the electrical system. It’s probably not safe. I need to come up with a plan to fix this.” He started to get up, but she grabbed his arm.
“Quaide, please just sit down and eat. You can call someone to take a look at it after you’ve had a meal.”
His gaze met hers. Struggle played in the lines around his lips.
She pitched her voice low in a soothing tone she always used when Rain got upset. “It’s going to be all right.”
When he placed his hand on her thigh, a shiver ran through her. Why did she suddenly feel as if they were sitting in the eye of the storm?
ChapterFourteen
Who was Quaide kidding? He was probably over his head with this old house. His bedroom update had been mostly cosmetic. That probably wasn’t the case for the rest of the place. He could open up a wall and find bad wiring or something structurally unsound.
Of course, none of that was as important as his work with Sentry…or securing Dove in his life. Still, that didn’t take the weight of the house issues off his shoulders.
He started across the garden to the kitchen door. He could handle this, he just needed a plan of action. First, he’d call a legitimate electrician to check the place out. Then he’d find that old generator that his grandpa kept in the garage for power outages and at least keep the refrigerator and freezer running until power was restored.
“Quaide!”
He stopped and swung toward Dove. She walked faster to reach him.
His heart caught in his throat. The fading light of evening cast pale gray and blue shadows over her face and hair. The hues made her into an ice queen.
Hisqueen, who reigned over his heart.
When she stopped in front of him, a quizzical expression in her eyes, she reached up and brushed her fingers over his jaw.
“Everything okay, honey?” She pitched her voice low enough that the others wouldn’t overhear. Not that it mattered—they were all making fun of him and Dove’s behavior, and it wouldn’t stop him from ravishing her right now in the open.
Placing his hand over hers on his jaw, he nodded. “I made the decision to move Sentry base to this house and now I’m questioning if it’s going to work out. We require electricity to run our computer systems. How could I have offered without planning for everything we’d need?”
“I know it’s stressful, but we’ll figure it out. No plan required. If you want me to make some calls, I don’t have much else to do but sit around waiting to be moved to the ranch.”
He searched her eyes. “For what it’s worth, you did a much better job than Jordan.”
Her lips twisted into a smile. “Good thing you said that, buddy.”
He chuckled. Meshing their fingers, he drew their hands to their sides and led her to the door.
As soon as he opened it, a golden glow of electric lights swallowed them. “Oh! The power’s back on! See? Itwasthe electric company’s issue. It wasn’t you at all, Quaide. Only a coincidence in timing.”
Feeling instant relief, he dragged her through the space.
“What’s the rush? Where are we going?” At the base of the stairs, she pulled him to a stop.
“I’m taking you to bed.”
She sucked in a breath. “Bed?”
