* * *

SHE HADN’T EVEN finished raising her hand to knock when he opened the door, smiling.

“Wow, that’s some service.”

He took her hand and pulled her close as he shut the door at her back. “I have a lot more services to provide when you’re ready.” He kissed her and she let herself relax into his touch. He tasted good and he smelled like he’d just got out of the shower, which he must have done because his hair was still wet.

“Come through. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes or so. It’s a chicken-mushroom thing a friend taught me to make a few years ago. It looks and tastes like it was way harder to make.”

“Those are the best kinds of recipes to have. I brought some fresh lemon curd cookies. I made them yesterday. They’re nearly all gone but I managed to fight Nat off to hold these aside.”

She thrust a bag his way and he took it with a smile as they reached his kitchen. “I love lemon curd. After dinner we’ve been invited to Paddy’s to watch movies with him and Nat.”

“I just dropped her off at Paddy’s. I said probably to a movie but that you might have plans I didn’t know about.”

“Nice. Leaving an escape.”

She laughed, sneaking a piece of cucumber he’d been slicing for a salad. “Well, I love hanging out with my family, but I don’t know if I’d want to be with my brother and his girlfriend all the time. I figured if you’d had your fill it would be easy to beg off.”

“I told him we’d show up at nine or so. Which means we have time for dinner and whatever else we want to get up to between now and then.”

“Oh? Do you have plans for me?”

He hooked a finger in one of her belt loops and brought her to him again. “I do.” This wasn’t a kiss of greeting, though—what he laid on her mouth was a promise and she liked it.

Loopy barked a greeting as she came in through the doggie door, startling them both apart like they’d been caught in the gym at a seventh-grade dance.

“We talked about this, Loop,” Ezra said to the dog, who head butted Tuesday’s leg until she gave in and scratched the dog behind the ear.

“Did you now? And what did you talk about? Did she tell you about the birds and the bees?”

He laughed and the dog yipped, clearly pleased to be part of whatever made her human so happy.

He tried so hard to be gruff, but all that was a front. You only had to look at what a sucker this man was for his animals to know he was compassionate and kind.

“I warned them not to run under our feet tonight.”

“Or—” still touched by what a sweet, soft center Ezra had, Tuesday gave in and nuzzled his neck for a brief moment before brushing her cheek against his beard as she straightened “—if they make us fall down in the hallway, you can take me right there.”

He got very still, his arm around her waist tightened and she fought the urge to offer him whatever it was he wanted whenever it was he wanted it.

“It wasn’t a thing to move you to my bed. It’s soft there. I didn’t want you to get rug burns or whatever.”

“What if I like rug burns?”

He sucked in a breath. “Do you?”

She wasn’t sure. But it really seemed to make him hot and she believed he’d make her love it. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever had any. But how can I know until I try?”

“That’s a good point. I’ll keep it in mind.”

He ran a fingertip over the hollow of her throat. “Want something to drink?” he asked after he kissed her again.

She nodded.

“Sit and look pretty. I’ve got this part handled. I’ll steam the green beans when I take the chicken out.” He turned to the fridge and she hopped up onto a stool. “Juice okay? I have fresh-squeezed orange but also some lemonade. Soda water. Ginger beer.”

“Juice is great.” She liked to watch him in his kitchen. Big as he was, he still managed to be graceful as he poured them both a glass of juice and then went back to food prep.

“Anything exciting happen to you this week?” he asked as he scooped the cucumbers he’d been slicing into a bowl.

“It’s coming up on a busy time of year for me. My focus is pretty much making lots and lots of pieces so I can sell them in the various places the good weather brings. I think I mentioned to you before that I’d finally got a spot I’ve been on a wait list for two years for. In Portland. I’m hoping it’s a good way to build a base for my work. I’m carrying more in the shop, too. Experimenting with inventory.” Maybe finally accept that what she wanted was to run a gallery. “Which is a really long way to answer your simple question.”

“I asked because I want to know. How did you end up making jewelry? Is that what you did before you moved to Hood River?”

“No. I worked at a design firm in Seattle for several years. When I was married, I mean. I planned events for our clients’ rollouts.”

“How did jewelry come into it? If you don’t mind my asking.”

“I used to make jewelry back in college. A hobby. It started out that way because I had no money for gifts. So I’d head up to campus, toss out a blanket on a sunny spot on the grass and sell the earrings and bracelets I’d made. Paid for those presents and even kept me in ramen.” She took a deep breath and said it. “And then Eric got sick and I needed to do something with my hands. To keep busy in all the hours spent in doctors’ offices, hospitals and hospice.” She shrugged. “It kept me busy.”