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She surprised him when she pulled both his hands to her breasts. Using his thumbs to rub against the outside of her shirt, he quickly realized she wasn’t wearing a bra.Oh, dear God. This woman is killing me.Her nipples hardened almost immediately, and Caleb lightly squeezed them between his thumbs and forefingers.
Caleb jerked his head the moment he heard the front door open, and they both turned to see who had walked in on them.
Chapter Ten
“Naomi,” Gene Gardner called out loudly.
“Mr. Gardner, I mean Gene,” Caleb said a little nervously.
“Dad. Mom.” Naomi quickly pulled away and adjusted her shirt.
Thank goodness they hadn’t been doing anything else.
Hopping down from the counter, Naomi started to clean up the mess she’d abandoned. Caleb hoped she could save whatever it was she’d been making because it sure had tasted good.
“We didn’t hear you pull in,” Caleb spoke up, hoping her parents weren’t upset with what they’d walked in on.
“Got someone with a four-wheel drive to drop us off at the road,” Gene noted.
“Naomi has been worried sick you wouldn’t make it home in time.” Caleb was still having a tough time looking Gene Gardner directly in the eye.
“Thank you, I guess,” he said and looked around the kitchen at his daughter who was completely ignoring him. “For taking care of her.”
Feeling guilty even though they weren’t doing anything other than making out, Caleb volunteered, “We…it wasn’t…what it looked like.”
“No worries, son. Naomi is a grown woman. She’s free to do as she pleases, even if it means making out with my long-time friend Harry’s son.” Gene winked at him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to take a hot shower in my own house. Hotel was nice but nothing any better than your own.”
“Yes, sir. I understand completely.”
“You’re staying for dinner tonight, I presume?” Gene asked before walking out of the kitchen.
“Dinner?” Caleb asked questioningly then looked over at Naomi. “I…I would love to.”
“Your house is lovely, Elyse. Naomi was showing me the tree earlier. My mother would be blown away at all your decorating.” Caleb tried to make conversation with Naomi’s mother without it seeming awkward.
“I’ve missed seeing your mother. I hope she’s doing well.”
“It’s hard on her and dad, especially this time of the year, but they’ve both come a long way since my brother’s death. I’ll tell her you asked about her the next time we talk.”
“Please do. We were afraid your family was going to sell the cabin since you’re the only one who’s used it in quite some time. We even considered asking them if they were interested in selling it. Naomi has mentioned wanting to move out on her own and it would be perfect for her. Not to mention, close by should she need us for anything.”
Caleb’s eyes lit up at this bit of information. He could live with that, with Naomi living in the cabin. That is, if she let him come for a visit. “I’ll certainly mention it to them if they do decide to sell.”
Naomi stuck the last of the dirty bowls into the dishwasher and hung the kitchen towel on the handle of the stove. She turned to look at him before looking over at her mom.
If she were still embarrassed about earlier, she no longer showed it. He had to wonder how often she had men over for dinner, if even at all. They’d not discussed their dating history or lack thereof, and Caleb liked it that way. The last thing he wanted was pity because of the luck he’d had over the years. His decision to remain single wasn’t something he took lightly.
The two of them retreated to the family room and Naomi found something on the television for them to watch. Caleb had never cared for subtitles on the screen before, but for her, he’d do anything. Of course, he’d never had a reason for the captions to be there before, but he was thankful they could both enjoy the same show at the same time. When he laughed, so did she. Just the way it was supposed to be.
Elyse Gardner stuck her head through the doorway and announced that dinner was almost ready. Caleb felt certain he smelled homemade chicken and dumplings. It’d been years since he’d had them made from scratch, and he hoped that his nose wasn’t lying to him now.
Naomi jumped up to help her mom, and Caleb followed. The least he could do was offer to help, too.
Sure enough, he spotted the oversized sauce pot on the stove and his stomach began to growl. He was going to eat good tonight!
Elyse handed them all a glass bowl and announced for everyone to help themselves. She apologized for not making anything else to go along with the dumplings, but she hoped the batch of cornbread she’d put together would suffice.
Caleb couldn’t recall the last time he’d sat down to a family dinner. If felt good being surrounded by the Gardners, and if he were being honest, he could get used to it. He knew he was being a little presumptuous, but still, it meant a lot that they’d invited him to stay. Especially since they’d walked in on him and Naomi in an intimate moment.
