Moonshine and Muscadines (Hemlock Creek Book 3)

by Josie Kerr

  “Really.” Rob shrugged a shoulder, then gave a little shimmy, making his cock bounce and sway. He pushed his jeans down past his thighs to his calves, apparently forgetting, in his haste to disrobe, that he was still wearing his shoes. He tried to toe his sneakers off with his pants down around his ankles but only succeeded in tipping over and falling flat on his face.

  “Jesus, that was some sort of sexy, wasn’t it?” he said with a laugh, his bare ass in the air and two new scuffs on his knees.

  “Oh, it’s very sexy.” Tally craned her neck to check him out. She ran her fingers over his heavy sac, caressing his balls in her hand.

  “You’re killing me, Tally.”

  “Oh, we can’t have that. Let me help you.” In a flash, she had his shoes and socks off, and he finished kicking off his jeans.

  Now he was naked in the middle of her living room floor, sprawled out and exposed for her viewing pleasure.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  Rob winked at her. “Can’t say I’ve ever gotten that reaction before.” He held out his arms. “Come to me, Tallulah.”

  And, of course, she did.

  ´*•.¸(*•.¸ *¸.•*´)¸.•*´

  Tally was lying on her stomach, her hands tucked under her cheek, watching Rob.

  “Pretty lady, what are you looking at, hmm?” he murmured. His hand drifted down her bare back to the curve of her rump, to which he gave a little squeeze. “Oh, that’s nice.”

  “You feel better?”

  Rob nodded. “I haven’t been this relaxed in years.” He rolled over on his side, eyes still closed.

  A little moan of pleasure escaped Tally’s throat as Rob’s strong fingers explored, touching her most sensitive areas.

  “I like hearing you make those sounds,” he whispered. “They make me hard.”

  “You were already hard, Rob.” Tally slid her hand down his abdomen.

  “Yeah, I was. Those little whimpers make me harder.” He sighed. “I could stay right here for a long time, you know.”

  “Then do.” Tally cupped his cheek in her hand. “Stay.”

  Rob pursed his lips, thinking, and then his stomach rumbled. Tally giggled and crawled into his arms.

  “Snack?”

  “Oh, yes,” he said with a grin and swooped in for a kiss. Tally shrieked as he groped and kissed her until she was dizzy. Then he lay back, a look of smug satisfaction on his face, and Tally just shook her head.

  “I’ll fix you something to eat. Come on.” Tally pulled on his T-shirt and padded out of the bedroom.

  She was slicing an apple into slivers when Rob appeared in the kitchen, wearing only his jeans and a bemused expression.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey,” she responded. “Grilled cheese?”

  “Sure.”

  “Mom! I’m home for a split second to change—oh!”

  “Chloe! I thought Courtney was picking you up at the uncles’ house?”

  “I got all sweaty moving stuff around, and besides, I don’t want to wear what I’ve had on all day.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “And please put pants on before Courtney gets here, Mom.” Chloe stomped to her room.

  Tally looked at Rob, who shrugged. “It could have been worse, right?” he quipped.

  “Yeah, she could have come in when you were naked in the living room.” Tally stifled a giggle. “Oh God. Okay. Change of plans—we’ll get dressed and then eat, yeah?”

  After a quick clothing change, they returned to the kitchen and found Chloe eating the apple that Tally had sliced.

  “My mom makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches.” Chloe popped a piece of apple into her mouth, looking pointedly at Rob.

  “I’m sure she does. I’m looking forward to trying one. Lily, too. That is, if you wouldn’t mind.”

  Chloe smiled then, a real smile. “No, not at all.”

  The doorbell rang, followed by a smart knock.

  “That’s Courtney. We’re going to the seven o’clock show, so I’ll be back about ten.” Chloe kissed her mother’s cheek and gave Rob a little wave before leaving with Courtney.

  Tally cocked her head at Rob in question, and Rob gave her a smile and shrugged a shoulder.

  “You gonna let me try one of those grilled cheese sandwiches?” Rob leaned against the kitchen counter.

  Tally winked, picked up the mayonnaise jar, and unscrewed the lid.

