A Thing Called Love (Pride Oregon Book 8)

by Jill Sanders

  They’d had several conversations that had proven to her that he could hold his own in business. He knew a lot about his family’s businesses, and she knew he’d filled in at both the restaurant and Jordan Shipping.

  She believed that it was one of the reasons he’d been undecided as to what field he wanted to go into. He’d been mentally pulled in so many directions and had so many choices that he couldn’t make up his mind. Choosing the Coast Guard had been the easiest route to take. Or at least that’s how it seemed after hearing him talk about it.

  After calling down to the Golden Oar and placing their dinner orders, she shot a text off to Conner to let him know that their dinner would be ready soon. He sent a text back almost immediately that he would grab it and be there soon, then he asked how she was feeling.

  “Better. Rested,” she replied.

  “Good. Sore?” he texted back.

  She assessed herself once more and answered.

  “No, I think I worked out all the kinks.”

  “Good. See you soon,” he sent back.

  She busied herself by setting the table and making sure everything was in place.

  “Wow.” Robin came out from her bedroom and glanced around. “This place is coming along.” She walked over and hugged her.

  “Yes, it is.” She looked around and was happily surprised at how wonderful the small space looked and felt. It was starting to feel more like home. She no longer cared if she went barefoot in the main part of the house, since she’d rolled out several large area rugs that she’d found in the Jordan barn. She had yet to pull up the carpet in her bedroom but had laid a few rugs around so she could feel more comfortable.

  By the time Conner arrived with the food, she was starving and tired once more.

  “Do I smell chocolate cookies?” Conner asked, walking into the dining room with the bag of containers holding their dinner.

  “Yes.” She smiled as she sat down, realizing that her leg was aching again, probably from all the cleaning and baking she’d done.

  He turned and frowned down at her. “You’re overexerting yourself.” He reached up and laid a hand on her shoulder. She could see the worry in his eyes.

  “I’m fine.” She motioned to the food. “But starving.”

  He smiled and then nodded towards Robin as he pulled out the containers of food.

  Dinner was nice. It was warming to see that Conner could easily get along with and even joke with her sister. They talked about the land and the possibility of their folks moving there. Then he mentioned that he’d visited his uncle and aunt, who were apparently old friends of their parents.

  “We’ve known Megan and Todd for as long as we can remember,” Robin replied. “They’re like our long-lost relatives,” she joked. “At one point, I used to call them aunt and uncle. Then my mother corrected me when I was a teenager.” Her sister laughed suddenly. “I had to do a family tree for school and didn’t know exactly where they fit into our family. The next time we came to Pride, I was embarrassed.” Robin sighed. “And disappointed at the same time.”

  “Until I was eight, I believed I had three moms and dads,” Conner joked back. “My cousins were all my brothers and sisters. I was upset when my cousin Suzie was born, and I couldn’t take her home to live with us.” He chuckled.

  “We have a few cousins we’d like to ignore,” Robin said, glancing at her, making her chuckle.

  “Carl and Steven.” She rolled her eyes. “Our mother’s brother’s kids. Not that they’re terrors, it’s just… they are boys,” she added, feeling a little stupid.

  “Growing up, they were our arch nemeses,” Robin added. “They would mess up our dolls, take over every game we played, and usually push one or both of us into mud puddles each visit.”

  “Carl is going to law school and Steve is a DJ for a local radio station,” Kara informed him. “And both of them would still find any reason to push us into the mud if given the chance.”

  Robin laughed and poured herself another glass of wine.

  Kara had already had two glasses, which had helped her leg muscles relax again. She was thankful that she was feeling comfortably numb at this point. After finishing off the rest of the lasagna that she’d ordered, she leaned back and tried not to slide out of the chair.

  “You look tired,” Robin told her after a moment.

  Kara realized she’d grown quiet and had been listening to Robin and Conner chatting.

  “I am,” she realized. “It was a long day.”

  “How’s the leg?” Conner asked.

  She wiggled her calf and winced slightly. “Sore, but I’ve had worse. I used to play soccer in grade school and had shin splints a few times.”

  “Ouch.” Conner winced. “Not fun.” He stood up and started clearing the table.

  “Let me do that.” Robin jumped up. “You picked up the food, Kara baked the cookies and cleaned up beforehand, the least I can do is dishes.” Robin took all of the plates and disappeared into the kitchen.

  “Bring back the plate of cookies,” she called out. She turned to Conner. “I could use the sugar.”

  “How about we go into the living room and relax. You can put your leg up,” he suggested.

  She started to get up and he was there, helping her out of the chair, guiding her to the sofa. He nudged her down and sat beside her. Then he pulled her leg up into his lap and slid up her legging to see the massive bruise that covered her skin.

  She winced at the purple and red skin.

  “Ouch,” Robin said, coming into the room, holding a plate of cookies. “That looks worse than you let on.”

  “Do you have an ice pack?” Conner asked Robin.

  Kara groaned. “I think I froze my leg earlier,” she said to him when he glanced in her direction.

  “It’ll help with the pain,” he suggested as Robin disappeared back into the kitchen.

