Nora tilted her head slightly. “Wynter…” She pursed her lips. “We had an argument.”
Understanding dawned. That was why she’d been upset. Wynter loved Nora. She could have easily been upset with herself over the argument they’d shared. Knowing that tidbit of information helped to assuage any need to dig deeper and ask Wynter to help him understand what was going on.
He turned back to the workbench. “I think I can restore this if you’d like.” When he cut Nora a look out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the slight smile gracing Nora’s lips. “It just needs some new hardware, stain, and a replacement door here.” He motioned to the cracked piece of wood.
“That sounds wonderful.”
They stood in silence, Marcus’s focus shifting back to Wynter while Nora got lost in her own thoughts. Something still didn’t sit right with him about how Wynter was behaving toward him.She had never seemed like the type to have a fling. She was serious. And relationships were important.
At least that was how it felt when he’d been around her.
Marcus turned toward Nora. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why…” He gripped the back of his neck and blew out a hard breath. “Why isn’t Wynter dating anyone?” It was the closest he could get to asking why she wasn’t interested in anything serious while at the same time not giving himself away.
Nora’s eyes searched his. He felt utterly vulnerable beneath her piercing gaze, and it took all his self-control not to scoot away and avoid it. Then she finally answered. “I suppose it’s because she hasn’t found the right man yet.”
That stung more than he wanted to admit. He was right here. He could be that man for her. Couldn’t Nora and Wynter see that he wanted nothing more than to be her everything? So why wasn’t she letting him in?
Did Nora know something more? If she did, it wasn’t likely that she’d give him any clues. It wasn’t fair.
Nodding, he turned back to the job. “I guess I’ll get back to work. This will probably only take about a week of work if I come in the evenings. Mateo wants me to help out a little more back home.”
He hadn’t been thrilled with the notion of going back to work at the ranch, but with all the changes that had been made over the last couple of years, he also knew he couldn’t leave his family in the lurch. Sure, they had guys who worked for them now, but they were somewhat temporary. Jason had left. Others could follow. As much as Marcus wanted to insist to himself that his brother didn’t need him, he knew better.
A light touch on his arm had him startling, and he glanced down to find Nora smiling up at him. “You’ll come to dinner, won’t you? As often as you can?”
There was no hiding the smile that threatened to overtake him. It spread wide across his face. “Tonight?”
Her eyes twinkled. “I’m making roast if you’re interested.”
His mouth watered. “Your roast is the best. I wouldn’t miss it.”
Marcus set to work pulling all the doors off the workbench and set them aside. He’d need to sand them down to refinish them. Then he pulled the tools and other materials from the cupboards before putting them aside.
He got so lost in his work that he didn’t hear the arrival of another visitor. While it was cold outside, he’d shut the doors to the barn and worked in just a T-shirt. Vaguely he’d been aware of a draft of cold air, but it wasn’t until he heard her voice that he realized why it had happened.
“Wow.”
Marcus stiffened, crouched low as he focused on sanding down the lower shelves of the workbench. He glanced over his shoulder to find Wynter with her hands behind her back. She was wearing cowboy boots, jeans, and a wool coat.
Absolutely stunning.
While her eyes weren’t as puffy as they’d been last night, they were still a little red. She smiled at him, indicating she didn’t want him to ask her how she was doing. This was her way. She was fine. And maybe a little embarrassed.
She didn’t have to be. But she wouldn’t listen if he tried to assure her of that.
Slowly he rose to his full height and tossed the sanding block to the countertop. “You look beautiful,” he rasped.
Color flooded her cheeks, and she scoffed.
“Don’t,” he warned.
When her brows pulled together, he clarified.
“Don’t brush off the compliment.” Marcus moved closer to her and tucked her hair behind her ear. “You’ve always beenbeautiful. From the first moment I saw you.” The reality of that fact hit him hard in the chest.
