Nosy By Nature
Letting out a sigh, Daphne emerged from her hiding place
and hurried out of the garage. Since the garages were
situated in the back of the houses, no one would be able to
see her from the road, and because there was a large gap
between the neighbors’ backyard fence and hers that she
could lip through, she wouldn’t even need to go around
front. Daphne had found the gap the day she and Zak had
moved into their home, and had been darting through it
ever since.
Once in her own backyard, Daphne paused a moment to
take a deep breath. Then running a hand through her long
hair, she turned to go back into her own house when the
sight of her husband stopped her in her tracks.
Tall and broad-shouldered, with penetrating brown eyes
and hurried out of the garage. Since the garages were
situated in the back of the houses, no one would be able to
see her from the road, and because there was a large gap
between the neighbors’ backyard fence and hers that she
could lip through, she wouldn’t even need to go around
front. Daphne had found the gap the day she and Zak had
moved into their home, and had been darting through it
ever since.
Once in her own backyard, Daphne paused a moment to
take a deep breath. Then running a hand through her long
hair, she turned to go back into her own house when the
sight of her husband stopped her in her tracks.
Tall and broad-shouldered, with penetrating brown eyes
and dark hair, Zak was gorgeous enough to be on the cover of GQ magazine. But with his
arms folded across his chest and that glint in his eye, her handsome husband could also be
very formidable looking. It was probably why he made such an outstanding police detective.
With a smile, she hurried across the yard to him. “Honey!” she exclaimed, reaching up on
tiptoe to give him a kiss. “What are you doing home in the middle of the day like this?”
His mouth tightened as he gazed down at her. “I thought I’d come home to have lunch with
my beautiful wife, but instead I find her snooping.”
Daphne feigned a look of surprise. “Snooping? I wasn’t snooping.”
Zak lifted a brow. “Really? Then what were you doing sneaking through the fence?”
She gave him an affronted look. “I wasn’t sneaking through the fence. I was over visiting
with the new neighbors.”
He nodded thoughtfully, his gaze flicking to the house beside theirs before coming back to
her. “That’s funny because I pulled into our garage right after they pulled into theirs, and
you came sneaking through the fence not more than thirty seconds later.”
Daphne groaned inwardly. That’s what she got for being married to a detective. “They were
busy, so I didn’t stay long.”
“Uh-huh.” Her husband said regarded her in silence. “Well, you must have been there long
enough to get their names. What are they?”
Daphne hesitated, chewing on her lower lip as she tried to think of some way to answer her
husband’s question. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t very well make up names,
since Zak was bound to meet the new neighbors eventually. On the other hand, if she didn’t
say something, Zak would know she was lying about what she’d really been doing over
there. She was caught, so she supposed she should admit it. But for some reason, she
couldn’t.
“Dammit, Daphne!” Zak growled when she said nothing. “You promised me that you weren’t
going to snoop anymore.”
She looked down at the ground, studying her perfectly painted toenails. “I know, but they
went out and left the garage door open, so I thought I’d just take a quick look.”
Zak swore under his breath. “A quick look. Daphne, what you did is called trespassing on
private property. What if they had found you sneaking around in their garage and decided
to call the cops? What would you have done then?”
She hadn’t thought of that. But then again, she supposed she never did think. She looked
up from beneath lowered lashes, giving him her best contrite look. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head in obvious frustration. “When we go inside, I want you to go upstairs and
get your hairbrush, then bring it to me in the kitchen.”
Daphne’s head jerked up, her green eyes wide. There could be only one reason he would
want her to get the hairbrush, and that was to give her a spanking! But surely he wasn’t
really going to spank her for snooping in the neighbors’ garage, was he?
arms folded across his chest and that glint in his eye, her handsome husband could also be
very formidable looking. It was probably why he made such an outstanding police detective.
With a smile, she hurried across the yard to him. “Honey!” she exclaimed, reaching up on
tiptoe to give him a kiss. “What are you doing home in the middle of the day like this?”
His mouth tightened as he gazed down at her. “I thought I’d come home to have lunch with
my beautiful wife, but instead I find her snooping.”
Daphne feigned a look of surprise. “Snooping? I wasn’t snooping.”
Zak lifted a brow. “Really? Then what were you doing sneaking through the fence?”
She gave him an affronted look. “I wasn’t sneaking through the fence. I was over visiting
with the new neighbors.”
He nodded thoughtfully, his gaze flicking to the house beside theirs before coming back to
her. “That’s funny because I pulled into our garage right after they pulled into theirs, and
you came sneaking through the fence not more than thirty seconds later.”
Daphne groaned inwardly. That’s what she got for being married to a detective. “They were
busy, so I didn’t stay long.”
“Uh-huh.” Her husband said regarded her in silence. “Well, you must have been there long
enough to get their names. What are they?”
Daphne hesitated, chewing on her lower lip as she tried to think of some way to answer her
husband’s question. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t very well make up names,
since Zak was bound to meet the new neighbors eventually. On the other hand, if she didn’t
say something, Zak would know she was lying about what she’d really been doing over
there. She was caught, so she supposed she should admit it. But for some reason, she
couldn’t.
“Dammit, Daphne!” Zak growled when she said nothing. “You promised me that you weren’t
going to snoop anymore.”
She looked down at the ground, studying her perfectly painted toenails. “I know, but they
went out and left the garage door open, so I thought I’d just take a quick look.”
Zak swore under his breath. “A quick look. Daphne, what you did is called trespassing on
private property. What if they had found you sneaking around in their garage and decided
to call the cops? What would you have done then?”
She hadn’t thought of that. But then again, she supposed she never did think. She looked
up from beneath lowered lashes, giving him her best contrite look. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head in obvious frustration. “When we go inside, I want you to go upstairs and
get your hairbrush, then bring it to me in the kitchen.”
Daphne’s head jerked up, her green eyes wide. There could be only one reason he would
want her to get the hairbrush, and that was to give her a spanking! But surely he wasn’t
really going to spank her for snooping in the neighbors’ garage, was he?
| Excerpt |
© Paige Tyler and ABCD Webmasters, 2010