But that didn’t matter. She was going to simply take each day at a time and enjoy their time together.

Putting her hand over his, she pressed his palm to her face. “Time to leave?”

“Fog’s cleared enough.” His thumb stroked her chin gently.

“Then we better get moving.” She had a son to get home to.

Chapter Twenty-Five

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. ~ Wayne Gretzky

Hawk had spent the day flying a batch of tourists up to a mountain lake, then dropping off supplies for some isolated cabins.

Back home, as he’d gotten his supper, he noticed the bacon in the meat drawer. Not unusual. In his mind, bacon was a staple. But it reminded him that Aric had asked what a BLT was. That seemed like a serious lack in the kid’s education.

So, after eating, he’d headed into the greenhouse to pick tomatoes. He breathed in the air, filled with the scents of tomato plants, peppers, and moist, rich soil. Although there were more tomato plants in the garden, they always had some heirloom varieties in here that would mature early and would often produce for a while after the first freeze.

He’d picked a few perfectly ripe ones when the door swung open.

Kit squeaked in surprise. “Sorry, I didn’t know anyone was in here.” She was clad in jeans and a “Weed ’em & Reap” T-shirt that Audrey had bought her. No makeup, long hair pulled back into a tail…and she looked fantastic.

It’d been three days since their unexpected overnight in the mountain. When they returned the next morning, Aric had been frantic and spent the day hanging on to one of them. He’d even shown up in Hawk’s bedroom that night. When Hawk carried him up to Kit’s bedroom, it’d been fucking difficult to leave. “Aric okay?”

“He’s back to normal and sleeping like a rock.”

Hawk nodded.

Kneeling by the salad greens she’d planted in July, she started thinning the beets. “Sorry, little guys, but your friends need more room.”

Was she apologizing to the plants? Tenderhearted woman. “It’s good you’re here.” When she looked up, he motioned to the fall and winter plantings. “Seems no one remembered until too late last year.”

He hadn’t been around last summer, and he regretted it. He’d hung onto his resentment at Gabe far too fucking long.

Kit set a batch of tiny beet leaves in her basket. “Greenhouses are great, but what do you do when the sun pretty much doesn’t bother to rise in midwinter?”

“Use grow lights in our houses. If it’s too cold, the greenhouse isn’t worth the energy to heat.” Solar energy only went so far when there was too little daylight.

Mako’s house also had grow lights, but would she still be here then?

The thought of her leaving was like getting gutted.