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"You expecting company?" Hope asked as she sat down at the table he'd laden with enough food to feed a small army.
Drew cleared his throat, hoping the evidence of his arousal wasn't as noticeable to Hope as it was painfully obvious to him. It was crazy. For five years, they'd spent an inordinate amount of time together, sometimes in very close quarters as they tended the horses in their care. But it wasn't until after they'd slept together that most of his waking hours were spent jonesing for her like some horny pimply faced teenager.
"I don't know how long we'll be out this morning, so I wanted to make sure we didn't starve before getting back for lunch."
"No worry about that." Hope shook out the napkin onto her lap. "I had no idea you were so talented in the kitchen."
Drew dropped into the seat across from her. "My talents are wide and varied and extend to many rooms in the house." He waggled his eyebrows lasciviously.
"Good to know," Hope acknowledged with a twinkle in her eye. She pulled apart a biscuit, drizzled gravy on one side, and slathered butter and grape jelly on the other. "So, what's this big adventure you planned for today?"
Drew chewed the forkful of eggs he shoveled in his mouth and washed them down with a gulp of coffee. "You aren't going to give up, are you?"
“Nope.” Hope shook her head. "So you might as well just tell me." She gave him her best puppy dog look. "Please."
"Okay." He released an exaggerated sigh. "Since it is the day after Thanksgiving, I thought you'd like to go in search of a Christmas tree."
If he'd grown two heads and started spitting fire, he couldn’t have stunned her more. Yesterday when Anna and Sarah had asked if she wanted to accompany them on their shopping spree, Hope remembered admitting she'd never been to the stores on Black Friday. That she and her father usually spent the day after Thanksgiving finding and decorating the perfect tree.
Had Drew heard them?
Apparently so, dingbat.
Hope's heart swelled. "That is so incredibly thoughtful." She reached out and squeezed his hand. "But since I'm sure your mother and grandmother will have trees, it isn't necessary for us to have one here too."
Drew turned his hand over and threaded his long work-roughened fingers through hers. "You don't want a tree?"
"I didn't say that. I just don't want you to go to any extra trouble on my account."
"It's no trouble." Drew smiled, the gesture crinkling the corners of his sparkling eyes. Hope's stomach took a long, slow roll. "Besides, maybeIwant a tree."
"Do you?" Considering he always had something else to do when they decorated the clinic, Hope doubted it.
Drew popped the last bite of his breakfast into his mouth and rose from the table. "WhatIwant is to takeyouto get a tree," he murmured before leaning over, grabbing her chin in his hand, and kissing her hard on the lips. "Now, finish eating so we can get going," he instructed with a wink.
Hope polished off the remainder of food on her plate and joined him in the cleanup. "You sure are bossy lately," she accused sans malice.
"Sometimes, you need a little direction," he teased, grinning.
While Drew washed the dishes, Hope transferred the remnants into plastic containers. They'd be eating breakfast leftovers for a week. "You know what would be fun?" she asked, leaning a hip against the counter to his left.
Drew’s eyes roamed over her seductively. "I can think of a lot of things that would be fun." Leaning toward her, he nipped at her bottom lip. "What'dyouhave in mind?"
"To bring Alex and Zach with us to get a tree."
The stunned look on Drew's face was absolutely priceless. "Are you serious?" The way he drew out the three words indicated he, in no way, expected her to suggest bringing his nephews along on their Christmas tree hunt. Hope also didn’t think he was too keen on the idea either.
Not. At. All.
Hope smiled impishly. "Yeah."
Drew rolled his baby blues.
"C'mon, Drew. I doubt Reese has even considered getting a tree."
"My parents will have a tree. And I'm sure my mother will let them help pick it out and decorate it like she did when we were kids."
Hope laid her hands on his forearms. "Maybe, but the boys are probably bored and antsy today with your mother and grandmother out shopping. I bet Reese would appreciate a little help. Besides, kids are what make Christmas extra special."
