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Calder frowned. “Not sure,” he said, then sighed. “He said there was something he had to take care of back in Riverton and that he’d be gone another week or two.”
“Oh. Interesting,” I murmured, swiping my toes through the cold, clear surface of the lake. I’d known Creed for only a few weeks now, but it would take only days for anyone to realize the former military man’s purpose was set in stone. His life revolved around business and he worked like a machine, receiving orders and then executing them. No emotion, no questions involved. So for him to return somewhere after a case was finished ...
“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Calder grunted. “Apparently, he also asked Callum to look into one of the police officers on the reservation.”
My eyes widened. “Does he suspect some kind of foul play?” I swiped my foot through the water again.
“No ...” Calder trailed off and grimaced, drawing a pen from his pocket. “It’s a female police officer.”
This time, my mouth just shaped the O without making a sound.
“Yeah,” Calder murmured, his gaze meeting mine. “Now, are we going to do this puzzle or not?”
My smile went full bloom. “Fire away, Wild Man.”
His stare glittered on me for one hot, lingering second before looking at the paper and reading off the first clue. “‘Nineties sitcom where a neurotic interior designer moves in with her gay best friend. His name.’ Four letters—”
“Will!” I called out, excited. “Did you not watchWill & Grace?”
“No.” His brows scrunched.
“What?” I gaped, my splashing stopping short. Even after a month of waking up to Calder every day, I couldn’t stop the flutters in my stomach when his eyes caught mine.
It still didn’t feel real. Not here. Not on the shores of Lima Bean Lake, the water so clear, so blue, it was like liquefied sky buried in the skin of the earth. Not surrounded by sky-scraping mountain peaks stitched with autumn-hewn treetops.
Here, underneath a million-star sky at night and next to the man I’d fantasized about for over a decade, it felt too good to be true.
“I can’t believe you’ve never seen it. We’re going to have to watch it.” I pointed at him. “Add that to the list.”
I wasn’t in Wyoming long before I commandeered one of Calder’s beloved case notebooks and labeled itA Survivalist’s Guide to Pop Culture. Inside was a running list of all the shows and movies and experiences Calder’s childhood had skipped. We were slowly making our way through them all.
Just like we were slowly figuring out our life together.
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move. I cocked my head and then kicked my foot in his direction, sending a spray of water toward our picnic blanket.
In a nanosecond, he was up. Coming for me. I laughed—squealed—when I found myself hauled over his shoulder and carted back to the blanket.
“If you know all the answers, Tomb Raider, then you finish the puzzle,” he said, depositing me in the center and handing me the crossword and pen.
“Fine.” I jutted out my chin. “So, Will fromWill & Grace. Next is ... ‘TV series about an obsessive, charming young man who stalks his love interests and intervenes’—oh, that one’s easy.” I looked up at Calder, who returned my stare with a blank one. “Really?” I leaned forward, bringing my face close to his. “You have to have seen a commercial ... an ad ...”Still nothing.I huffed. “The answer isYou.”
“Me?”
“No.You. The show is calledYou.”
“The show is called Calder Stone?” he said, feigning confusion.
I shot him an unentertained stare. “No, it’s calledCostello,” I deadpanned, knowing he would at least get that classic comedy-duo reference.
Grinning, he grabbed my chin and pulled my mouth to his for a kiss. His tongue slid along my lips, striking heat over my skin.
“Stop trying to distract me,” I ordered, pulling away before he made me forget my own name. “Here. Eat some charcuterie.” I pushed the board in his direction, a few pieces of cheese and some grapes left.
Cassius had thoughtfully made up the board for us when Calder mentioned he was taking me on a picnic to Lima Bean Lake. I hadn’t been back to—let alone enjoyed—the idyllic haven since I’d helped Colby on her Donnie scavenger hunt.
“Finish it, then,” Calder said with a grin, sitting back on his haunches and popping a grape into his mouth.Did he make everything look hot?Yes. Yes, he did. More importantly, though, he looked happy.
Like he’d found a piece of himself that had been lost. Not just with me but with his father. With his siblings. And I’d never loved him more.
