He touched her cheek and brushed his thumb beneath her eyes that were filled with unshed tears. “Let me see if this will convince you.”
He bent his head and covered her mouth with his, gently at first and then filling her with such desire that she thought her whole body was on fire from his touch. He dug his hands into her hair as if to hold her mouth against his so the connection wouldn’t break.
Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her closer to him, pressing his body against hers and crushing her lips with such passion that her head was swimming. She reached up and placed her hand behind his neck, not wanting him to pull away or break the connection. She wanted him with every fiber of her being.
And when he did pull away, she saw emotion that she’d never seen before in a man. He was with her and only her in that moment and she didn’t want their kiss to end.
* * *
Caleb looked down at Katie’s upturned face and those lips that were now swollen and pink and moist from their kiss. What the hell had he just done? She was probably in shock at the way he’d grabbed her so quickly and forcefully. He knew better than that. He was a police officer for God’s sake. He dropped his arms to his side and took a long step back, leaving her standing there as if dazed by his behavior.
“I’m sorry, Katie,” he said kicking himself inside for giving in to thoughts he’d had of her over the last few weeks. She’d come to him in distress and he’d taken advantage of her vulnerability.
“What for?” she asked.
“I didn’t… I mean… I…” He blew out a quick breath and shook his head, mostly to shake out this feeling of desire that was still flowing through him and making him ache all over. “I didn’t mean to…”
She gave a slow and sexy smile that hinted of confusion and amusement at the same time. “You didn’t mean to kiss me?”
“I’m not usually that impulsive,” he said.
“Well, I am.”
She bridged the distance between them and reached up and cupped his face with both her hands. Lifting up on her toes she lifted her face to his and kissed him on the mouth again. Yes, she kissed him. She tasted sweet like he knew she would. His heart beat in his chest with every second that passed. When she pulled back from the kiss she stayed close so he could feel the heat of her body.
“I was wondering when you were going to do that.”
He frowned. “You were?”
“It took you long enough.”
“Is that why you were so upset with me?”
“What do you think? We’ve been spending all this time together. Are you telling me that you never thought about kissing me before this moment? Because I know I’ve been thinking about it. A lot.”
A smile pulled at his mouth, and soon he was grinning from ear to ear so wide that it hurt. “What do you know.”
She chuckled. “That’s all you have to say?”
“I’d rather do this.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her up so that he could kiss her again. This time he kissed her slowly and he savored every single bit of her until he got his fill.
She looked up at him with her eyes half open and said, “Don’t you ever apologize for doing that again.”
* * *
It wasn’t what he’d expected to see. He recognized Striker’s truck and a few others parked next to Katie’s car. A new addition to the parking lot was the dumpster that most likely had been delivered that afternoon. He’d driven by in the morning and it hadn’t been there.
Caleb parked the truck in the only place where it would fit that didn’t have a big snow bank. Then he got out and slammed the door.
As far as days go, today was fixing to be a beauty. There wasn’t a cloud in that big blue Montana sky. There was still a chill in the air but not enough to keep snow from melting. Soon the snow would all be gone and there’d be a pasture of green. He walked toward the side door and saw the cease and desist notice was still there.
“Hello?”
“We’re back here.” He heard Katie say. There was some laughter echoing off the walls of the open chapel.
“I didn’t expect to see you here today,” Katie said with smile.
He looked at her and saw all the men sitting around her as if in conference. Maybe they were just there to gaze at her as he was. A sudden fit of jealousy grabbed him in the chest.
“I thought for sure you’d be at court this morning,” Caleb said. “The cease and desist letter is still hanging on the door.”
“Sally took care of that.”
“You sent the Realtor down to the court?”
“Yeah, Sally and the lawyer. They are better equipped to tell the judge just how sound my real estate deal is. Plus, Mr. Littleton already spoke to Sally about an offer. Kas thought it would be better to let Littleton sweat if he didn’t see me.”
“Kas, huh?”
“Yeah, he called a little while ago and said the judge agreed with us. I just forgot to take that notice off the door. Something I’ll do right now,” she said with satisfaction as she got up and ran over to the door. With one swipe, Katie tore the notice from the wood and then ripped it up.
Caleb nodded. “What are we all doing here today?”
“Making a plan.” Katie ran back to where she’d been sitting, grabbed a notebook from the seat, and showed it to him. He couldn’t see anything on the notepad from across the room. “It seems pretty clear to me that if I’m going to get this job done so I can sell the place quickly, then I’ll need a little help.”
“I thought that’s what I
