“Please, don’t worry about those. I’ll get them.”
She glanced up at him and smiled. “It’s no problem.”
He walked over and stood next to her, shaking his head. “No, really. Let me put these into the dishwasher while you take care of Rosie.”
It was earlier than Rosie normally went to bed, but her daughter was already yawning, tucking Bubbie under her chin. “I’ll go put her to bed.” He simply nodded, so she reached her hand out, her heart warming as it always did when Rosie looked up with a big smile. “Hey, sweetie, can you say goodnight to our new friend?”
Rosie pressed in close to her leg but peered up at Liam. Ducking her face, she said, “Night.”
His lips curved, and Amy once again was struck with how handsome he was.
“Good night, Miss Rosie.”
It took a few minutes to make it upstairs while Rosie insisted on holding onto the banister, hopping up each step. Once inside the guest room, she looked at the bed. She hoped Liam didn’t mind as she turned the upholstered chair around and pressed its back to the side of the bed, creating a barrier to keep Rosie from rolling out of bed. With pillows on the other side, she was certain Rosie had a comfortable place to sleep safely. After she helped her brush her teeth and go to the bathroom, she settled Rosie into bed and climbed in with her. She only needed to sing lullabies for a moment before Rosie’s breath deepened, and her daughter was fast asleep.
Sliding out, she stepped to the window, unable to see through the dark, and barely hearing the howling winds outside. It was obvious Liam’s house was strong and well built, and a sense of complete safety moved through her. Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly, peace filling her. As she walked back downstairs, it struck her that she hadn’t felt peace in a long time. And it was found in a stranger’s home in the middle of a raging hurricane.
6
Liam turned over what little he knew about Amy in his mind. Met Tori years ago but they’d lost touch. A widow. Was that the ‘difficulties’ she’d mentioned? A child. Another one on the way.
When she’d gone upstairs with Rosie, he assumed she’d gone to bed as well. He’d run the rental tags from her vehicle but that gave him no information about the woman spending the night in his house; probably not the smartest move for a Sheriff to make. But in the middle of a hurricane, what the hell else was I going to do?
Her purse was still on the kitchen counter where she’d set it when she came in. He walked over and looked down at the blue canvas, knowing her wallet and driver’s license would be inside. A quick look… a call to the station… a chance to find out where she’s from and if she’s wanted. But he didn’t move. It was one thing to think like a Sheriff, and no doubt he should have done that when they were both in the car, but he’d invited her here for safety. It was a line he wasn’t going to cross unless she gave him reason to.
Turning away from the counter, he was startled to see her standing between the dining room and kitchen, her large, blue-eyed gaze pinned on him. She was still in the black pants that did nothing to hide her toned legs. Her shirt was large, hanging below her waist, loose enough to not stretch tightly over her stomach. Her thick, blonde hair was piled on top of her head and held in place with a clip, tendrils curling around her face. Barefoot, she was short, coming only to his chin.
Without speaking, she walked forward and stopped at the kitchen counter. Reaching inside her purse, she pulled out her wallet then dug inside for her license. Handing it to him, she said, “You can check up on me.”
“Amy, I—”
“No, really, Liam. Please. You let me check you out by calling Tori. You need to know who you have staying in your house. I’m Amy Carruthers. Twenty-eight years old. I’ve been living in Ohio since I graduated from college. I went to college here in Virginia on a scholarship but am originally from Canton. My record is clean; no arrests, and believe it or not, no speeding tickets. I suppose if they gave out tickets for stupidly traveling in a hurricane, then you’d be giving me my first one.”
He looked down at the license in her hand and shook his head, but she pushed it forward.
“Liam, it’s not about trust. We just met, so there’s no trust-breaking going on here. I’d feel so much better if you checked me out.”
He held her gaze but only saw earnest pleading in her eyes. Nodding, he took the license in his hand and called dispatch. Reading off the name and number, he listened for a moment, his chin down to his chest, staring at his boots while he heard everything she’d had just told him. Right down to the no speeding tickets.
Disconnecting, he held her license out, her fingers grazing his as she took it back. “Your hands are cold.”
“I’m fine,” she said, replacing her wallet. “It’s not your house that’s too cold. It’s just me. I’ve always had cold hands.”
“I thought maybe you had gone to bed with Rosie.”
She shook her head. “No, I have too much nervous energy from the storm, I suppose.”
“How about some hot cocoa? My mom always said it helped her sleep, and I’ve always found her recipe to work for me.”
She smiled, her face relaxing. “Sounds good.”
He heated the milk and slowly stirred in the cocoa and sugar. Once mixed, he carried both mugs into the living room, nodding toward the coffee table. “Can you grab two coasters from the drawer?”
Amy smiled again, finding the coasters and placing them onto the table. He set the mugs down and waited to see where she preferred to sit. She took the comfortable chair, so he sat across from her on the sofa.
They sipped for a few minutes, the sound of the storm outside whistling as it went around the corner of the porch.
“Your house is amazingly quiet. I couldn’t help but notice when I was upstairs that the storm noise was not scary.”
Looking up, he cocked his head to the side as though listening. Nodding, he set his mug onto the coaster. “I bought this house from a couple who was having it custom built. They wanted the best of everything, all kinds of upgrades, and then just before it was complete, he got transferred. They had to sell quickly, so while it was an investment for me, I still got a good deal.” He nodded toward the windows. “They have hurricane shutters on the outside. It protects the glass, keeps leaks from happening, and definitely cuts down on the sound.”
She laughed, looking over toward the dark window. “Oh, now I feel dumb. I looked outside the bedroom window and just thought it was dark. It didn’t dawn on me that rain wasn’t hitting the glass.”
“Well, it is dark outside…” He smiled, enjoying her mirth. She appeared completely comfortable as she sat cross-legged in the wide chair. Her hair was now dry, but wavy tendrils framed her face. Her blue eyes were just as impressive as the first time he glimpsed at them staring up at him through her vehicle window.
Her gaze shifted around the room. “Your house really is beautiful.”
“Thank you. I like it. I find that after the chaos of my job and family sometimes, it’s nice to come home to this.”
“You were talking to your mom earlier? I take it that she’s in the area?”