“Everyone?” Sherry shot a glare in the direction Shannon had disappeared.
Melony just smiled at Sherry’s upturned brow, deciding it would be better to leave this conversation alone for now.
“There you are.” Piers came up behind Sherry and pulled her up gently.
The man was huge, and dwarfed the redhead by at least a foot, but Sherry didn’t appear intimidated in the least. She turned and hugged Piers before standing on tiptoe and kissing his chin. He smiled and rested a hand on her swollen belly. The intimacy made Melony blush just as Rose and Knox’s embrace had earlier. Good God, the heat the couples gave off around here was near sinful.
Fighting the urge to fan her hot cheeks, Melony yawned, and stretched her back instead. The last few days—the last few months—had been stressful, and exhaustion crept into her muscles and bones. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand to stifle another yawn.
“Sorry. I think I’m going to turn in now.” Melony stood.
Sherry turned back and tapped Lorent on the shoulder. “Lorent will see you home safely. Won’t you?”
He nodded and stood. Melony thought he looked as if he’d probably rather chew his own arm off than walk her home at the moment.
“I can make it back on my own.” Melony tried to move away, but Sherry interrupted her progress.
“It’s your first night here, and it’s really dark. Let him walk with you.”
Sherry smiled. “It was nice to talk with you, Melony.”
“You too, Sherry.” Melony told Sherry and Piers good night before stopping to tell Knox and Rose good night as well. She waved at the other couples before starting home with Lorent by her side.
Chapter Four
Melony glanced surreptitiously at Lorent as they walked along the darkened path to her cabin. She wasn’t normally a person who was bashful, usually dove right into conversation, but for some reason, with him she lacked her normal confidence. It wasn’t that he frightened or intimidated her, but he had an unapproachable, hands-off air about him that made her nervous.
She felt as if she were walking on the proverbial eggshells around him. As ridiculous as it may be to think that about a man who stood well over six feet and could turn into a predatory animal at any moment, her instincts told her that he was one who could be hurt easily. And for some unexplainable reason, she wanted him to trust her.
“Do you like Sanctuary?” She figured that was an unobtrusive, innocent enough question.
“Yes.” Lorent’s voice was quiet, hesitant, as if he didn’t want to answer even that simple inquiry.
She sighed and wondered how long it would take until he’d loosen up around her. Then another thought occurred to her. Knox and Rose knew her fairly well at this point, knew she was an outgoing, talkative, initiative person.
Maybe they’d paired her up with Lorent, made him her instructor not just for her benefit, but for his as well. Yes, he could teach her everything she needed to know, but maybe she had something to teach him too.
A smile tugged at her lips. If that were the case, she’d do her job well. “I bet the gathering for Thanksgiving here is phenomenal.”
“In what way?” He glanced at her and kept walking.
“I meant, I assume that it is a fairly big gathering. My family has always been on the small side, and for the last few years before my mom died, it was just her and me at Thanksgiving dinner. It will be nice to be around so many people this year for the holidays. They tend to get a bit lonely, seem somewhat pointless when you have to spend them alone.”
She didn’t miss the way his dark brows drew down as he mulled over what she’d said. He wasn’t forthcoming with words, but his expression gave away his deep thoughts. She wondered what it would be like to kiss away his frown lines, to replace them with happiness.
Whoa! Slow down there. A little quick to be thinking of things like that, don’t ya think, Melony?
“It’s got to be magical to share it with so many people who care about you, who you care about.” Melony prodded just a little, as she was pretty sure if she pushed too hard, he’d shut down completely.
“Yes, I suppose so.” His quiet response hinted at regret.
She worried her bottom lip, a habit she’d tried many times to quell, but had finally given up after several attempts to do so had ended in failure. She imagined that his life as a rogue hadn’t been easy, and wondered at the things he may have witnessed, the things he might have done. That last thought gave her pause. She looked at his hands, barely visible from the moonlight shining through the thick treetops. Was he capable of harming others for the sheer pleasure of it? Had he hurt others for amusement? A shiver slid down her spine, but a nagging voice in the back of her mind was adamant that he wouldn’t do such a thing.
Then again, she did like to believe only good things about others. She barely kept a snort from escaping. Maybe she was being a naive fool, but the one thing she could count on was Knox and Rose. They’d never let her near, much less be alone with, Lorent if he was a danger to her. No. He was a man who’d been led down the wrong road in life, probably born into unfortunate circumstances. He had proven by coming to Sanctuary that he wanted to change, that he knew what he’d represented as a rogue had been wrong. He’d made bad choices, and he deserved a second chance.
As her cabin came into view, she turned to him. “Thank you for walking me home.”
He shook his head. “I will see you all the way to your door.”
“Okay.” Well, he had the honorable thing going for him.
A couple dozen more steps and they were at her front door. She turned to him again, and he’d already started away from her.
“Lorent?” She waited for him to turn back to her before continuing.
“Would you mind stopping by here tomorrow afternoon so I can walk with you to the Learning Center? I don’t know where it is.”
He nodded. “I’ll be here at one.”
“Thank you.” She watched until he disappeared into the darkened tree line, then peered up at the sky.
The moon hung low and peeked through the thick boughs of the evergreens. Its glimmering, silvery light danced between the branches as they blew in the soft breeze. She shivered. Skirts were not going to be an option for much longer, and she was surprised she’d been able to get away with it tonight after hearing the stories Knox and Rose weaved about the dreadful winters in Michigan.
The breeze picked up, and she wondered if Mother Nature had gotten sidetracked, forgotten it was winter, and was now preparing to remedy the situation with a vengeance. She really didn’t mind the snow—when she was sitting inside a cozy, warm room, sipping hot chocolate, and admiring it from a well-insulated window. However, she would make an effort to embrace it, give it a chance since this would be her life from now until the foreseeable future.
She made her way inside, closed the door, and went to let Puss out of the bedroom. She reached down and picked up the fluffy ball of fur. Puss cuddled close to her chest and started purring.
“Aw, you missed me, huh?”
She stroked the cat on the head and carried her to the kitchen before setting her down. She got a bowl from the cabinet, filled it with water, and put it on the floor for Puss. After rummaging in the fridge—which was stocked surprisingly well—she got out the fixings for a ham sandwich. She found plates in the cabinet and slathered mustard on some wheat bread before piling on the ham, cheese, and lettuce. Once she put everything up and poured a glass of milk, she sat at the small pecan-colored table and began to eat.
Puss sat and watched her, licking her lips every time Melony took a bite.