“Because we’re having a killer weekend. Hell, we haven’t even started on the depot yet, and people are already asking when the train’s going to be ready.”
He wrapped a hank of her hair around his knuckles and pulled her head to his chest. Strong arms wound around her. “Know why else I’m happy? I’m lying in bed with my favorite girl, and my dog is snoozing peacefully at my parents’ house, blissfully unaware that a shit ton of explosives just went off.”
She placed her hand under her head. “Hey, wait a minute, barkeep. Did you say, ‘favorite girl’ just now?” She poked him in the chest. “What other girls have you got?”
“Just the one. That’s more than I can handle orwantto handle.”
“Ooh, good answer. Speaking of your girls, I saw Ursula at lunch. She sat in Luanne’s section.” Hailey’s dislike for Ursula had cooled a fraction after she’d learned Noah’s ex had joined the search for her and Chance. Like the woman or not, she had that small-town tendency to pitch in that Hailey admired.
“Good,” Noah snorted. “She wouldn’t have tipped you.” He toyed with her hair, twirling it around his finger. He did that a lot.
“Oh, I don’t think she was buying.”
“She with that old rich fucker again?”
“No, she was with a younger guy. Dark hair, good shape, dressed like he had money. I wonder why she would bring him here?”
He climbed back on top of her again, covering her with his big body as he kissed his way across her collar bones and up her neck. Oh, he was good at that! “Because the Miners Tavern is the best place in town? Because she’s Ursula? Because Dell’s hasn’t reopened yet?” He raised his head. “Can we not talk about her? In fact, don’t talk at all. Just whimper the way you do.”
“I don’t whimper.”
“Oh yes, you do. And moan. And gasp. And beg. And buck. You’re very vocal—and physical—when it comes to letting me know how good I make you feel.”
“Wow, cocky much?”
He dropped his head and nipped her neck. “You’re gonna pay for that.” He repositioned her head so he could tug an earlobe between his teeth. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell I’m making you feel good by your squirming and wailing.”
“You love it.”
“Yeah, I do. Makes me feel like a fucking king.” He lifted his head again and fixed glittering green eyes on hers. “But you know what? A king needs a real bed in a room that’s big enough for him to stand up without smashing his head. Why don’t we get a house?”
She blinked. Three times.
He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “A place with a yard for Chance and a bathroom big enough for my stuffandyours.”
“Shouldn’t we wait until things are more stable? I mean, the tavern’s doing well, but what happens when it hits a lull? My bookshop isn’t exactly paying for Cadillacs in our nonexistent garage either.”
“See? We need one of those too so we don’t freeze our balls off every time we need to drive somewhere in the winter.”
“Only one of us has balls,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, and one of us has beautiful tits that freeze in the cold months.” His rough hand covered a breast. “Besides, I don’t want to wait. I’m impatient.”
“Yes, I know. Like how you couldn’t wait to change Chance’s name.” She grinned up at him.
His fingers began fondling her sensitive flesh. “That worked out well, don’t you think?”
She let out a little gasp. “Mmm, what were we talking about?”
A gleam lit his eye. He dipped his head and tongued her nipple, and her brainpower went on hiatus. “I changed Chance’s name. How about we change yours too?”
“Change … what?”
He peppered her chest with kisses, nips, and licks. “What do you think of Hailey Hunnicutt?”
Stunned, her brain scrambled by what his mouth was doing, she blurted out an unchecked reply. “It’s longer.”
He raised his head. His eyebrows knotted together. “Yeah, but you’d have the H-squared thing going in your favor. And you could turn Bailey into your middle name so you actuallyhavea middle name.” He gave her a roguish waggle of his eyebrows. “I’m happy to point out other benefits. Or just show you.”
