“You sure are.” Her grin turned wolfish. “I’ve heard all sorts of good things.” She tipped her head. “I’m James.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
“Such a polite lumberjack too.”
I laughed.
Amber rushed forward. “Okay, don’t scare him.” Her big gray eyes went soft. “Those flowers are lovely. My mom will love them.”
“Yours are waiting at the house. Hopefully I’ll see you tonight,” I pitched my voice low.
James sighed. “Okay, I need to get away from the pheromones between you two.” She took the flowers and held them like an offering. “Mrs. D, the boy came with flowers.”
“Thank you, Tate. They’re lovely.” Mrs. Dalton said from the kitchen.
“Look at you with all the points.” Amber went on her toes and kissed my cheek as I was peeling out of my damp Carhart.
“First of all, I’m no boy.”
She laughed. “That is for certain.” She moved into me, her chest brushing against mine. Her cinnamon scent was a little spicier today with a bit more vanilla in the mix. Her golden hair was pinned back from her face in a halo of curls, and she’d done something to her eyes to make them seem even bigger.
“God, you’re stunning.”
“Well, thank you. I thought I’d actually make an effort today. You have been seeing the no frills side of me for weeks.”
“I love both.” The words came out before I could reframe them.
Her gray eyes went even wider, and her mouth parted.
“Tate, it’s good to see you.” Her father’s booming voice broke the spell around us. He stood behind Amber, his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry your father couldn’t make it.”
“You know Dad, he’s even more of a recluse since I built that cabin for him.”
“What does he think about all the changes to the farm?”
“Not sure he’s happy about it, but his cabin is far enough away that he only grumbles here and there. He’s taking care of the horses for the light trails.”
“Sadie and I will be there on Friday to try everything out. We’ve been watching from over here and it all looks amazing.”
“Thank you, sir. It’s been a long time coming. I appreciate that you’ve been so nice about all the noise.”
Her dad squeezed her shoulders. “This one gave me a state-of-the-art sound system for Christmas last year. I can’t hear a damn thing.”
“Lucky for me she gave me headphones,” her mom called out from the kitchen.
Amber took my hand. “Come on in. You’re probably starving. We’ve got appetizers out already and by some miracle James hasn’t eaten them all.”
“Hey, I’m a growing girl.” James was sitting at the kitchen island, one of her long legs curled under her on the stool as she picked at the charcuterie board.
“Can I help?” I asked as I crossed the living room.
“Absolutely not. You enjoy the game with Tommy.”
“The score is crap,” James muttered. “They’re just inching their way up the field. Boring.”
Amber laughed. “She loves football.”
“Only when it’s exciting. Right now, they’re barely doing anything but thumbing their—uh, butts.”
