Chapter 2

As the weeks went by, Diane and Rachel settled in. Diane and I talked and after being assured that she was welcome, she decided to continue living in my house. Things were going well for Rachel too. She made several friends in her class and enjoyed living with me too. We got along famously and she loved exploring the woods around my house with me. Diane got a job waiting tables at the Circle L. She worked during the day while Rachel was in school. After school, the bus would drop Rachel off at the restaurant since we didn't want Rachel to be alone.

I began sleeping in my bedroom upstairs again after a week or so after they moved in. Their stuff from Memphis arrived soon after. It took some adjustment for me to get used to the two females living in my house. I still went hunting and fishing but I didn't stay out with the boys as much as I used to. I thought it may have been my imagination but it seemed that Diane was starting to show more affection towards me. I still got my good night kiss on the cheek but it seemed to last longer. In addition, I got hugs occasionally too. Diane finished with her counseling and seemed to put her past behind her.

One night in mid-December, I got a call at home. Apparently, some old boys in the mountains were making moonshine. While I didn't like them making shine, as long as they did not get violent, we just destroyed the stills and issued them tickets for disturbing the peace. They were no parking tickets either since the court costs added up to several hundred dollars.

That particular night, the boys had been sampling some of their own product and when Jack and another deputy went up there to break up the stills, they were met with gunfire. That was something I would not tolerate - even if they were drunk. Jack called me at home from another house up there. Diane overheard the conversation and seemed to be worried. I told her it was nothing to worry about. It happened every once in a while and seldom did anyone get hurt.

I joined my deputies up there with the police from Sparta. After some gunfire was exchanged, they surrendered and we took them into custody. It was par for the course. They didn't come close to hitting us because they did not intend to hit us. We weren't aiming at them either so no one got hurt. They just wanted to save face with their neighbors and friends so it didn't look like they went down without a fight.

Word travels fast on the grapevine and sometimes the information is mixed up. Apparently, someone said that someone was shot. I arrived home a couple of hours after we took the boys into custody. I opened the door and as soon as I stepped inside, Diane threw herself at me and gave me a great big hug. Her head was on my shoulder and she was crying.

Through her tears, she told me that she heard someone get shot and she thought it was me. I put my arms around her and comforted her. I told her not to listen to the grapevine and that no one was shot. She was relieved and excitedly began kissing my cheek. Then she kissed me on the lips. There was no tongue involved but it was a deep and sensual kiss.

I'm only human and I returned her kiss as I continued to hold her. Of course, I wanted to do more but if she wanted to be more than friends, she was going to have to take the lead. She broke the kiss and I thought she might have been blushing. Somewhat embarrassed, she told me that she was glad I was all right and told me good night.

I was excited but wary. It was obvious she was developing feelings for me but she was embarrassed that she kissed me like that. We definitely were going to have to talk. I was aroused by our kiss but I was too tired to do anything about it.

We both had to work early the next morning. Since it was Saturday, Rachel didn't have to go to school. Since our hours were about the same, we drove in one car and dropped Rachel off at a friend's house to play. After that, we didn't say much to each other. We usually were chatty with each other but the tension was thick. I could tell Diane was still feeling weird about the kiss.

When I dropped her off at the Circle L, I felt I should be the one to bring up the subject. "Diane, I don't like these uncomfortable silences. I think I know what's bothering you. You're embarrassed that we kissed last night, aren't you?" She said she was and I continued, "There's nothing wrong with that. We're friends and you were worried I had been hurt. You were so overcome with emotion when you found out I was all right that you expressed it by kissing me. Is that right?"

Diane said, "Kind of."

I said, "What do you mean, 'kind of?'"

She said, "I was worried I might have lost you, Pete." She sighed and looked flustered. I knew she was trying to tell me something but she was having trouble getting the words to come out. Finally, she screwed up her courage and said, "I really like you, Pete, and I think it's as more than a friend. You have been wonderful to Rachel and me these past few months and I've enjoyed being with you. I can't remember being happier. There, I've said it."

I smiled and took her face in my hand, "Diane, I think I'm in love with you. I think I have been from the first moment I laid eyes on you."

Diane interrupted, "You mean in the car?"

I nodded. "I don't know why or how but I love you." She looked at me funny and I said, "Let me rephrase that. I think it was love at first sight and I think I'm even more in love with you now than I was then. I wasn't sure how you felt until now. You are a strong, beautiful woman and are wonderful to be around. Plus, I think you're sexy as hell."

Diane giggled, "You're pretty sexy yourself, Pete. I think I'm in love with you too. You're a wonderful man and I..." I interrupted her with a kiss and this time our tongues met. We kissed for several minutes then I reluctantly broke the kiss.

"That was incredible, Diane. I'd love nothing more than to kiss you some more but we have to get to work. I'll pick you up after work and we'll talk some more."

Diane said with a smile, "I hope we do more than talk."

I said, "You can count on it." We kissed goodbye and I drove off to the courthouse.

I was on Cloud 9 for the rest of the day looking forward to being with Diane. Not only that but it was Opry night too. Every Saturday night, I watched the Grand Ole Opry on TV. That was the one thing I missed about Nashville. Diane and Rachel enjoyed the music too.

When I picked Diane up from work, she was as happy as I had ever seen her. When she got in the car, she immediately kissed me much like we did that morning. She said, "I told everyone at work about us."

"What did they say?" I asked.

She laughed, "They said, it was about time."

I smiled and asked, "What did they mean by that?"

She laughed again, "They see the way we look at each other and they were wondering what took us so long to get together."

I laughed, "I suppose they're right. I'm glad people have been rooting for us - so to speak."

"Me too," she said. She gave me another kiss and said, "Let's pick up Rachel."

We picked up Rachel from her friend's house. She said that she had a good time there. When we got back home, we all helped make dinner. Diane usually made dinner - her way of "earning her keep" - and she would make all kinds of stuff. Some things I liked and others I didn't but most of it was good. I also showed her how to make some of my favorite dishes and she made them better than I did.

We didn't want to tell Rachel about us because we weren't sure she'd understand our situation. However, she surprised us by asking Diane if I was her boyfriend now. Diane laughed and asked her why she thought that.

"I guess because you and Pete have been acting all lovey-dovey tonight. You've been kissing and holding hands and I've never seen you do that before."

I put my hand on her shoulder and said, "You're a pretty smart cookie. You're right. Your mother and I love each other so we are boyfriend and girlfriend."

Diane said, "Are you O.K. with that, baby?"

Rachel said, "I think it's really cool!" She turned to me and asked, "Are you gonna be my daddy, Pete? That would be so awesome!"

Diane said, "One thing at a time, baby girl. You'll be the first to know if that happens. Let's finish dinner and then we can watch the show."

We ate dinner and settled in to watch the Opry. Diane sat cuddled up next to me and my arm was around her. Rachel was on my other side, snuggled up as well. Rachel was a very affectionate girl and had been doing that for some time now pretty much whenever we watched TV or a movie.

It was a good show, as usual. We made some popcorn afterwards and watched a movie Rachel wanted to see. About 45 minutes into it, Rachel fell asleep and Diane and I put her to bed. We had moved Rachel into a smaller bedroom and Diane took the one that Rachel had been in when they first moved in.

We turned off the tape and since we were alone, Diane and I took the opportunity to practice our kissing techniques. We made out for a while and I placed my hand on Diane's breast. Even through her sweater and bra, I could tell she was excited. I felt the bump of her hard nipple on my hand. She didn't resist and I continued to slide my hand over her breast as we kissed. I decided to take it a step further and gently squeezed her breast. She moaned in pleasure but broke the kiss.