A laugh slipped through Natalia’s parted lips. “You want me to cook for you?” Seth nodded. “How do you know if I can put together a palatable meal?”
His eyebrows lifted a fraction. “You didn’t buy all of this fresh food just to look at it. Otherwise you would’ve selected prepackaged meals.”
“What about your wife or your girlfriend, Seth? Do they cook for you?”
“No, because I don’t have a wife or a girlfriend. My cooking skills are passable, and when I don’t cook for myself, then I’ll occasionally eat at Ruthie’s or the Wolf Den. I’m certain you passed Ruthie’s on your way to the supermarket, while the Wolf Den is a sports bar located between here and Mineral Springs.”
Natalia began emptying the bag with milk, butter, eggs, and yogurt and cheese. She could not begin to imagine why a man who looked like Seth wasn’t married or involved with a woman.
“What exactly do you do when you’re not on vacation?”
“I’m a deputy.”
She blinked slowly. “You’re a US deputy marshal?”
“No. I’m Wickham Falls’ deputy sheriff. And what brings you to The Falls?”
Natalia opened the French door refrigerator and then moved several open boxes of baking soda to the back before she stored the perishables on shelves and in drawers. “I’m here to assist Dr. Franklin.”
Seth applauded. “Well, it’s about time he hired someone to help him out. Folks have been known to spend hours in his office waiting for him to see them just for a follow-up visit.”
“That’s because he’s very thorough,” Natalia said in defense of her new boss. She’d watched him examine one of his patients who had come in complaining of back pain.
“Thorough and very, very slow,” Seth countered. “When do you want to start painting?” he asked.
“Today,” she confirmed.
“If we work together I’m certain we can finish today.”
Natalia wanted to tell Seth that she still had to unpack boxes, but didn’t want to appear ungrateful. “If I’m going to spend the entire afternoon painting, then I can’t cook for you.”
“That’s not a problem. I’ll take you to the Wolf Den tonight and you can cook for me tomorrow.”
Natalia did not want to believe her neighbor had mentioned taking her out to eat as if it was something they’d done before. And she hoped he didn’t think of it as a date, because she wasn’t ready to date any man, even one as attractive as her next-door neighbor. “You’re really on this kick for me to cook for you.”
“I told you it’s been a while since I’ve had a decent home-cooked meal.”
Despite his obvious arrogance, Natalia did not want to believe she had hit the jackpot when it came to a neighbor. Not only was he tall, dark, and deliciously handsome, but he was also willing to donate his time to help her paint. “Do you usually moonlight as a painter in your spare time?”
Throwing back his head, Seth laughed loudly. “Not quite. My dad was a local handyman.” He held up his left hand when Natalia opened her mouth. “Don’t say it,” he warned softly.
“Don’t say what?” she said, as she struggled not to smile.
“You were going to mention my hitting my hand instead of the nail.”
“That’s called an accident,” she said, rather than tease him about his mishap with the hammer. “Give me about twenty minutes to put everything away and for me to change my clothes, and then we can begin painting. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you.”
Her eyes met Seth’s. The magnetism coming off him in waves held her captive until Natalia dropped her gaze. She could feel pinpoints of heat stinging her face and she was grateful for her darker complexion to conceal what would’ve been an obvious blush. And she also prayed he hadn’t caught her staring at him like a starstruck groupie coming face-to-face with her idol.
Seth gave her a mock salute. “I’ll see you later.”
Natalia exhaled an audible breath of relief when Seth walked out of the kitchen. She had relocated to Wickham Falls to become a small-town doctor, and had no intention of falling under the spell of her sexy neighbor.
Don’t miss
The Sheriff of Wickham Falls by Rochelle Alers,
available September 2018 wherever
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Copyright © 2018 by Rochelle Alers
ISBN-13: 9781488036910
Long Time Coming
Copyright © 2008 by Rochelle Alers
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