Page 7 of Let Me Be the One
“No wolves or boars,” he agreed. “But there are snakes, an occasional black bear, and often a pissed-off raccoon or two. The bigger problem is that the Garmet brothers are on the other side of you, and they’re assholes who are better avoided.”
As compared to you?No, she wouldn’t say that out loud. “Thank you for letting me know.” She’d make a point of finding out more about the Garmet brothers as soon as she could. For now, though… “I’m not quite sure how to get home without going back the way I came, and even then, with it now so dark, I really might get lost. In fact…” She looked around again, seeing heavy shadows everywhere. “I wonder if Glory found her way.”
“I’ll walk you to the house and we’ll see if she’s there.”
Gallantry, she decided, was another nice quality. Maybe her new neighbor would be tolerable after all.
He went back for the wagon loaded with tools. “Follow me.” And with that, he stepped ahead of her.
His dog, however, kept pace with her, continually gazing at her in a friendly way. “Your dog seems nice.”
“Blu is smart, but he’s not as astute as I am.”
Meaning what exactly? “He doesn’t bother the chickens?”
Tanner shook his head. “He understands that the chickens are here for a reason. Same with Kam’s cat.”
“Kam?”
“My brother.”
“And he has a cat?”
“Isn’t that what I just said?”
“Yes, you did.” Her feet were starting to hurt, and that spot on her shoulder stung. “Where does Kam live?”
“Here.”
“With you?” She huffed as she tried to catch up to him. Seriously, the man had very long, athletic legs and her shoes weren’t cut out for jogging.
“We both live with Addie.” He looked over his shoulder at her, and thankfully slowed down.
Once she was at his side he continued on, this time at a more sedate pace. “This was Addie’s place when we came here, but we’ve expanded a lot since then.”
When they came there? What did that mean? Sorting it all out would take her some time so for now she concentrated on the basics. “How many acres do you have?”
“Thirty.” He glanced at her. “If you sell, we’ll have forty.”
“And if I’m staying?”
“We’ll see.” He went back to walking at a clip until they reached a large barn. He slid open a huge door, flipped a few switches, and illuminated it all.
Wow. It was actually nicer than any barn she could imagine. As she followed him inside she craned her neck, looking way up at rafters sporting skylights and then all around at tidy shelves filled with pots, bags of soil and buckets, hoses… She didn’t know what half of it was.
The air smelled rich, like fresh soil, but green too, if green had a smell. Combined, it was nice. Earthy.
Sort of sexy…only because he was there, looking so hot.
She couldn’t see the very back of the barn but wondered if there might be plants there. Humid air filled her lungs. It was nice, but a little too warm.
Distracted, she asked, “Why would you even need my ten acres?”
“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I want anyone living that close either.”
Offensive. “You think I’ll bother you?”
One brow cocked up as he eyed her standing there, in his barn, while he put the tools from the wagon on specific hooks.
