“Well, sure, now I’m the one scaring him, but before, it was something in here.” I stomped and banged my way back to the kitchen. Leaving the pots on the counter, I shut the back door. Turning around, I found Aiden leaning against the doorframe. “Tell me you don’t have snakes around these parts.”
He shrugged. “Some.”
I walked over and smacked his arm. Hard. “What is the matter with you? The answer is always ‘No. No snakes around here. Not for hundreds of miles.’ Is that really so hard?”
“But that would be a lie.” He shoved a finger in my face, backing me up. “And if you push, poke, or smack me again, I will put you in cuffs.”
“Jeez. You cops are such babies. Delicate, dainty flowers, each and every one of you.” I ducked around the pissy cop and jogged to the front door. “Chaucer, baby! All clear. You can come in now.”
He stepped in, looking around, his nose twitching. I went down on my knees to rub and hug him. “Mommy totally scared it off.” He licked my ear and then placed himself in front of me, growling down the hall toward the laundry room.
Aiden dropped the boxes on the dining table and went down the hall to investigate.
I whispered to Chaucer, “He’s handy to have around. Shh, though. Don’t tell him I said that.”
“Can you go out to the cruiser and get the duffel bag in the back seat?” Aiden called down the hall.
My stomach twisted. More fricking animals. I didn’t consider myself fainthearted, but holy crap! There was only so much a person could take. I stomped down the front steps toward the cruiser. The back door was locked. How was I supposed to get the bag? There was a metal gate between the front and back seats, so I couldn’t go that way.
I jogged back to the house and tiptoed down the hall to Aiden. He was blocking my view of the laundry room, but that was okay. I didn’t want to see whatever he was looking at.
“Got it?”
“Nope. Door’s locked,” I whispered. No idea why, as he wasn’t doing the same.
“Keys are on my belt.”
He wasn’t moving an inch, which was freaking me the hell out. What did he have pinned in there? My hand crept around his waist, not wanting to call attention to myself. I went into his front pocket, trying to find the keys. Empty.
“Well, groping is better than poking and slapping, but I said the keys were on my belt, not in my pocket.” He pulled my paralyzed hand out of what I’d just realized was very close proximity to his personal business. He snapped the keys off his belt and put them in my hand. “Bag.”
I hopped back and scampered out of the house to retrieve the bag. A moment later, I was reaching around to hand it to him.
He took the bag slowly and said, “Why don’t you and Chaucer wait out on the porch?” When I paused, he said, “Go on, now.”
He found us on the porch. I was sitting on the rail, wanting my feet up. “As long as I’m here, I’ll check the traps again.” He pulled one of the almost-forgotten boxes from behind his back. “Here. Take your mind off what I’m doing.”
A moment later, I heard a loud squeal. I jumped off the porch and ran straight to his car. Chaucer jumped in first, sitting in the passenger seat, while I sat on the driver’s side. I closed and locked the doors, staring intently through the windshield, willing him to catch whatever in the heck had just made that sound.
An eternity later, he stepped out the front door, scanning the yard. Spotting me leaning over the steering wheel, he stopped, picked up the pink box I’d dropped on the porch, and strode to the car.
“You can come out now.”
I glanced at him, but my attention was fixed on the front door. I’d been thinking of every animal that could have possibly made that squeal. It was a long and horrifying list.
“Katie, you can come out now.”
I shook my head. No way was I going out there, where squealing animals roamed.
He knocked on the window. The box was open, and two banged-up but amazing cupcakes were pointed at me. “If you come out, you can have the cupcakes.”
I might die a horrible death, but I’d get cupcakes first. Seemed like a good deal to me. I opened the door slowly, looking around before I stepped out. Chaucer bounded out after me. I reached for the cupcakes, but he pulled them away from me. My brows slammed down and I readied my finger for poking.
“Trade. Give me my keys and you can have the cupcakes.” He was moving toward the porch, and I reluctantly followed the retreating sweets.
“Do I want to know what made that horrible noise?”
“Probably not.” He sat on the top step, patting the space beside him.