  Half an hour and two sandwiches each later, Rob and Tally were on her couch, an action movie on the television that neither were watching, when they heard the Law and Order theme song sound from Tally’s phone.

  “I’ve got to get this. It’s the divorce attorney,” Tally murmured, scrambling for the phone. “Hello? Yes. Yes.” She clambered off the couch and headed into the bedroom, Rob giving her a thumbs-up and a smile as she slipped around the corner.

  She seemed to be in the other room for ages. Tempted to eavesdrop, Rob mindlessly flipped through the channels while mulling over the events of the day. He and Chad Bryson had been separated for the duration of their stay at the precinct. In fact, Rob had no idea if Chad was still locked up; he assumed not, since the Bryson family was a big name in Hemlock Creek. The same powers that extricated Chad in high school were surely still in play now. In the end, Chad’s attorney had approached Rob to give him information for getting his window repaired and to inform him that Chad wouldn’t be pressing charges. Rob had snorted at the lawyer but accepted the terms. After all, he didn’t need any other hassles on top of trying to get his business up and running again.

  Tally emerged from the bedroom and headed straight to the kitchen, where she commenced rattling around in cabinets and in the freezer, all without saying a word.

  “You okay, babe?” Rob asked after five minutes of commotion.

  “I’m going to have a drink. Do you want something stronger than tea, Rob?”

  “Sure. I’ll take whatever you’re having.” Rob stayed on the couch, giving her physical space. “Are you okay, Tally?”

  She came into the living room with two lowball glasses containing two fingers of whiskey and resumed her spot on the couch, snugged into Rob’s side.

  “Babe? What did the lawyer say?”

  “Greg’s giving me the divorce. He’s in rehab. He went in right after he called Chloe the last time. Checked himself in after he parked his car in the middle of a restaurant’s patio. No one was hurt, thankfully—the restaurant wasn’t open yet—but it scared the crap out of him.”

  “So, you’re divorced?”

  Tally nodded slowly. “For all intents and purposes, yes. He is going to fax the paperwork to Billie tomorrow, and we can actually file on Monday.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “I’ve been waiting for this call for months, and now that it’s here . . . I don’t quite know what I’m feeling.”

  “Do you want to be alone? I’ll do whatever you need me to do, Tally.”

  She looked at him and huffed a breath. “Please stay for a while. At least until Chloe gets home? Oh—you don’t have your car . . .”

  He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll stay. I can call Barrett for a ride. He’s made quite a little side business for himself being Hemlock Creek’s answer to Uber.”

  Tally chuckled. “Thank you.”

  “The pleasure’s all mine, babe.” He pressed his lips against her forehead. “Now, what can we possibly do to pass the time until Chloe gets home?”

  “Your face is going to stick like that, Maternal Unit” was Chloe’s wisecrack greeting upon seeing her mother’s frowning face when she’d shuffled into the kitchen for breakfast.

  “Cute,” Tally said with a snort. “Good morning to you, too, Offspring Unit.”

  Chloe plopped down at the kitchen table. “Have you even gone to bed?” she asked through a mouthful of yogurt.

  Tally shrugged a shoulder. “I slept for a few hours. I kept having crazy dreams, so I finally just gave up and started doing some research.” She closed the laptop and folded her hands
on top.

  “Oh boy. That’s your ‘we need to have a talk’ position,” Chloe stated with an eye-roll. “It’s too early to have a meaningful mother-daughter talk, Mom. Way too early.”

  “Well, you’re in luck, because this isn’t going to be a discussion; this is going to be a me-telling-you-what’s-going-to-happen monologue.” Tally shifted in her seat. “I’m going back to school. I’m still doing some research, but it’s going to be for either court reporting or paralegal training. When I was talking to Billie this morning—”

  Chloe interrupted her mother with a groan. “You’ve already talked to Billie? Both of you are nuts.”

  “Billie sleeps less than I do. So anyway, she’s said that she and her firm are willing to pay for my training, so . . .” Tally shrugged. “It’s a good idea.”

  Chloe stared for a few seconds and then leapt out of her chair to wrap her mother in a huge hug. “This is perfect, Mom.”

  “You are such a great kid, you know that?” Tally hugged her back.

