Free A Time for Home: A Snowberry Creek Novel by Alexis Morgan Page A

she listened to the soft murmur of the fountain. Gradually, the last bit of her own tension drained away. It was definitely time to go inside.
    Tomorrow she’d get back to work on her plans for the bed-and-breakfast. Since Nick would be working outside in the yard, she could work inside on the detailed inventory of the rest of the house. Maybe it was time to start clearing out the garage and attic over there, too.
    Hopefully she could keep busy without crowding Nick too much. She paused at the top of the porch steps to listen to the night one last time.
    And even knowing he wouldn’t hear her, she called softly, “Good night, Nick. You, too, Mooch. I hope you both sleep well.”
    Then she went inside and locked the rest of the world out.
    •   •   •
    Nick took sanctuary just inside the tree line. This time the shadows offered him a chance to hide, a place to lick his wounds. God, could that have gone any more wrong? What had he been thinking? That answer was simple. He hadn’t been thinking at all. He’d been feeling: the warm press of Callie’s body next to his on the swing, the sweet touch of her hand entwined with his, and then her lips against his, their breath intermingling in the cool night air.
    How the hell was he supposed to resist all of that?
    He stayed at the edge of the woods, watching to make sure Callie was all right. He suspected—no, he
knew
—his reaction had hurt her feelings. Tomorrow he’d find some way to make amends if he could. Maybe some coffee and pastries from that shop he’d spotted in town when he was on his run.
    At least he hadn’t completely spoiled her time out on the swing. The moon was bright enough for him to see her face clearly. She had the look of a woman finding simple pleasure in the quiet of the night. After a bit, she headed back for the house.
    And to his amazement, at the top of the steps she stared back toward the woods right where he stood waiting in the darkness. She said something just before she disappeared back into the house.
    Her words had him smiling, some of his fear that he’d ruined things between them floating away on the night breeze.
    “Good night to you, too, Callie. I’ll see you in the morning.”
    It wasn’t until then that he realized that Mooch had been there with him the whole time. The dog was leaning against Nick’s leg as the two of them had silently watched Callie.
    He patted Mooch on the head. “Damn, dog, we’ve got it bad.”
    His furry companion sighed loudly in agreement. Nick laughed. “We’d better turn in for the night. We’ve got a lot of work to do around here tomorrow.”
    As they approached Spence’s yard, Mooch froze. He looked up at Nick and then back toward the house, growling low and deep.
    “What is it, boy? What are you sensing?”
    The dog’s agitation left Nick wishing for two things. First, that Mooch could actually answer the question. And second, that he’d brought his gun with him instead of his pocketknife. A four-inch blade wouldn’t do squat if whoever was out there was packing.
    Mooch finally started forward, his nose to the ground all the way across the yard. By the time they reached the porch, he was back to normal.
    “I should kick your furry ass for acting that way over some stupid squirrel or a raccoon, dog.”
    Nick let them both inside and locked the door.
    “You did good.” He reassured his buddy with a good scratching. “I said that for their benefit.”
    After flipping on the light for the upstairs hallway, Nick retrieved his gun from his duffel and positioned himself beside the front window, watching for any sign of movement outside. His gut told him that whatever had upset Mooch was walking around on two legs, not four.
    The only question was if the intruder was still out there. A minute later, he heard the sound of an engine starting up and then fading away into the distance. Coincidence? Maybe, but he’d have to wait until morning to look around for any sign that someone had