up. Silly, since there was nothing going on between Hunter and me, but still.
“You said brothers. How many do you have?” I asked.
“Three. And a sister.”
“Damn. Midwesterners like to breed, huh?”
Hunter choked on his coffee, and when he looked my way, I gave him a mischievous grin.
We talked about his siblings…the fact that I was an only child…my grandparents’ ice cream shop where I’d spent my summers and developed “mad ice creamery skills,” as he called them, and before I knew it, three hours had flown by and we were passing the city of Palm Desert.
“Are you sure you’re going the right way?” I asked as he continued driving farther to what looked like a whole lot of Boonyville to me. We were surrounded by…well, nothing. We seemed to be going in the opposite direction of town.
“Patience is a virtue,” he said, easing the car onto a dirt road that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere.
I turned my body so that I was leaning against the door. “You’re taking me somewhere to chop me into tiny pieces, aren’t you?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Hunter said, keeping a straight face.
“You could’ve at least let me pick out my best dress for the occasion.”
“You look grea—” He caught himself and shrugged. “You’ll do.”
Was he about to say that I looked great? Whoa. That shouldn’t have made me bite down on my lip to keep from smiling, but I did. Dammit.
Hunter turned left again, and as we drove up the dusty trail, the Garden of Eden came into view. At least that was what it looked like to me.
“Are you serious?” I said, scooting to the edge of my seat, my mouth falling open. “Is this where we’re going?”
“This is your final resting place, yes.”
“Wow.”
It was like a tropical rainforest had been dropped in the middle of the desert. Palm trees stood at attention overlooking the lush greenery surrounding the adobe property. Flowers of every color lined the pathway, as did the elaborate fountain and the antique swing off to the side in the middle of the garden. The mixture of new and old shouldn’t have made sense, but somehow it worked.
Yeah. This was so up my alley.
When we got out of the car, a robust man in a Hawaiian shirt was coming down the front steps to greet us. His jet-black hair trailed down his back, glistening in the sun. It was enough to bring on a serious case of hair lust.
“About time you came back around,” he said to Hunter, pulling him in for a hug and clapping him on the back. “Been too long. Molly was beginning to think you were never coming back.”
“Molly? Forgetting your girlfriends already?” I asked Hunter.
As if on cue, a giant Great Dane loped down the stairs and made a beeline for Hunter, jumping on him so its paws were on his chest. Hunter laughed as his face was smothered in wet kisses. “I missed you too, girl.”
“Molly, get down,” the man said, before shaking his head. He gave me an apologetic smile. “Mitch,” he said, shaking my hand. “You must be Ryleigh. Hunter tells me you’ve got a great little ice creamery in the city.”
“Nice to meet you. And thank you. I’m a little biased, but I think it’s pretty nice.”
“Well, come on in, I know it’s a long drive—Molly, leave him alone.” When the dog dropped down on all fours, Mitch shook his head at Hunter. “What’d you do, bathe in Eau de Ribeye before you came?”
“He seems to have that effect on women,” I said.
“All women?” Hunter asked me, wiping his face off with his shirt. I tried to resist the temptation to look at his chiseled abs, but I failed. And I couldn’t even be upset about that, because wow.
Jerking my face away before he could catch me looking, I shrugged and said, “The desperate ones,” before following Mitch into the building, leaving Hunter to trail behind me.
If I’d thought the outside was gorgeous, the inside was mind-blowing. It was one big
“You said brothers. How many do you have?” I asked.
“Three. And a sister.”
“Damn. Midwesterners like to breed, huh?”
Hunter choked on his coffee, and when he looked my way, I gave him a mischievous grin.
We talked about his siblings…the fact that I was an only child…my grandparents’ ice cream shop where I’d spent my summers and developed “mad ice creamery skills,” as he called them, and before I knew it, three hours had flown by and we were passing the city of Palm Desert.
“Are you sure you’re going the right way?” I asked as he continued driving farther to what looked like a whole lot of Boonyville to me. We were surrounded by…well, nothing. We seemed to be going in the opposite direction of town.
“Patience is a virtue,” he said, easing the car onto a dirt road that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere.
I turned my body so that I was leaning against the door. “You’re taking me somewhere to chop me into tiny pieces, aren’t you?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Hunter said, keeping a straight face.
“You could’ve at least let me pick out my best dress for the occasion.”
“You look grea—” He caught himself and shrugged. “You’ll do.”
Was he about to say that I looked great? Whoa. That shouldn’t have made me bite down on my lip to keep from smiling, but I did. Dammit.
Hunter turned left again, and as we drove up the dusty trail, the Garden of Eden came into view. At least that was what it looked like to me.
“Are you serious?” I said, scooting to the edge of my seat, my mouth falling open. “Is this where we’re going?”
“This is your final resting place, yes.”
“Wow.”
It was like a tropical rainforest had been dropped in the middle of the desert. Palm trees stood at attention overlooking the lush greenery surrounding the adobe property. Flowers of every color lined the pathway, as did the elaborate fountain and the antique swing off to the side in the middle of the garden. The mixture of new and old shouldn’t have made sense, but somehow it worked.
Yeah. This was so up my alley.
When we got out of the car, a robust man in a Hawaiian shirt was coming down the front steps to greet us. His jet-black hair trailed down his back, glistening in the sun. It was enough to bring on a serious case of hair lust.
“About time you came back around,” he said to Hunter, pulling him in for a hug and clapping him on the back. “Been too long. Molly was beginning to think you were never coming back.”
“Molly? Forgetting your girlfriends already?” I asked Hunter.
As if on cue, a giant Great Dane loped down the stairs and made a beeline for Hunter, jumping on him so its paws were on his chest. Hunter laughed as his face was smothered in wet kisses. “I missed you too, girl.”
“Molly, get down,” the man said, before shaking his head. He gave me an apologetic smile. “Mitch,” he said, shaking my hand. “You must be Ryleigh. Hunter tells me you’ve got a great little ice creamery in the city.”
“Nice to meet you. And thank you. I’m a little biased, but I think it’s pretty nice.”
“Well, come on in, I know it’s a long drive—Molly, leave him alone.” When the dog dropped down on all fours, Mitch shook his head at Hunter. “What’d you do, bathe in Eau de Ribeye before you came?”
“He seems to have that effect on women,” I said.
“All women?” Hunter asked me, wiping his face off with his shirt. I tried to resist the temptation to look at his chiseled abs, but I failed. And I couldn’t even be upset about that, because wow.
Jerking my face away before he could catch me looking, I shrugged and said, “The desperate ones,” before following Mitch into the building, leaving Hunter to trail behind me.
If I’d thought the outside was gorgeous, the inside was mind-blowing. It was one big
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