“I am hungry,” she admitted. She hadn’t thought about it until he mentioned it and now her stomach growled in protest.
Kady sat on a stool at the kitchen counter and watched Editon move easily around the kitchen. He was so different than the other men she’d spent time with. He was laid-back and happy-go-lucky. Such a nice change from the sulky guys with baggage she seemed to end up dating. She and Editon weren’t really dating, but this was a date, right? Even if it was fueled by a snowstorm and started a few hours early, he’d still asked her out.
He toasted sourdough bread and placed a slice on each plate with a steaming bowl of soup and fresh butter. They went back into the living room and sat again by the fire. Making small talk through dinner, they caught up on each other’s life and the parts they’d missed out on over the years. Editon cleared the plates and put the extra soup away as Kady called home to tell her family what happened.
He put another log on the fire. When he turned, Editon saw her shiver. “I wish it were a little warmer in here. The generator doesn’t seem to keep things running at a hundred percent, but the fireplace should start kicking out good heat soon. Come here.” He scooted closer and pulled her against him. He whipped a wool blanket off the couch and wrapped it around them. “Nothing works better than body heat.” He grinned with adorable boyish charm.
“You mentioned that you would be busy with projects coming up. What are you working on?” Kady let herself be enveloped in his warmth. It seeped into her bones and soothed her.
“Nahko and me—well, mainly me—are building a large community center outside of town. Originally, we were going to build it on tribal land, but we came up against blockades.”
“What happened?” she asked.
“Nahko and I decided that it needed to be open to all the people in the community and not just the tribe. This area, except for the wine industry, experiences some pretty severe economic struggles. The local kids need a place to go after school. A safe place. And not just the kids. The elderly and everyone in between.”
“That’s great…wow. Really great. If there had been a place for Noah like that in California, we might not have had these problems.”
“That’s what we want to see.” Editon gave an understanding nod. “Most kids aren’t bad, they’re bored. When they are bored, they get into trouble. Keep them busy and there are fewer problems.”
“True.” Kady watched the flames of the fire reflect in the dark of Editon’s eyes. “I think that it may not have been so bad that I came home to Vine Grove.”
“I’m thinking that too.” Editon reached out and ran a thumb down her cheek. “I’ve got a terrible confession. I’ve been debating if I should say anything or not.”
“You’re married?” Momentary panic gripped her.
“No…” He chuckled. “I haven’t been a saint, but I’ve never found anyone special. The night I saw you at Nahko’s bar all my old feelings flooded back. I had such a crush on you in school.”
“Really?” Kady was surprised.
“Oh yeah…like a lost puppy. I would follow you around about ten paces behind just to be in the same space as you. A little stalkerish, I know. Back then I didn’t know what that was.”
Kady took his hand and rubbed the back with her fingers. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“You would have never gone out with someone like me. I was a shy geek. You were so pretty…perfect.”
“Perfect? Hardly. I didn’t know what I wanted at that age. I thought Tad. I wanted Tad…and Tad was a loser.”
“He gave you Noah.”
“You’re right. The only good thing Tad ever did. I wonder how different my life would have been if I’d stayed in Vine Grove and had Noah?” Kady wondered.
“What ifs are the bane of our existence aren’t they? I try and let things go. Look ahead and turn the what-ifs into a future question.”
“You have a point.”
“I’m a problem solver, remember. But, I do have another problem, and I’m not sure what the right answer is. I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first night I saw you again at the bar.”
Her heart sped up. “What’s stopping you?”
“Right now…I don’t know. I feel that you’re afraid to take a chance with another man. But, I’d like to think that I’m not the men from your past.”
“I see that with everything you do. You’re the problem-solver…what do you want to do?” she asked barely above a whisper.
Editon enfolded her within his arms, and she met his gaze. He took her face in a soft caress, but there was a hint of hesitation. She moved to him, erasing the hesitation in both their minds to draw his face to hers. Kady quivered at the sweet tenderness of his kiss as their lips touched.