“How do you do it?” she asked, eyeing the peach cobbler and ice cream he’d ordered for dessert.
Wordlessly, he pushed the plate toward the center of the table and handed her a spoon. After only a moment’s hesitation, she scooped up a small spoonful “just to try.”
“Do what?”
She wrapped her lips around the spoon, humming slightly as she closed her eyes in bliss. It was damn good cobbler.
Extracting the now-clean utensil, she swirled it around in the air. “This. The small-town life. You seem more of a city guy to me.”
“Because I said I was from New York? It’s a big state, you know.”
She dipped the spoon into the bowl for a second “taste.”
“I know. Call it a hunch.”
Her hunches were on par with his instincts. That made her as desirable as she was dangerous. Until a few years ago, he would not have seen himself in a place like Sanctuary. He liked the anonymity of the big city, high-tech options, and twenty-four-hour access to everything. But then Church had called, one thing had led to another, and he had found himself moving into a trailer in the mountains. Now, he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
“I used to be,” he admitted.
“But not anymore?”
“Not anymore,” he confirmed. Again, her brow creased, and he could see the questions forming. “You’re not a fan of small-town life, I take it.”
“Don’t get me wrong. Sumneyville seems like a nice place to visit, but I couldn’t live here. One restaurant? No Thai food? Everything closed by nine?”
He laughed, understanding exactly how she felt since those had been his initial impressions as well. “It’s not all bad. There are even some benefits, if you know where to look.”
“Oh yeah?” She leaned forward, challenge in her eyes. “Like what?”
He sat back, relinquishing the rest of the peach cobbler. The things he appreciated most weren’t easily described. He could try to convey what it was like to lie in a hammock under the stars on a midsummer night, but it couldn’t compare to the real thing. Things like that had to be experienced to be genuinely appreciated. Which gave him an idea.
“Are you adventurous, Bree?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
Fair point. “Then, instead of me trying to tell you, why not let me show you?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bree
A tingle of excitement went through Bree. Words like adventure and show coming out of Nick’s mouth and directed at her elicited that kind of reaction.
She searched his eyes, hoping to find some clue that might help decipher what he was thinking, but started to get lost in them instead. Gorgeous eyes they were, deep and fluid, not one shade of green but many, with flecks of gold flashing and dancing about. Hypnotizing. Mesmerizing.
“Bree?”
She blinked and sat back. “What do you have in mind?”
“A field trip.” He looked at the high-tech gadget on his wrist and then back at her. “Do you have plans for tomorrow?”
She did but nothing set in stone. She was going to return the books she’d borrowed to the library and visit a few local businesses to do some impromptu, on-the-spot interviews. However, none of that appealed to her as much as the idea of a field trip with Nick.
“I’m free after lunch. I can drive up to Sanctuary and meet you.”
“That’ll work.” He pulled out his wallet and signaled for the check.
“Should I bring anything for this adventure?”
He thought about that for a moment, as if reviewing a list in his mind. “No, just yourself.” The slight upturn at the corner of his lips ratcheted her interest another couple notches.
He paid for dinner, firmly refusing her offer to put the meal on the Voice’s dime, and tossed a couple bills on the table for a tip. Then, he stood and waited for her to shimmy out of the booth, holding out his hand to assist her. The moment she put her hand in his, that tingle of anticipation intensified. When he let go, she felt a sense of loss.
He walked her to the exit and then to her car. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Yes, you will,” she assured him. “Around three-ish?”
“Sounds good. I’ll be expecting you. Oh, and, Bree?”
“Yes?”
“Plan for a late night.”
With that cryptic statement, Nick walked back to the dark SUV. She watched him go, appreciating the easy, masculine grace of his stride. The man looked as good from the back as he did from the front.
Anticipation bubbled through her veins as Bree went back to the B & B. She didn’t know what Nick was planning, but she was definitely intrigued.
* * *
“I was just thinking about you,” Toni said in greeting.
“Does that mean you’ve got something for me?”
“Maybe. I started looking into the company that owns Sanctuary. Looks like there are six partners that comprise the board, all former SEALs. Did you know that?”
Bree thought of Nick. “I knew some were but not all.”
“And you conveniently failed to mention that? Here I am, feeling sorry for you because you’re stuck out there, in the middle of nowhere, and you’re living it up with Navy SEALs?”
Bree laughed, unable to resist. “I had dinner with one tonight, and he’s taking me on a field trip tomorrow.”
“I want pictures. Now. Or I’m not sharing what I found.”
Bree sent her some of the pictures she’d snapped surreptitiously of Nick and the guy in the greenhouse. She knew they’d been received when she heard Toni’s heavy, envious sigh.
“Which one did you have dinner with? The Incredible Hunk or Green Eyes?”
“Green Eyes.”
“I love you, but I kind of hate you right now, too.”
Bree laughed. It felt nice to be on the receiving end of envy for a change even if Toni was only teasing. “Duly noted. What did you find out?”
“Sanctuary is owned and operated by a private company, a separate entity created by the partners themselves. No government funding as far as I can tell, which makes them completely autonomous; they don’t answer to anyone but themselves. Legally speaking, they’re equal