  “Duh. I’m awesome!” Chloe said, but she swallowed hard and shrugged her shoulders. “How could I not be? I’ve got awesome parents.” Chloe kissed her mother’s cheek and then proceeded to clean up the breakfast dishes. “I’m going to help Bunny and Ace at the flea market today. They’re going to be by to pick me up in about half an hour.”

  “Okay, honey. I might stop in if the shop’s slow this afternoon and Mimi doesn’t need me.”

  Chloe hesitated after closing the dishwasher. “I’m glad Daddy’s getting help,” she blurted.

  Tally, who had gone ahead and told Chloe about the divorce the night before instead of waiting until morning, was expecting some sort of delayed commentary. In fact, she was surprised Chloe had voicing her opinion so quickly. Normally, her daughter waited a few weeks before expressing any sort of reaction, especially when it came to something as emotionally loaded as her parents’ divorce.

  “I am, too.”

  “Are you sad?” Chloe picked at the hem of her T-shirt and wouldn’t meet her mother’s eyes.

  Tally waited a beat before answering Chloe. She’d been up most of the night thinking about that exact topic. “I am,” she answered honestly. “But I’m not sorry. Do you understand that?”

  “Maybe. I’m sad, but I’m thinking that maybe this needed to happen so he could get better. And if we hadn’t come out here, you would have never met Rob, and Mimi wouldn’t have reconnected with Toby. So some pretty great stuff has come out of it, right?”

  Tally couldn’t hold back her tears now. “That’s right, Chloe. You are absolutely right.”

  Chloe gave her mom another hug, squeezing her tight, and followed it up with a rare kiss. “Okay, Mom. I’m gonna get ready.”

  “Sounds good, sweetie.”

  Chloe disappeared down the hall, and soon Tally heard the shower turn on. Glancing at the clock, Tally decided she’d finish her research into certification programs later. Right now, she needed to get ready to face the weekend antiquers, which was always a daunting task. After quickly dressing and donning her usual tinted moisturizer and lip gloss, she made the bed, tossing Rob’s T-shirt underneath her pillow because, although Chloe seemed to be okay with the abstract knowledge that her mother was having sex, she didn’t think anyone was quite ready to be faced with concrete evidence of canoodling.

  She heard the doorbell ring and headed to the front door, calling to Chloe to alert her.

  “Chloe, Ace and Bunny are here. You best get a move on.” She opened the door and found three men on her porch: her uncles and Robbie Mac. Ace and Bunny were staring at Rob, who had yet another bouquet in his hands, as well as a bakery box. Rob’s face lit up in a goofy, lopsided grin when she said his name, and he leaned in to kiss her, heedless of the audience.

  “Tallulah.”

  “Hey, Rob.”

  “Oh my God. Uncles, we need to just go because those two will be making googly eyes at each other for at least the next twenty minutes.” Chloe scooted out the front door. “Hi, Rob. Bye, Rob. I’ll see you later, Mom.”

  “Little Miss has got her bossy pants on this morning,” Bunny said with a snort, while Ace continued to eye Rob, who continued to grin at Tally.

  “Well, hell. Looks like she’s right, too. You two, be good, and we’ll see you this afternoon, Tally.”

  Tally pulled her attention away from the handsome man with the flowers and the baked goods long enough to acknowledge her uncles. “Yep—I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  Ace shook his head. “Oh Lord.”

  “Bye, gentlemen,” Rob called after the uncles as they walked back to the car where Chloe was already waiting. He turned back to Tally. “Thought you might want to let me butter your biscuit this morning,” he said with a wink.

  “Oh, Mr. McFerrin. Do I ever.”

  A Few Months Later

  Tally sank into an empty chair and kicked off her shoes. Bunny and Ace’s twenty-fifth-anniversary party was winding down, at least for most of the older set. Liddie was standing by Tobias, who sat sprawled out with one elbow on a table and the other hooked around Tally’s mother’s waist. At the same table, Kat was sitting on Cal’s lap, and both of them seemed to be mesmerized by the engagement ring Cal had put on Kat’s finger the night before.

