Page 50 of This Time Around
She wasn’t waiting around in cleaning out Joseph’s clothes.I didn’t know whether to hug her or smile.
I rested my hands on my hips.“What do you need from me?”
“If you’re going out to check the fences, take the Kubota.”She pointed to a machine that was a mixture between a small, two-seater truck and an ATV.About the size of the four-wheelers, the cab was enclosed and it had a small bed that would allow me to carry tools.“There’s less of a chance of it getting stuck and you won’t come back covered in mud if it’s messy out there.”
“You sure?”
She brought her mug of coffee in front of her.“Yep.Keys are on the wall on a silver carabiner.”
“Okay.”Apparently, we weren’t discussing last night.“Anything else?”
“Check the calves first.It’s their first storm, and they usually do well, but they’d also be the most vulnerable.I’ll take care of the goats and chickens.”
Calves.Fences.Got it.
She stayed in the same spot.I hadn’t moved either.
There was a dictionary of words to say and I had no idea which one to choose first.
When the silence tilted to the awkward side, I headed toward the key rack to grab the keys for the truck.I wrapped my hand around the carabiner when she finally spoke.
“Cooper?”
“Yeah?”I pocketed the keys.She was still on the opposite side of the barn from me.Too far away to brush off the uncertainty suddenly tightening her features.
She licked her lips.“I liked last night.”Her voice was almost a whisper.It barely carried through the vast space between us.
It still hit me with the force of a knockout worthy punch.“Good.I did too.”
Hell if I was having this conversation so far away from her.
Her cheeks pinked as I headed toward her.She started this, but I still craved the feel of her beneath my hands and the taste of her on my lips.I wanted more.
She hit me with another blow as I reached her, and settled my hand on her cheek.“Did making so many movies in Hollywood teach you how to kiss so well?”
Damn her.This fucking amazing woman.I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt.“No.The girls in Buffalo did.”
She was grinning too.Shaking her head a little bit and revealing that bra strap I could hardly peel my eyes off.“Maybe, tonight, you could come for dinner and tell me about it?”
My chest burned.I was stunned by the invitation and the cute mischief in her eyes.
I couldn’t help but tease her.How far would she take this playfulness?“Tell you about kissing girls in Buffalo?”
“No.Your life there.”
I’d never understood the saying pinch me I must be dreaming until that moment.She hadn’t just taken the first move in getting us past the kiss, something I thought she’d avoid, she was throwing open a door I was definitely walking through.
“Like a date?”I asked slowly.
“Yeah.”Her voice was still soft.Still quivering.Not nearly as uncertain though.“Like a date.”
I didn’t make her wait.“I’d be honored.I’d love to.”
I slid my hand to the back of her neck and pulled her forward.I kissed the top of her head and stepped back before I pushed for more.
“Good.”She pulled the mug to her lips, swallowed, and turned on her boots.
I watched her ass in cut off shorts, loose fitted sweatshirt, and cowgirl boots saunter back into the house debating if I had time to head back to my place to rub one off really quick or if I should get to work.
I went to work, hopped in the Kubota and started it up.
Hours went by feeling like minutes.
