The last three days had been wonderful. Turner watched the woman next to him on the couch in the private family wing of the Barratt Ranch and knew that this was exactly what he wanted forever.
It made it damned hard to focus on what Elliot was saying through his cell.
The three days since the adoption had been filled with him and her and the boys. Together. Building something he couldn’t quite define but knew was absolutely right.
But tonight…tonight was the first time since the night before the adoption that he had the woman he wanted alone.
He’d wasted no time getting her naked after Caine and Nikkie Jean had arrived to collect the boys an hour ago.
Elliot continued to drone on in his ear. Turner answered when appropriate, but what he wanted to do was shout to the police chief to go find his own beautiful woman—Turner had plans for tonight.
Too bad Turner was a mature adult who had to put responsibility ahead of desire.
Turner ended the call and turned toward Annie. “I need to go. Something’s come up.”
“I see.” She was wearing only his T-shirt. He liked that look on her. If he had his way, she’d sleep in one of his T-shirts for the rest of his life. And he’d get to enjoy taking it off her every chance he could.” I should be back in an hour or so. I need to meet with Carl and Elliot.”
“I’ll be here when you get back.”
Her, here, alone. Without him. No. Turner was a goner; he knew that. He wanted his woman with him. As much as humanly possible.
“Or you could put on some jeans and come with me. We’ll swing by Mamaw’s Place and grab some burgers after I finish at city hall. Unless you’re embarrassed to be seen with a man like me? I know I have warts, and my eyebrow could use a serious trimming…”
“Hardly.” She smiled that perfect Annie smile that had his insides twisting. “I’d like that.”
“Good. Give me a kiss.” He opened his arms, and she walked right into them. No hesitation. Yep. He wanted this every day of his life. Now he understood why Houghton was such a dork over Mel. It all made perfect sense.
“I’m glad I have you, Annie-Belle Gaines. Don’t you ever go anywhere.”
Light blue eyes looked up into his. “I am not going anywhere.”
“Good.”
The rain was soft on the roof of Turner’s Lincoln as he drove toward the little laundromat that had replaced city hall. Annie didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to say anything. Just being with him was enough—she had never been this at ease with a man in her life.
That had just grown since the moment he’d driven her and her boys to the Barratt Ranch after they’d left the Barratt-Finley Creek.
Turner had just been there with her and the boys, celebrating the family she had gained. They’d spent three days just playing with the boys and being with each other.
A vacation from life, for certain.
She’d even taken a vacation day yesterday to prolong that time.
She watched him as he drove. His hands were strong, steady on the wheel. That described Turner to a T. Strong, steady. Dependable.
He’d be there whenever she, or the boys, needed him. Maybe it was love, like Nikkie Jean had said. “So what are we doing tonight?”
“I need to meet with Elliot in my office. Carl has been looking into Dennis Lee Arnold for me. He thinks he’s found something.”
“The councilman who’s always on the news?” She remembered him. He was so blond that he was almost bleached out. His eyes were a weird green color that had always struck her as empty. She’d spoken with him before—he was known to go door-to-door in her neighborhood from time to time. Usually when he wanted people to vote for him.
Her mother had always liked him. “He’s the one?”
She could barely fathom it, but seeing him shot right before her eyes that night was something she would never forget.
“I think so.” He shot her a rueful look. “At first, I thought it was Carl.”
“Ouch.” That would hurt him. He spoke about Carl Buchanan just as much as he spoke about his parents. The man was Turner’s hero—him and Houghton, anyway. “I’m glad it isn’t Carl, Turner.”
“Me, too. He…you know when you have that one person who makes a difference in your life because they want to—not because they have to? That is Carl for me.”
“Like a second father.”
“Yes.”
“I had Jake. He was only twenty-six or -seven when Izzie went to live with him. But he was fierce over her. Me, too. Anything I needed, Jake was there. It took some getting used to. We didn’t really like him that much at first. We were rather used to doing whatever we wanted, when we wanted.”
“I’m glad you had him. Although, he’s pretty intense. I can see where that would be tough for two teenagers to deal with.” She could just see his face in the light from the car pulling up behind them.
“He can be. He’s always been that way. It used to drive Izzie nuts. Especially about her asthma—”
Something slammed into the rear of Turner’s Lincoln, sending them careening off the road and into the darkness.
Annie screamed.
The airbag deployed just as her head slammed off the passenger door.
Everything went black.