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Can’t wait. Stay inside and keep warm. Talk soon. Love you!
Love you back! Give Lily a kiss for me. Bye!
Abbie set the phone down and wondered what Creed was doing on a day like today. If he had a ranch, no matter what size, she knew he had to be out working in this weather. Ranchers and farmers worked no matter what the weather. Baking in the sun, freezing in the snow, or getting soaked in the rain, they were in it. She picked up her phone and sent him a text.
What are you doing?
Freezing my balls off. You?
She laughed.
Not that. I’m watching a movie inside where it’s nice and warm.
It’s times like this I wonder why I have horses.
Well, I hope you’re not out in it too much longer. I just wanted to check on you.
I’m heading in soon. We had a few of the horses decide not to come in. We got them back to the barn, and now I’m going home and get warm. Too bad you’re not there to warm me up.
I would too.
That would be nice. Gotta run, darlin’. I’ll call you later.
She placed the phone down, a smile on her lips as she thought back to their first meeting. She was glad she had met him, and last night had been enjoyable. She couldn’t wait to see him again, but she wanted to get to know him better before taking things to the bedroom. Although she knew he would have stayed if she had asked, the thought of being with another man scared her. Jeremy was the only man she had ever been intimate with, and while it may not have been mind-blowing, it had still been nice.
“Nice? Sex should be more than just nice,” she shook her head. “It should be passionate and intense.”
On Tuesday afternoon, she met Lorna for lunch at the diner. After removing her hat and coat and hugging Lorna and Lily, Abbie slid into the booth.
“Is the hospital busy today?” Lorna asked.
“No, it’s been pretty quiet. I heard there were some minor accidents over the weekend, but nothing major.”
“That’s good. Maybe people stayed indoors because of the weather. Eli said the town looked deserted when he came into the office yesterday.”
“How are things going between you two?”
Lorna sighed, making Abbie grin. “I love him so much, Abs. If someone had told me I could feel this way about someone, I would have called them crazy. I loved Mac, but with Eli...” She trailed off with a shrug. “He completes me in a way no one else ever has.”
“I’m happy for you. I can see how much he loves both you and Lily.” Abbie glanced over at Lily coloring in her book. The little girl looked up at her with a grin before returning to her drawing.
“So, tell me about Creed. I couldn’t believe it when Eli told me he was there the night Mac was killed. And now he has no memory of it?”
Abbie shook her head. “No, he doesn’t. I asked him about the scar on his face and he said he didn’t remember how he got it.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
“I know, but I can tell it weighs on him. He deserves closure, even if it means facing difficult memories.”
“Eli also mentioned he’s a widower.”
“Yes,” Abbie groaned before telling Lorna about her encounter with Creed. From their first meeting at the Feed Store to running into each other again here.
“At least you were able to move past it. He seems like a nice guy, and that scar only adds to his good looks.”
“I agree. Whatever happened must have been rough for him.”
“It still haunts Eli. Some nights, he wakes up in a cold sweat because those men are still out there.”
