It Started on a Back Road by Susan Saxx

Author:Susan Saxx
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Susan Saxx

10

The men were gone.

Danica walked around the kitchen in a bit of a daze. It was sparkling. The men had left it cleaner than when they’d walked in. Among their discussion, as they worked, had been stuff about mess hall, times they’d camped as soldiers and left the wilderness tidier than when they’d found it. Parker had been fully involved in that discussion, and made her realize he too, had served with the others, in the military, a bit of an eye-opener. Still did. The man was an active member of the local army reserve unit.

On top of that…a tidy wilderness? She’d snorted in disbelief and laughter.

She trailed her finger along the counter where Parker had stood, resolute yet relaxed, and dispatched the mountain of dirty dishes.

What a night it had been.

To tell the truth, the way he’d finally called her out had been scary, at first. She’d thought something—she didn’t know what, was coming. Something bigger, something worse. Recriminations, anger. She’d been worried. Even scared, though she’d never show it.

But no. He’d said his piece, and he’d listened to hers. Let her have the floor completely. Fully. Without interruption.

And then—he’d washed the dishes.

That still floored her. Done a damn good job of it, too.

The masculine man with the tiny pink bows.

He’d been surprisingly good-natured about it. The devil in her had made her sneak in a couple of pans with dried-on crap from earlier, before Abby had left, just to see what he’d do.

Dude’s brows had quirked upward, so he’d noticed them. Then he’d filled them with water, carefully sloshed the mess off into the tiny third sink in the middle, and proceeded to wash them.

Then surprisingly, for the rest of the half hour they were all there, something had felt peaceful. For a little bit, she’d settled.

She’d almost been sorry to see them go. To see him go.

And now it was quiet as hades again in the house.

Well, it was getting close to 9. Ralph had watched her with those baleful eyes, taken the special sweet potato and duck treats out of her palms with sloppy, focused licks a few minutes ago. Now he was curled in his plaid doggy bed in the kitchen, still watching her but fighting sleep to do so.

“You’re right, Pups,” she said. “Good idea. Time for bed.”

She checked the back door and the door into the kitchen from the mudroom one last time, then the front door. Peeked at all the windows on the ground level. Everything was fastened tight.

And mounted the stairs to her bedroom.

Soft, worn comforters adorned the wooden bed, ruffled curtains danced in the breeze from the bay. Gentle tinkles from neighboring houses graced the air. An antique candle holder stood on the old wooden dresser, beside a little frog that held up a sign saying, “Stop croaking. It’s bedtime.”

She smiled with the whimsy of it, sat on the bed. And for a moment, just one moment, was lulled into the setting. Looked out onto the bay, she watched the sun setting over the horizon, illuminating everything, the blue-grey waters, with a golden haze.

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