The previous evening had been a lot, not only because of the shift in their relationship but also because of the way he’d pushed her to think about a career change.Maybe that was what was on her mind this morning.
“What are your plans today?”he asked.“I’m at your disposal to do whatever you need me to do.”
“I’ve got to put in a couple of hours work and then I need to go to the farm.Chrissy said last night that they’d gotten the poinsettias in and she wanted me to pick out the ones to go on the stage.Apparently, Ryder loved the idea of expanding the business so much that he went a little overboard with ordering them.”
The more she talked, the more her grumpiness seeped out and he could start to see the Tilly he knew shining through.Not that he didn’t like the grumpy Tilly.He liked all facets of her.It wasn’t as if he was perfect, either.There would be days, after his shifts, when he wouldn’t want to talk.He believed Tilly wouldn’t let that deter her.Like what he’d done a few minutes ago, she’d be determined to support him but also draw him out of his moods and make it all a little better.
“While you work I can go home and shower and change, and then we can head over to your sister’s.I want to see where you grew up.”
Tilly grimaced.“It’s not much, although Chrissy and Ryder are slowly starting to renovate the house.Mom and Dad put most of their money into the farm, and then, well, things got really tight, and so there were aspects of the farm that got run-down and neglected.It’s good to see my sister and her husband breathing new life into the place.”
During one of their late-night text conversations when he’d been on shift, Tilly had talked about how her father had kept the true state of the farm from his daughters, even though his wife had been aware of it.How her mom had planned to sell the place and Ryder was going to buy it and turn it into a ranch, basically erasing any trace of Bloom Flower Farm.Fortunately for the Bloom family, and the town of Marietta, because Bloom Flower Farm had supplied the town’s florist and surrounding areas with flowers for many years, Ryder and Chrissy had fallen in love.Now the flower farm was prospering with the injection of cash from Ryder—he’d made millions when oil was found on land he owned in Texas—and he ran some cattle, so they had the best of both worlds.
The closest Zach had ever gotten to a ranch had been the time he’d visited one of his mom’s friends when she’d been working on a movie.The cows had seemed so big to his seven-year-old self.It had been a fun day, but even at that age, he’d known acting wasn’t for him.
“It doesn’t matter how big or small the place is, it’s the people who make it special.They’re the ones who inject the life and love into a home,” he said quietly.
For a short while, when Mom had first lost her job, she’d been at home and it had just been the two of them.Looking back, he could honestly say that it had been his favorite time with his mom.They’d laughed, and life had been happy and joyful.
“Are you thinking about your mom again?”Tilly asked quietly, coming up beside him.
He hooked an arm around her shoulder.“I was.How could you tell?”
Really though, was he surprised at how Tilly was attuned to what he was thinking?She had been almost from their first meeting.
“You seem to close in on yourself.You get a little furrow between your eyes.”Her finger brushed the skin above his nose.“I noticed it when you talked about her in the past.”
“I was thinking about your home growing up.I know I haven’t seen it, but I’m sure it was full of love, just like this place.”
“You didn’t have that?”
“In some respects, I did.”He shrugged.“My life was different.There’s a certain expectation when it comes to how people live in Hollywood.”
“I guess so.It always looks so glamorous and everyone always wants it.The ability to not worry about money, etc.But I imagine it comes at a price and sometimes that price is very high.”
Again her insight amazed him.How many people saw this Tilly?The one who was a deep thinker.Who cared with a ferocity that could be lacking in so many.Did her family see how special she was?Of that he wasn’t sure, especially after the one time he had seen her and Chrissy interact.Maybe today would be different.
“You’d be right.”The time of heavy talk was over and he pressed against her, pinning her against the counter.Her eyes widened and she licked her bottom lip.With a groan, he placed his mouth where her tongue had been and gave himself up to the fact that he was obsessed with this woman.There was nothing better, as far as he was concerned.
Her answering moan ensured that she wanted this as much as he did.It seemed now that anytime they touched, it went from zero to a hundred in a heartbeat, and as much as he wanted to drag her back to the bedroom, Tilly had said she’d needed to work.
“Why did you stop?”she all but whined when he pulled back.
He laughed.“Trust me when I say I didn’t want to, but I know what you need to do today.Besides, this builds the anticipation for tonight.”
“How do you know we’re going to spend the night together?”She pouted, but her eyes glistened with amusement.
“Educated guess.Now I’m going to head home.Shall I come back”—he checked the clock and saw that it was close to nine in the morning—“just before midday?And then we can go get some lunch and head out to the farm.”
“Why don’t we pick up some fried chicken, sides, and pie from the Main St.Diner and take it to Chrissy’s?We can all have lunch together.I’ll call her and let her know.I’m sure she’ll be more than happy for that to happen.”
“We can do that.”If she had asked him to take her to the North Pole for lunch, he would’ve.He would do anything for Tilly.
Chapter Nineteen
Kenny Chessney’s dulcettones echoed around the car.Tilly never would’ve picked Zach as liking country music.It wasn’t loud enough to hide the rumble of Tilly’s stomach as they drove down the driveway toward the house she’d grown up in.
“Did you not eat breakfast after I left?”Zach queried, his eyebrow rising in a sexy way that had her wishing they were at her place and not in the car.
