EMMAWe carried our drinks onto the deck, one of my favorite parts of my cabin. Jenny and Nico had given me a patio set as a house-warming gift; it was second-hand, because they knew my passion for re-purposing, and Jenny had made all new cushions for the two chairs that flanked a re-finished table and for the cozy wicker loveseat.Noah sank onto one side of that small sofa and patted the space next to him. "C'mere. This is the best seat in the house."I hesitated only a beat. I wasn't sure I could trust myself to sit that close to Noah. But he was right; the placement of the loveseat was perfect for watching the sun set over the distant tree line. I could've dragged over one of the single chairs, but that would have made things awkward, since Noah had specifically requested that I sit down next to him.With a deep sigh, I sank down on the loveseat, kicked off my sandals, and propped my feet onto the small wicker table in front of us. Noah grunted softly and stretched out his arm a
DEACONThe knock at my office door was soft, but since I'd been waiting for it, I didn't miss the sound. Even if I hadn't expected the woman who was standing just out of my line of vision in the hall, I would have known it was her. There was something about her-I guessed she would have said it was her energy, some mystical force to which I was somehow extra sensitive. Something woo woo like that. Whatever the reason, my chest tightened with anticipation and more than a few nerves. It had been a little over a month since our knock-down, drag-out fight. Although we'd passed in the hospital occasionally, despite our best efforts to avoid each other, we hadn't spoken directly to each other. She wouldn't have been here now if I hadn't specifically sent a message via Mira that it was important. I knew that Emma would never ignore me if our head nurse was aware that I'd asked her to come see me.At the same time, it wasn't lost on me that she hadn't made her way to my office until the las
DEACONShe took it from me, frowning slightly. "If it's a peace offering, then we should probably share it, right? Because I'm sure there needs to be peace shared on both sides." I considered her words. "I like the idea, but I don't have any champagne flutes in the office-just regular water tumblers. I have no clue why they didn't stock my office with wine glasses and flutes-it's almost like they think doctors shouldn't be drinking during the day." "Party poopers." Emma winked at me. "Break out the tumblers, Deacon. I'm not too precious to enjoy champagne out of any available delivery method. Please . . . you know, in college, we used to chug it right from the bottle.""Now that's what I'd called sacrilege." I stood up to retrieve the tumblers from the shelf alongside my desk. "Champagne is meant to be sipped and savored, not gulped down teenage throats." "Maybe not. But it wasn't exactly Cristal we were drinking them, remember. It wasn't actually champagne-it was some kind of
EMMA"You know, I never pictured myself as a farmer." Noah leaned on the shovel he'd been using to turn over soil for me. Lifting the hem of his T-shirt, he mopped at his face, revealing those rippling, impossibly firm abs. I refrained from swallowing my tongue and cleared my throat. "No? Well, you make a pretty damn fine one, even so." Behind the relative safety of my dark, reflective sunglasses, I indulged myself in ogling him. Denying my physical attraction to this man was getting harder and harder. Yeah, that was exactly the right description. Everything was hard: being around Noah and not touching him in ways I knew I shouldn't; ignoring his increasingly suggestive comments; reminding myself why the two of us didn't really make sense . . .And then there was what had happened last week with Deacon. I'd spent several long nights flagellating myself for kissing him. I could blame the champagne-and that was probably part of it, since my inhibitions had been lowered. I could als
DEACON"Since when do we have goats on this farm?" I looked up at Gram, who was standing on the porch steps grinning down on me. My ass was in the sparse grass, and five baby goats romped around me, each one vying for my attention. "Blame Emma!" Gram chuckled. "She and Pop got to talking one night, and she told him about how she wanted to eventually have chickens and goats, but she doesn't feel she can handle them on her place yet, since the hospital takes up so much of her time. Next thing I knew, your grandfather was offering to get goats that the two of them can share, with the understanding that we'll house them here, and Emma will participate in their care and support, too." "Huh." I reached out to stroke the bumpy head of one of the babies, and he butted against my hand. "If I were the insecure sort, I'd wonder if maybe Emma was replacing me as your favorite." Gram smiled at me sunnily. "And if you were the smart sort, you wouldn't have let her get away from you, so that w
DEACONMiss Sissie and my grandmother disappeared through the door, leaving Emma and me alone with the bleating goats. "I hear you're the one responsible for the new residents at the farm." I raised my eyebrows. "Just so you know, I petitioned for years for horses or lambs. I was told we were not that kind of farm, and they were too much work. I'm not sure how you managed to sweet-talk Pop into these rascals." She laughed softly. "It was an ongoing conversation over the course of several months, and I didn't use sweet talk. I used facts, ideas and common sense. In the end, Jimmy made up his own mind, thank you very much." She stroked the velvety nose of the nearest kid. "But you have to admit that they're darling." "They're not bad," I admitted grudgingly. I watched her as she petted each one in turn, crooning to them and giggling when they climbed all over her. She looked so relaxed and completely natural, at home in this place that had always been so much my own. I remembered
EMMA"Okay, babe. Your choice tonight is Thor:Ragnorak or Guardians of the Galaxy: II. What'll it be?" "Hmmm." I tapped one finger on my pursed lips. "Decisions, decisions. On the one hand, Chris Pratt is adorable and super funny, and I love Groot." I sank down on the sofa and curled my legs under me. "But then there's Thor. Chris Hemsworth is a god-I mean, literally. He is so hot." I hummed and waggled my eyebrows, just to drive home my point. "Chris Hemsworth? Baby, how can you be all hot and bothered about him when you have me right here?" Noah tapped his chest, glowering at me. "Why do you need to watch that Australian god-wannabe on TV when you have the legit deal at your fingertips?" "Mmmmm, that's so true." I scooted down the coach toward the corner where Noah was sprawled, his knees wide and his arms draped over the back and the arm. "But that's actually another point in Thor's favor. Because as I watch the movie and get all worked up about him, I can snuggle up to you a
EMMAA grin split his face. "Don't let me stop you, baby." I laughed and angled my head, lowering my mouth to his and pressing my center to the ridge beneath his pants. Noah grunted slightly and slid his arms around me, holding me close as he nudged my mouth open and began stroking my tongue with his. We broke the kiss just long enough for him to pull my shirt over my head. "Take yours off, too," I urged. "Your chest is gorgeous. I want to set up camp and live there." "You're welcome to do that any time you want." With one hand, he reached back, grabbed the neck of his T-shirt, and wrenched it over his head and off. "Any of my body parts are at your disposal." "Good to know." I flattened my palms against his pecs, reveling in the feel of the hard muscles beneath. "You are built like a sculpture, Noah. Just utter perfection." "I'm not perfect, baby, but if my body makes you hot, I'm happy about that." Two of his thick fingers curled around the cup of my bra, gently easing i