  “Bring me a glass of milk,” she called out as she reached for a cookie.

  “Make that two,” Conner called after her, making her smile. “What?” he asked her when he noticed.

  “I like that you get along with my sister,” she said softly.

  “I get along great with most sisters,” he admitted as he started to rub the spots around the bruise on her leg. Then his hands stilled. “Why? Did you date someone who didn’t get along with Robin?”

  Robin had walked in at that moment and laughed, getting Conner’s attention.

  “That fits the description of every guy Kara’s dated.” She handed Conner a glass of milk and then gave Kara one before taking the bag of frozen peas from under her arm and setting it gently down on Kara’s bruised calf.

  Since Kara was twisted on the sofa, the makeshift ice pack only covered half of her sore muscle. Still, she figured it was better than nothing since she couldn’t manage to enjoy her cookie and milk without spilling.

  “Oh?” Conner asked, leaning back to enjoy the treat and conversation. “I’m all ears.”

  Kara groaned as her sister started telling her current boyfriend about her past mistakes. Conner chuckled at some of her sister’s stories and, after finishing off two cookies and setting down her half empty milk, Kara twisted slightly as Conner started rubbing her leg again.

  She hadn’t realized she’d fallen asleep until Conner picked her up some time later.

  “Hm?” she moaned and tried to focus her eyes.

  “Shh, I’m just carrying you to bed,” he said softly.

  “Okay.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re going to stay?”

  “Not tonight,” he answered with a sigh as he maneuvered her through her bedroom doorway. “I have work early in the morning and then I’m going to finish moving into my new apartment.”

  “M-kay,” she said as he laid her down on the bed.

  He sat beside her on the bed and leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. “Thank you for dinner.”

  “You’re the one who got the food,” she reminded him as she l
ooked up at him. The darkness of the room cast shadows over his features, making him look even more handsome and a little mysterious.

  “Then thanks for hosting and for the cookies, ” he replied with a chuckle. “They were delicious. The best cookies I’ve had.”

  She snort-laughed and then gasped as she covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry.”

  His smile grew. “Don’t be, that was the sexiest thing I’ve heard all day.”

  “You can go now,” she said as she felt her face heat. She was thankful for the darkness of the room.

  She heard him chuckle again, and then he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Goodnight.”

  She warmed from the kiss and relaxed again. “Night,” she said with a sigh and fell back asleep.

  Chapter Sixteen

  By the time Conner started unloading his things from the back of his truck, big snowflakes fell from the gray sky and covered the ground and everything else. His brother and his cousin George were helping him move some of his bigger items later that weekend. For now, he’d sleep on his air mattress on the floor and make do with what he could carry himself.

  He was happily surprised to see Kara walk up to him in the grocery store parking lot shortly after he’d finished taking up the last load of his stuff.

  “Hey.” He walked over and wrapped his arms around her and then kissed her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see if I could help,” she said, frowning over at his empty truck bed. “Is that everything?”

  He chuckled. “No, this is just the end of the first load. I’ll have some muscle help later this weekend to move the bigger items.”

  “Oh.” She frowned slightly.

  “Did you walk here?”

  “It’s only about a block away. What can I help with?”

  He thought about it. How she’d been bruised and tired last night and shook his head. “You can cheer me on,” he said, but the look she gave him let him know instantly that she wouldn’t sit on the sidelines easily. “How about you head into the store and grab me a coffee?” he asked, realizing that this might be the last load he could cart from the house today if the snow continued to fall at this pace.

  “Okay,” she said, rubbing her hands together. Then she leaned up and kissed him again and smiled up at him.

  He felt his entire body heat, which had him emptying the rest of the truck in record time. When he’d set the last item on the kitchen counter of his new place, Kara walked in with a tray of drinks and a box from the bakery down the street.

  “Why get regular coffee when you can have an extra sugary drink with pastries?” she joked as she set the box down on his counter next to the lamp that he’d set there moments before.

  “Here.” He pulled over a couple of the barstools he’d grabbed from the barn so they could sit next to each other. “At least I was smart enough to grab these.” He took a sip of the coffee and looked down at it. “My favorite. How’d you know?”

  She chuckled. “I cheated and asked Becca. She and Sara know everyone in town’s favorite drinks and pastries.” She opened the box.

  He smiled down at the bear claws inside. “I swear if either of those sisters was around my age and single, I’d marry them.”

  Kara laughed. “Both of them?”

  He shrugged. “Then again, Becca’s daughter Brook is single.”

  Kara narrowed her eyes and poked him in the chest with her finger, causing him to laugh.

  “And like a little sister to me,” he finished as he wrapped his arm around her.

  “She is awfully cute,” Kara supplied.

  “She’s too chipper in the morning. I think it comes from working at the bakery all her life. Days where I work early and head over there for a pick-me-up, she’s always smiling and talking.”

  Kara laughed. “Not a morning person?”

  “At four in the morning?”

  “Four?” Kara gasped. “What are you doing up at four?”

  He thought about all his early mornings and shrugged. “Training the new recruits.”

