More, that it was okay to want her. That maybe he even needed her.
Except there was that damned boyfriend. He’d never compete with someone like Damien Simmons. Rich, young, powerful, good-looking…the list went on and on.
But then again, Sully had said Sorrow would be giving the guy his walking papers any day now. Could that possibly be true? And, if it were, would she possibly be interested in him?
He could always look elsewhere. If he’d made his decision to start dating again, he could try going to that bar across town—what was that ridiculous name, Chances?—and stop spending so much time at the tavern.
But who was he fooling? Sorr
ow was the only woman he had his eye on. Sorrow, who’d managed to burrow her way beneath his shell.
The doorbell pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced at the clock. Five was late for someone to be showing up at his doorstep. He raked his hand through his hair a couple of times. People come by a man’s house after hours, they had to take what they got.
He opened the door, and his jaw dropped. It was her. “Sorrow. Hi. ”
“Hey, Sheriff. ”
He drank in the sight of her. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and her sandy blond hair danced in the breeze. She was wearing a fuzzy bluish green hat that was an exact match to the color of her eyes.
She got prettier every time he saw her. Was there something different about her today, or was it just him, seeing her differently?
“Laura kicked me out of the kitchen, but I bought too many groceries,” she said, sounding nervous, “and they’ll spoil if I don’t do something with them, so I was hoping maybe, I mean, I thought that maybe you might be hungry. If you’re free. And hungry. I could cook for us. ”
He’d been feeling listless, but now he felt rooted to the spot, his entire focus consumed by her. Seeing her there before him, it struck him just how powerful a presence she’d been in his thoughts. And now she was here. On his doorstep. It was strange—like he’d summoned her somehow.
Her gaze flicked down, taking in his clothes—or lack thereof.
Damn. He wasn’t even dressed.
“I hope I’m not bothering you,” she said hesitantly.
“God, yes. I mean…no, of course you’re not bothering me. And yes, I’m hungry. ” Hungrier than you realize. He laughed and stepped back. “I’m sorry, let’s try that again. Hi, Sorrow, please come on in. ” He noticed her canvas bag overflowing with groceries and took it for her. “Let me get this. ”
What was she doing there? She was like an angel who’d appeared at his door, and now she was walking through his house as though it were something she did all the time.
As they headed to the kitchen, he caught her surreptitiously scanning the place. He darted a look around. A blanket was wadded on the corner of the couch. Some mail was tossed randomly on the coffee table. There was a stack of kindling and newspaper where he’d been readying a fire. A bit messy, but not dirty.
“It’s kind of rumpled,” he told her, “but it’s home. And the kitchen’s clean. ” He put the groceries down and quickly snatched up and pulled on his shirt.
“Not rumpled at all. ” She followed him into the kitchen and put her purse on the counter. “I was just thinking how homey it is. Comfy. Plus there are no heads anywhere,” she added with a laugh, referring to her dad’s penchant for wall-mounted antlers.
“Yeah, I’m not big on dead and dusty animals. ” He looked at her. She was so damned beautiful, and she was standing there in his kitchen. “So, are you really making me dinner?”
She froze. “If you want. Is that weird?”
“Are you kidding? Not at all. Just before you got here, I was wondering what I was going to feed myself. ”
“Hungry?”
“Starving,” he said.
She looked pleased at that. “Good. ”
He began to empty the groceries from her bag. He needed to do something with his hands, something other than trace those errant wisps of hair from her face, or smooth his hands down her back.
As he unpacked, he grew more and more impressed. Melons, prosciutto, lamb, tomatoes, strawberries, champagne. “What did you bring us?”
“We’ve got melon and prosciutto skewers to start. Then I thought a rack of lamb with herbes de Provence, and some berries for dessert. ” Doubt flickered in her eyes. “Is that okay?”