Tumble Creek (37 page)

And now their home was ready for Christmas and their house-warming get-together all in one.

Sofie snuggled into Brock's side, his arm around her tucking her in as she admired their first Christmas tree twinkling with hundreds of pretty lights and colourful baubles.

‘You like it?' Brock asked then kissed her temple.

‘It's perfect,' she smiled, turned and caught his mouth with hers.

‘Want me to get more lights?' Eyes twinkling with mischief, body shaking with silent laughter, he added, ‘Bear in mind that if I do, your tree may go up in flames, which means Bruce will turn up with his team and they'll have one freaking big hose. They'll aim and ask questions later.'

Sofie giggled. ‘I'm ecstatic about all the decorations. You're not allowed to touch any of it, because it's perfect. And anyway, the shops are shut, thank goodness.'

While Brock had handled the decorations, Sofie had wrapped all the Christmas presents and arranged them under the tree. She'd set up their new refectory table that seated ten. A centrepiece with sprays of pine, red baubles and candles was a house-warming gift from the Tumble Creek police department. Crystal glasses and silver cutlery sparkled. White dinnerware gleamed, setting off the red serviettes beautifully.

Perfect.

Sofie had planned it carefully so no one would miss out on spending some time together when they had commitments of their own.

So it was to be a pancake breakfast with toppings to suit everyone, savoury, crispy bacon and cheeses, or sweet berries with sauces and cream. She had serviette rings made by a local silversmith with everyone's name on them. Aside from the three of them, there were Jennifer, heavily pregnant, Calum and Michelle, Doreen and Walter, and Susanna and Rafael.

Everyone was seated. Sofie put two plates, piled with pancakes, down on the table. She stood back and stepped straight into Brock's front. Immediately his arms went around her waist, encompassing her.

She felt safe. Wanted. Loved.

They stood back and listened to their family's chatter, laughter and sharing lame jokes out of Christmas crackers.

Brock dipped his head, his chin tickled her neck, and his mouth sent goosebumps down her body, making her giggle and shiver. Wonderful!

‘What we need, Babe, is our own.'

Sofie's heart fluttered. She turned in his arms and facing him, she asked. ‘Are you saying what I think you're saying?'

He cocked an eyebrow. ‘I don't know, what do you think I'm saying?'

‘Not sure, but we could go around in circles for hours.' Eyes sharp she studied him as he softly rubbed the spot above the bridge of her nose with his thumb. ‘Hmm … I get it. You missed out on putty poop, vomit, teething and tantrums, and you desperately want to give that a try because, well, you know, your exciting life just hasn't even come close to rearing a baby into a well-adjusted perfect adult?'

His eyes were laughing, while the rest of him remained still. She hadn't witnessed that before.

‘You're serious, aren't you?'

‘Deadly.' He tucked her in, pressing her close, and slowly brought his head down, watching her all the while until his mouth touched hers, then he went in for the killer kiss. Hot, wet, heavy, and very deep.

Hands in his hair, Sofie's knees buckled, and Brock caught her up.

Voices all around them sang out, ‘Get a room!'

Then Claudia yelled, ‘Oh, forget about them, they do this all the time.'

Thanks for reading
Tumble Creek
. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you'd like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage
www.louiseforster.com
follow me on Twitter
@LouiseLucern2
, or like my Facebook page
www.facebook.com/pages/Louise-Forster

You can also follow me through my publisher's page here
www.escapepublishing.com.au

Reviews can help readers find books, and I am grateful for all honest reviews. Thank you for taking the time to let others know what you've read, and what you thought.

You've just read a book in my Tumble Creek series. The other book in this series is
Home Truths
. If you liked this book, here are my other books:
Finding Elizabeth
,
I've Got You
and
Home Truths
.

This book was published by Escape Publishing. If you'd like to sample some more great books from my fellow Escape Artists, please turn the page.

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