  Some loud whooping drew her attention to the dance floor, where the youngest Harper brother, Nolan, was dipping his new bride and smooching her neck, and Courtney, Chloe, and Lily were doing some sort of complicated line dance while the couple of honor, oblivious to the people around them, slow-danced to the very upbeat music.

  She felt a hand curve around her neck, a thumb caressing her cheek. Tally tilted her head back and found Rob gazing down at her.

  “Hey, mister.”

  Rob bent down and gave her a peck on the lips. “Hey, pretty lady,” he replied against her mouth before sitting in the seat next to her and taking her hand. “Success?”

  “Definitely a success.” Tally inhaled the early summer air. “This whole week has been made of win, as Chloe would say.”

  Rob kneaded her shoulders and her neck with one large hand, rubbing his thumb along the groove on the back of her neck. “You’ve had a big week, babe. All those tests for your paralegal certification course, then the craziness of getting ready for this shindig, and not to mention getting everything packed up for the big move.”

  Tally chuckled. “I swear short moves are the worst. This one was worth it, though.”

  “Even after experiencing the chaos that’s our early morning routine?”

  “Honey, you have no routine; that’s why it’s chaotic.” Tally patted Rob’s hand. “We’ll get you squared away yet.”

  “Looking forward to it,” Rob whispered and moved in for another kiss. “I’m looking forward to a lot of things.”

  “Yeah? Like what?” she teased.

  “Going to sleep with you every night.” Another kiss. “Waking up with you every morning.” A nip on her jaw. “Seeing my ring on your finger.”

  Tally snapped her head toward him. “What was that last bit?”

  He stroked her ring finger, then brought her hand to his lips. “I’m just telling you what I see us doing.” He nodded at Bunny and Ace, who had stopped dancing and now were merely standing at the side of the dance floor, their heads very close together, sharing a moment of extreme intimacy in the midst of a crowd. “Hashtag: relationship goals.”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, what?” The edge of his lip turned up in a grin.

  “Yes, to all of it,” Tally whispered, emotion almost stifling her voice.

  “Oh, thank God,” he said and then kissed her, hard, on the mouth. Rob gripped her hands in his and peppered her knuckles with kisses before resting his forehead on their entwined hands.

  “Mom, do I have to go right home after we leave here?” Chloe glanced at the dance floor, where Courtney and Bunny were now waltzing with Lily.

  “Where do you think you’re going, honey? I don’t want y
ou driving all the way to Jasper.”

  “There’s a new coffee shop—Nonesuch Possum—that does late nights on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s right on the square.”

  “Okay, sure. But text me when you two get there and when you leave, okay?”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Chloe gave her mother a peck on the cheek and skipped off.

  Rob chuckled. “She’s a good kid.”

  “She’s tied for the best kid.”

  Rob winked at her. “What do you say about bundling the other best kid in her booster seat and heading on home? I already told Saffy we’d be back in the morning to help her break down.”

  Tally peered over at the quirky B&B owner, who had definitely not been her usual sunny self. “Is she okay?”

  Rob shook his head. “This potential sale of the B&B has really thrown her. Supposedly the ‘real’ owners are coming down from DC. Hopefully, they can reach an understanding.”

  “Oh, I hope so. She loves the B&B and Goat Waggle and her menagerie, and frankly, Hemlock Creek wouldn’t be the same without her doing her mystical peace-love-and-light thing.”

  “No, it wouldn’t, and it wouldn’t be a good thing for us either. She’s one of my biggest clients. She’s a magician when it comes to moving product.” Rob stretched his arms over his head. “Okay, babe. Let’s round everyone up and say our goodbyes.”

  It took them another half an hour to leave the grounds of the Creekside Bed and Breakfast, due to a very tipsy Mary-Leland’s effusive thanks for Tally’s referral for the lemonade house, as well as having to say goodbye to the various Harpers and their relatives.

  “Let’s make a run for it,” Rob said after turning down a second round of “one last drink” from Cal and Kat.

  “That’s a deal.” Tally grabbed his ass and kissed him hard. “Come on, Lily, let’s race Daddy to the truck,” she said, then she took off. Rob, whose legs were much longer, caught up with them in a few strides. He caught Tally around the waist and hoisted Lily onto his hip, and they made their way to the truck, all of them roaring with laughter.