“Shit,” Parker wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her into his chest as he scooped her up.
“Umpfh,” Delilah breathed out, crashing into his hard as steel chest.
“Woman… you’re going to kill yourself trying to carry all that inside in one trip.”
He righted her and began picking up groceries and clothing that had tumbled out. Delilah grabbed an empty bag and began stuffing items inside.
“Um… this doesn’t look like food.” Parker held a pair of lace panties up in the air. His smirk was cocky as he dangled the material in front of Delilah’s face.
Snatching them off his fingertip, Delilah shoved them into the bag she held, “Thanks. Um… not food but a necessity. I sort of ran out of New York with very little. So, I did a little shopping.” She smiled and bounded up the stairs, stepping over the now broken step.
Parker followed her inside, toting a handful of items and slung them onto the kitchen counter. “Guess I’ll add the step to my list of repairs.” He smiled, humor laced his words as he spoke.
“I can fix it, I’m not helpless you know. I’d rather you fix the skylight.” Delilah pointed at the ceiling covered with a blue tarp.
“Yeah – I should have that mostly finished by tomorrow evening.”
Delilah realized he was standing in her kitchen sporting his deputy uniform. She couldn’t help but admire him, hell he filled the damn thing out like a glove. “Headed to work,” she asked, trying to cover the fact she was ogling him.
“Mmmhum.” He smirked, a knowing look on his face, “Just wanted to stop by and check in. Glad I did, you would have broken your neck had I not caught you.”
“Yeah – thanks for that save.” Delilah finished putting the groceries away while they chatted about the town. He’d fallen in love with the area just passing through and decided to put down roots. Delilah was shocked to learn he would be turning 35 soon, she placed him closer to her age – not that six years was a major gap, but he looked so much younger than he was. She assumed the years he’d served in the military kept his body in pristine shape, and now being a cop, he worked hard to stay fit.
“So, have you decided what you're going to do?” Parker leaned against the counter, propping himself up on his elbow.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you going to stay or do you need to get back to work in New York?”
“Oh – that. No, I quit my job yesterday. Momma Belle left me plenty of money, so I’m just going to figure things out for a while. I also plan on getting the house and farm back in shape. Maybe I’ll get some cows again. I don’t know. But I hated it in New York and this seems like the perfect opportunity to figure out who I am.”
Delilah watched as Parker nodded his head, “That’s great,” glancing at his watch, “Shit, I gotta run. I should be over tomorrow around one.”
“Don’t you work all night?”
“Yeah – but I am used to running on just a few hours of sleep… Marine remember?” His eyebrow raised as he gave her a devilish grin and he pushed off the counter.
“Well, don’t overdo it. The house will be here when you make it over. I’ll be going through Momma Belle’s things, so just let yourself in if I don’t answer.”
“Alright, call me if you need anything, or break anything else.”
Delilah watched as Parker pulled down the long driveway away from the house. Letting out a whoosh of air, she grabbed her bag of clothes and trudged up the stairs. Tossing the plastic bag on the bed, she decided she’d take a bath before grabbing something to eat. All she could think about was Parker. It was disconcerting to say the least.
Chapter 6
Parker pulled into the driveway, a smile filling his face when he saw Delilah riding towards the barn on Ed, her horse. That damn animal was mean as spit to everyone. Everyone but her apparently. He shut of his engine and headed out to meet her at the barn.
“Thought you were going to go through Isabelle’s things,” he said jogging up to greet her as she closed the barn door.
“Parker… I’m going to do that now. I just thought Ed would love to get out of the barn for a bit, plus I missed riding him. I love to ride,” her eyes caught his, making her blush.
“K… I thought I’d let you know I was here. I want to get the roof done, it’s supposed to storm pretty bad tonight.”
“Oh – need any help?”
“Nah – you do your thing, I’ll let you know when I’m done.”
Delilah nodded and headed inside. She could hear him on the roof, dragging things around and hammering almost immediately. Walking down the hallway, she paused before going into Momma Belle’s room. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped in. It was exactly as she remembered. An old-fashioned dresser lined the wall near the window, her metal framed bed covered the other. Smiling at the pictures the littered the walls and tabletops, Delilah headed into her closet. It was massive for such a moderate sized room. Shaking out one of the garbage bags she’d brought, Delilah began stuffing her clothes inside. She planned on donating all the clothing and shoes to the local women’s shelter. After she’d cleared the racks of clothes, she started sifting through boxes and several bags. Tucked in the corner of the closet sat a decorative wooden box. It had a horseshoe engraved on the top and a simple brass clasp held it closed. Scooping it up, Delilah headed to the bed and sat down. She fiddled with the lock, pulling it open to reveal several letters. Each one of them addressed to her.
“What the hell?” She muttered into the empty room.
Slipping out the bundled stack, she fingered the envelopes. They only had her name scrawled across the front. Delilah searched the box, coming across one more letter at the bottom. This one was addressed to Parker. Tapping her hand on her thigh, she scooped the letters up and tossed them back inside the wooden bin, closing the lid and securing the brass lock. She’d ask Parker if he’d ever seen the box or if Momma Belle had ever mentioned writing letters to her.
She cradled the box under her arm and made her way down the stairs, she was shocked to see the roof was done, and Parker sat sprawled out on the couch. His eyes were closed and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. His skin was reddened from the sun, and his body was glistening with a slight sheen of sweat. Delilah set the box on the kitchen table and tiptoed into the living room. Parkers soft snores filled the space. Delilah grabbed a light blanket and covered him. She felt bad that he had worked so hard in the sun after working all night. After leaving him to sleep, she decided she would make dinner for them. Setting off to cook, she forgot about the box of letters. Just as she was finishing dinner, the rumble of thunder caused her to jump.
She peeked into the living room to see Parker hadn’t budged, he was still sound asleep. Shaking her head, she set the table and went to wake him. Leaning over him, she tapped his shoulder and whispered his name, “Parker.” Like something from a movie, he snatched her hand and flipped them so she was under him on the couch.
“Parker!” Delilah yelled, pushing against his hold.
Parker seemed to snap out of his sleep haze, “Shit – fuck, did I hurt you?” His grasp loosened, but he made no attempt to move. Looking into her eyes, he froze. Delilah shook her head, her words stuck in her throat. He was gorgeous and damnit he was still shirtless.