But full of shit wouldn’t have invited me to play video games and eat snacks when I needed a friend. He’s a good guy. But is his kindness genuine? What if he’s one of those churchy guys who only does stuff so he can get a front row seat in heaven or something?
I can’t let his kindness go too far. I won’t.
“You already work too many hours,” I object. “And where were you coming from just now?”
He sighs. “The lab. I went before sun-up to check on something I had running. But I can move my schedule around to do those checks at night instead of in the early morning.”
I shake my head, waving him off. “You shouldn’t have to change anything because I can’t do my job.”
“I wouldn’t say you can’t do your job. You’re just a little . . . overly ambitious.”
I roll my eyes and pop his arm with the back of my hand.
“What? You said it yourself.”
“Fine,” I mutter, a little smile quirking up my lips.
“Good. Now what I can’t wait to see is how much fun you are first thing in the morning. I bet it’s an absolute blast.”
I chuckle, feeling my ears turn hot. “You can’t just be earnest for more than like twelve seconds, can you? You’re just constantly in pest mode.”
He sighs and presses his thumb and forefinger into his brow. “I’m working on it.” He peers out the barn door. “The creek’s up, so you’re going to have to get a dry shirt from my place. Maybe a hot shower. Alright?”
I bat my eyes up at him and poke my lip out. “Can I borrow a hat too?”
Jake’s chuckle is soft. “You know how it goes with the hats, darlin’.”
I rub my lips together and jam a finger into one of his deep dimples. “Wear the hat, muck the stalls?”
Jake’s laugh is husky as he pulls me into his side, wiggling me as he walks us toward the now-drizzling rain. “That’s exactly it.”
FIFTEEN
JAKE
“You want in?”Caleb asks, extending a game controller my way.
I wave him off. “Nah, I’ll make another pot of coffee.”
I’d poured the last cup for Darcy to help her warm up. Once she hit the cabin’s air conditioning with her wet clothes, she was shivering. Now she’s in my room getting changed after a hot shower. Her spirits seem to have lifted because she’s humming to herself and singing under her breath in there, and I keep hearing my drawers opening and closing. She’s probably snooping, but if she’s snooping that means she likes me enough to want to know what’s in my drawers. That idea sends a shot of warmth through me.
She pops out of my room and slides into the hallway in a pair of my socks, a mug of coffee in one hand and firing a finger gun with her other. She’s got on a tank top that’s a little too loose everywhere except for on her fucking amazing boobs, one of my long-sleeve pearl snaps hanging open over it, and she has a black felt Stetson on her head. She let her hair down to dry, the curls bunching up tight and swung over one shoulder, just like the night I first saw her.
I’m struck speechless. She’s hot. She’s gorgeous. She’s wearing my clothes and while they’re huge on her, it somehow is just so . . . perfectly her. Because when she wears things that are mine, it looks like she’s mine.
Yes, I’ve been flirting with her here and there since I showed up on this farm. Yes, I put a note inside her vibrator package because of course I’d love to see her use it. If she wanted me to.
She hasn’t made a peep about the note, so I have no clue what that means.
But I’m starting to think there might be more to this than just sexual tension. I respect Darcy. I like her—and not just her beautiful body. When she’s playful, she’s the best fun. When she’s funny, she’s hilarious. When she worried about my bruise, I felt . . . loved almost. I know she doesn’t love me, but I don’t know. It feels like we’re a team. We are a team with Becca and Caleb, but it feels like she’s got me and I’ve got her. I haven’t felt a connection like this maybe ever.
“Do I look like a horse whisperer?” She checks herself out in the mirror at the end of the hallway, adjusting the hat on top of her head. “I know the felt hats are too hot for summer, but it’s raining, and look how good I look in it.”
She struts down the hall toward me and Caleb, like it’s her runway and we’re at her fashion show. I’m speechless, but Caleb chuckles. “You look better than he does wearing it.”
I glare at Caleb. “Hey!”
Darcy drops her jaw in mock shock. “What, I don’t look good?”
