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WILL PATTED TWO HAMBURGERS and laid them on a plate. Grabbing some salt and pepper, he headed to the back door, where the smell of burning charcoal wafted through the air. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything triggered an unexpected wave of emotion.
The row of kitchen cabinets, once rickety and askew, now glowed with a fresh coat of varnish. The floor was brand new, but retained the same checkerboard pattern he remembered as a child. He could almost see his mother at the stove, cooking omelets and grits—or patiently teaching him how to crack an egg into a bowl.
So many memories here.
Most of them had been forgotten long ago, but thanks to Katie every day brought fresh recollections. “Is this where you ate your meals with your mother?” she’d ask. Or, “Do you remember what this room used to look like?”
Those questions made Will recall how his mom would cook for the renters at Lacewood, and then prepare a private meal for the two of them. She always insisted he sit at the head of the table—as the man of the house—even when he was so small his head barely reached the tabletop. His mother instilled in him, from a very young age, the importance of dependability and responsibility, and taught him the values of faith and trust and honor.
Only after finding out how his father died did Will realize how much his decision to join the military must have pained her. Yet his mother never tried to stop him. She loved him enough to allow him to go, trusting him enough to make his own decisions.
Kicking the screen door open, Will stepped outside and spotted Katie playing a game of hide-and-seek with Zeke. She ran this way and that before concealing herself behind a bush and peeking out the other side. Zeke came up from behind her and nudged her with his nose, resulting in a startled squeal and laughter. “Your dog is really smart, you know that?” She walked up to Will with Zeke loping alongside, grinning with delight.
“Takes after his owner, I guess.” Will plopped the burgers down on the hot grill. “Speaking of which, instead of playing around, maybe you should be watching how I do this thing called cooking.”
“Why?” She put her hands on her hips and blinked up at him innocently. “That’s why I keep you around.”
Will reached out with one hand, grabbed her securely around the waist and pulled her close, while she shrieked with laughter again.
“Are you saying that’s the only reason you let me stay at the cottage? So I’m close enough to cook for you?”
Katie turned and fought to get away, but when she realized it was futile, just shook her head. “Of course not.” Though her back was pinned against him, she turned her head and winked up at him. “You’re a pretty good carpenter too.”
“Anything else?” He tightened his grip.
Katie struggled again, but didn’t put much energy into the effort, as if she enjoyed being confined by one strong arm. Will casually went about pressing the burgers over the heat while keeping her securely locked in his grasp.
“Are you going to hold me here until the burgers are done?” She blew a wisp of hair out of her eyes since his arm made it impossible for her to use her hands.
“No. Just until you give me a good answer.”
Katie let out her breath in exasperation and seemed to ponder the question. “Okay, well, when I said you were a pretty good carpenter, what I meant to say is that you’re pretty good with your hands.”
Will tried to hide the twitch of his smile. “Now we’re getting somewhere. How so, exactly?”
“You know...all kinds of ways.”
“Such as.” He heard his voice crack a little. It might have been his imagination, but he swore he sensed a new heat radiating between them.
“Well...” She took a deep, quivering breath. “I know I’ve never told you this...”
Will smiled encouragingly because he knew how hard it was for Katie to talk about her feelings. Actually, it wasn’t a strong point for either one of them.
She squirmed a little until one hand was free, then rested it on his until he let go of the spatula. “This hand,” she said, bringing it close to her lips and then kissing it seductively, “is pure magic.” She lifted her eyes to his. “I’ve never seen a man do what you can do with just...one...hand.”
Will nodded but didn’t speak as he watched her lips touch his fingers again. Then she stared at his callused palm if gazing upon a thing of wonder. The look and the touch created a storm of sensations within him, a hunger and a desire that had nothing to do with grilled burgers.
“You want details, I guess,” Katie said.
“Sure.” He tried to sound casual, but the way she stared up at him with a dreamy, sensual expression made his voice a little gravelly.
“You really want to know?”
He only nodded now, knowing better than to attempt to speak.
“Well, the first time I saw you crack open an egg with one hand. Bam! And then dump the yolk into a bowl...with one hand. Bam! I was blown away. I mean, that’s real talent.” She gazed up at him fluttering her eyelashes dramatically. “But I really knew you were a keeper when I tasted one of your omelets.” She shook her head and sighed. “No one in the whole wide world can whip up a better omelet than you, Will Durham. Not even old Betty at the Mill Pub on a Sunday morning.”
Will let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and released her, trying to ignore the merriment that now sparkled in her eyes. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
“Just kidding.” Katie placed both hands flat on his chest. “To be honest, I’m kind of getting used to having you around.”
“Kind of getting used to it?”
“Okay. Liking it.”
“Liking it,” he muttered under his breath, as he went back to cooking and attempted to flip one of the smoking burgers out of a flame.
Somehow Katie stepped between him and the grill, and pulled him down to her for a long, passionate kiss. After lowering her arms to wrap them securely around his waist, she lay her cheek against his chest and let out a deep sigh of contentment. “Pretty sure I’m getting closer to loving it every minute.”
“That’s more like it.” Will put down the spatula and hugged her, his mind wandering to the past...and the future. The secrets of Lacewood—the mystery and the magic—were still out there waiting to be uncovered. Who knows what tomorrow might bring?
For the first time in his life, he was eager to find out what lay ahead. Will hadn’t understood how lost he was until he’d been found...by this place and this woman.
He increased the pressure of his hold. “It took a while, but I knew you’d come to your senses.”
“How could I not?” Katie murmured playfully close his ear. “Everyone knows you’re the hottest guy in New Hope.”
“You’re teasing me again...or trying to seduce me. I’m not sure which.” He kissed the top of her head, then moved down to her lips.
“No, actually I’m not.” Katie pulled away slightly, a smile brightening her face. “You’re so hot, I can almost smell something burning.”
Will glanced over at the grill and saw that it was too late for the two blackened pieces of meat, one of which was now fully ablaze. He moved the charred remains off to the side, and then took Katie’s hand. “Zeke loves burgers,” he said, leading her to the house. “How about I work a little magic with these hands of mine instead?”
“You’re making omelets for supper?”
Will shot her a wink. “Something like that.”