  “As in… teaching them?”

  “Yeah. Allen Masters took me under his wing last year and, well, now he’s bumped me up to second in charge of training. He claims I have a knack for teaching. Don’t get too excited. I just make the newbs run around, do drills, and stuff like that.” He took another bite of the bear claw and relaxed back to watch the snow fall outside the massive windows that overlooked the main street of Pride.

  Kara glanced over his shoulder at the empty space. “Wow, this place is bigger than I thought it would be.”

  “I’ll give you a tour.” He stood up and finished off his sugary treat quickly. “It only has one bedroom, but the space is pretty big.”

  He showed her the bedroom and newly remodeled bathroom.

  “Wow,” she gasped as she looked at the massive walk-in shower. “I can only dream of having a shower this nice.”

  “Yeah, Parker’s revamp.” He enjoyed the tall glass walls surrounding the new shower. “It’s got three shower heads.” He reached in and turned on the water.

  “Nice. This entire bathroom is what dreams are made of.” She turned around slightly then ran a finger over the new marble countertops and sinks.

  “Anytime you want to have a sleepover,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in for another kiss. The way she melted against his chest had him wishing he had more than just a mattress on the floor of his new bedroom. Hell, he didn’t even have sheets on it yet. This thought kept him from taking the kiss deeper. Instead, he pulled back and motioned towards the closet. “It’s got plenty of closet space too.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Just how long do you want me to sleep over for?”

  He shrugged. “As long as you want.” He ran a hand up her arm. “I don’t feel like I’m going to tire of this for a while. You?”

  She shook her head as she looked up at him. “No, me either.”

  She turned away from him but before she did so, he noticed her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.

  “Wow,” she gasped as she stepped into the walk-in closet. “This could be another bedroom.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, I doubt I’m going to fill a quarter of it with my stuff.”

  “I don’t think I could even fill half of it,” she admitted.

  After that, they went back into the living room and looked out at the snow falling over Main Street.

  “On a clear day, you can see Pride harbor.” He motioned into the gray mist that surrounded the small town.

  “I bet. Even this view is beautiful.” She wrapped her arms around herself as she looked out. “It’s getting worse out there.”

  “Yeah, we’re supposed to have about a foot before morning.”

  She was silent for a while. “We have another wedding this weekend. We’re expecting snow the entire time.” She sighed. “They’ve rented a horse and sleigh to drive them through town. It should be perfectly romantic.”

  “Winter weddings are nice,” he said with a shrug. “Course nothing beats a grassy yard, like the one we stood in yesterday, overlooking the beach in the spring.”

  Her eyebrows shot up and she turned to him. “Oh?”

  He shrugged. “Sure. I mean, you add a bunch of flowers, like Suzie had.”

  Kara chuckled. “She does own a flower shop,” she reminded him.

  “Yeah, but you put them in a freshly cut grassy yard looking down at the water, the dramatic view as a backdrop…”

  She tilted her head. “You’re an artist like your mother.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve been accused of that a lot.”

  “It’s true.” She turned towards him and ran her eyes over him. “Tell me more.” She motioned for him to go on.

  “Well.” He thought about it, about the day he’d dreamed of marrying the woman of his dreams. “Okay, so it would be a whole day affair. Early morning breakfast on the lawn. Time to enjoy visiting with family and friends, followe
d by games and fun events for any young kids. Everyone always forgets the kids.” He shook his head, remembering how his niece and nephew had to stay at a babysitter for the last two events. “Then, enough time for everyone to head back and change for an early evening wedding as the sun sets behind the ceremony, followed by a candlelit dinner and party after.”

  “Sounds perfect,” she said with a sigh.

  He hadn’t realized he’d pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her while he’d described his ideal wedding.

  In his fantasy, he’d imagined Kara as the perfect bride. Which startled him and caused him to drop his arms from around her waist.

  “I’ll… drive you home,” he heard himself saying suddenly.

  How could he get so lost in thought that he’d started daydreaming about marrying Kara? Not that he didn’t have feelings for her, but thinking about marrying her this soon? That was just crazy. Right?

  After dropping her off at the cottage, he headed back to his folks’ place to grab a few more clothes and essentials so that he could spend his first night at his own place.

  He was surprised to see his parents up watching an old movie. He was pretty sure they’d been necking on the sofa and had pulled away when his mother had heard him enter the house. When he came back downstairs with a backpack full of his last personal effects thrown over his shoulder, his mother was standing in the kitchen with a large, framed painting wrapped in shipping paper. He’d seen enough of her artwork ready to be shipped out to understand it was one of her pieces.

  “A home warming gift,” she said in response to his questioning look.

  Pulling off the wrapping paper, he smiled down at one of his favorite paintings of his mother’s. The lighthouse, which sat less than fifteen minutes outside of Pride, had always been one of his favorite views of the Oregon coast. There were two small figures walking towards the lighthouse, which he’d always assumed were his parents before they had kids.

  From what would be his new backyard soon, you could just make out the lighthouse in the distance. It was one of the reasons he’d picked the lot for himself.