Her Gentle Giant: No Regrets by Heather Rainier Page A

princess, and I love you. Do you need for us to come home?”
    “No. I think everything is going to be all right.”
    “All right, then we should be home on Wednesday night. Were you able to get much out of your apartment before you left?”
    “I threw a bunch of things in garbage bags, plus my box of important papers. But, Dad, my hope chest and Grandma’s tablecloth were in my bedroom.”
    “Will they let you go back to salvage?”
    “I don’t know.”

    “Have Eli check with the fire department. They’re probably investigating the fire right now, but they may let you go in unless the structure is unstable. I’ll look into it, too, when we get back.”
    “All right. I love you, Dad. Can I talk to Mom?”
    “Love you, too. Here she is.”
    Her mom’s dulcet voice came on the line. “Hi, baby. You okay?”
    “I’m okay. I haven’t slept much, but otherwise I’m fine.”

    44

    “So…you’re staying with Eli Wolf?” Rachel smiled at the happy curiosity in her mother’s tone.
    “Yes, Mom. Temporarily. He said not to worry. He’d watch out for me and keep me safe.”
    “You have feelings for him, don’t you?”
    “Yes, Mom, I do. I fought them for a while because of his line of work.
    But he’s kind to me and thoughtful. He was there for me last night when everything went up in flames, and he slept on the couch last night and let me have his bed. He says I’m perfect, Mom. How can I fight that?” she asked as she fought the lump in her throat.
    Her mom’s voice cut to a conspiratorial whisper. “I say why try? It sounds to me like he may be in love with you. You sound like you’re in love.
    Don’t tell your father I told you, but he said he approved of Eli. He thinks he needs a haircut, but otherwise he seems to have a made a good impression on your father. Long hair, huh?”
    “Trust me, Mom, his hair is perfect the way it is. Thank you for telling me that. It’ll be our little secret. The other half of his duplex is open, and I’m going to see about leasing it today.”
    “That’s good. You know you’ll be safe with him nearby. If you need any furniture once you get settled, you can always come see what’s in the storage barn.”
    After she ended the call, she placed a refill order on her pharmacy’s automated refill line. She’d just finished when Eli came out of the bathroom with a bath towel wrapped around his hips. The towel didn’t leave any doubt as to whether or not the shower had alleviated his arousal. It hadn’t.
    “Sorry, baby. I forgot to take clothes in the bathroom with me.”
    “And you’re used to walkin’ around nekkid, aren’t you?” She giggled.
    He peered out of the closet at her, wry humor on his face and in his voice as he replied, “As a matter of fact, yes, I do walk around naked after a shower. Though I’m not usually in the condition I currently am when I do.”
    “Which would be?” she asked, giggling some more.
    Emerging from the closet with a fresh pair of jeans on, he answered,
    “Hard, achy, and a little needy.” He sat on the edge of the bed, putting a pair of socks on and then his boots.
    “I have a game plan,” she said as she propped herself up with pillows.
    “Whatever it is, I’m at your disposal.”

    ,
    45
    “I’ll get ready, and we can eat an early breakfast. I need to call Mr.
    Gran and tell him what happened and take the day off. Then I need to run to the Wal-Mart on the Interstate. I need to get some clothing and other stuff.
    We can come back to the pharmacy for my pills and the lubricant. We’ll call your landlord while we’re on the road, and Dad asked if you would call the fire department about the possibility of checking for things that might be salvageable. Once we’ve done all of that we’d have the day to ourselves.
    Then maybe I could tend to your neediness .” She said the last part to him softly as she sat up in his bed and tucked the top sheet under her arms.
    He smiled cautiously at her. “You know,