Bucked (The Invincibles 6)

“Can’t say that I have eith

er. Not up close like that.”

“It would’ve made for a better story if it had happened the last time we were here.”

I cocked my head.

“It’s when we first said I love you. You know, struck by lightning and all that.”

“You can write the story any way you want, Stella. I’ll back you up with the fact-checkers.” I opened the door and motioned for her to go ahead of me.

I’d left the window coverings open the last time we were here, but with the storm, it was still almost dark as night inside. “Let’s see if we can find some candles.”

Stella and I looked in all the kitchen drawers but didn’t find any.

“I think I remember seeing candlesticks in the dining room,” she said, pulling me with her. “Got a match?”

I laughed. “Sure don’t.”

“Check by the fireplace.”

“Did they have matches back then?”

Stella rolled her eyes. “Matches have been around since the mid-eighteen-hundreds, Buck.” She said it as though it were common knowledge, making me chuckle.

I found a box on the mantle and handed them to her. “I’d light a fire, but I have no idea what kind of shape the chimney is in.”

“That’s okay. Candlelight is nice. By the way, why are we here?”

I’d come to see if the house had sustained any damage, but now that we were here, I had an entirely different reason. “What would you think about living here someday?”

“Here, as in this house?”

I nodded.

“Um, wow.”

“Never mind, forget I said anything.” I was about to blow out the candles so we could leave when I saw a tear run down Stella’s cheek. She wrapped one arm around my neck and put her opposite hand on my chest. “I’d move in tomorrow if we could.”

I gazed into her eyes, looking for any sign that she was teasing me and saw none.

“When you first brought me here, we hadn’t even walked in the front door and I felt a warmth descend on my whole body. I told you then I felt like I’d been here before.”

“I remember.”

“Maybe the house was welcoming me home.”

“It’ll take some work to make it move-in ready.”

“Do you mean like putting in a sink with a faucet?”

“That would be a good start.”

Before long, the sky lightened and the sun shone through the clouds. Stella and I spent the next couple of hours uncovering the treasures buried under sheets that had been used to protect things like sofas and beds.

“You sure wouldn’t rather live in a newly renovated cabin?” I asked when all the dust sent her into a sneezing fit.

“I love this so much more,” she beamed.