“Say, I know you haven’t had time to get settled yet, so why don’t you join us for dinner tonight? Meet my fiancée, Angela.” He paused, then muttered, “And my daughter if she’s around. Seems we’ve been on different schedules all week. May as well be on different planets.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I’ll let you get cleaned up and then come on up to the house in about a half hour.”
The offer was tempting. This might be his only opportunity to see Morgan again. But maybe it was best if he didn’t. As upset as his stomach was right now, he wasn’t sure he could keep down any food. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Angela would have my hide if I didn’t invite you to dinner. Help me stay outta trouble, man,” Sean joked.
Damn, Sean was making this hard. His sense of loyalty toward his employer trumped his own discomfort, although he knew his response was less than enthusiastic. “In that case, I’ll see you in a little while.”
After making sure the barn was in order, TJ pulled his truck over by the cabin so he could unload his belongings and change for dinner. He was pleasantly surprised to find the cabin was wired for cable when he turned the TV on for sound before heading into the small bathroom. He tuned it to a modern country music channel and hummed along while he got cleaned up. As he was finishing, the smooth southern sound of Jason Aldean singing about the farmer’s daughter came on. How ironic. He lowered his head and groaned.
Promptly at six, he knocked on the screen door of the farmhouse. Sean hollered out, “Come on in.”
He followed the sound of voices, making his way to the dining room. A petite woman who looked to be in her mid-to-late thirties extended her hand. “Hey, TJ. I’m Angela.”
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”
As he shook her hand, Morgan walked in from the kitchen carrying a plate and looked right through him.So this is how she’s gonna play it off?
Angela nodded toward Morgan. “This is Sean’s daughter, Morgan. Morgan, this is TJ, the new foreman.”
They acknowledged each other politely, apparently not tipping off Angela, as she directed, “C’mon in the kitchen, TJ, and fix your plate. We’ve got everything laid out buffet-style.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Call me Angela.” She smiled at him warmly.
He walked into the kitchen to find Sean loading up his plate from the spread of fried chicken, corn-on-the-cob, and fried potatoes and onions. He hoped Sean didn’t catch him drooling. “Thanks again for the invite. This smells and looks delicious. I can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.”
“You’re welcome, son. Help yourself. And if you don’t see somethin’ you need, just ask.”
He saw something he needed, all right. She was sitting in the dining room looking good enough to eat. Shifting his attention back to the buffet, he proceeded to fill his plate with as much as it would hold. Good thing the rumbling in his stomach had subsided because this food looked and smelled too good to pass up. He’d noticed tall glasses of what he assumed was sweet tea already on the table. When he stepped back into the dining room, he found the only empty chair and sat down—right next to Morgan.
Just as he was about to dig in, Angela spoke to him from across the table. “I’m fairly new to Green Springs myself. How do you like it here so far?”
At the same time Angela asked the question, a hand made its way to his thigh and began stroking it under the table. He cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn’t give away his distraction. Before he could get any words out, Morgan’s hand snaked its way upward to his crotch and squeezed, triggering a coughing fit.
Sean looked at him with concern. “You okay, son?”
He discreetly glanced at Morgan, who displayed the innocent demeanor of an angel. He beat on his chest as if to dislodge something stuck, even though he hadn’t yet taken a bite, then picked up his sweet tea and took several large gulps.
“Sorry. Somethin’ went down the wrong way, I guess.”
He hoped he could finish his dinner without making a fool of himself. His best-laid plans about ignoring his attraction to Morgan were falling by the wayside. What the hell was he gonna do? He took a bite of his potatoes, but since his gut had resumed its attack on his insides, they tasted like wet cardboard. This was going to be so much harder than he’d thought.
9
MORGAN
Morgan lay in bed fully clothed, the television on for sound, although she had no clue what program was on. She was playing word games on her phone and monitoring the time, waiting for her father and Angela to go to bed so she could sneak out to the cabin. She had to talk to TJ and convince him they would find a way to be together. Even though she was painfully aware of what Sean had said to him, and was still struggling with conflicting emotions over her father’s recent actions, she didn’t want to lose the chance to find her own happiness. Once her dad had gotten his head out of his ass and asked Angela not to leave Green Springs, the last few months of observing him and Angela together had shown her how being in the right relationship could change a person for the better.
When she heard the soft click of Sean’s bedroom door closing, she pulled back her comforter, jumped out of bed, and hurriedly pulled on her boots. Making her way to her own closed door, she quietly inched it open and peeked into the hallway. The house was still as she stealthily made her way to the back door and across the field to the cabin. She felt like a teenager sneaking out after curfew. She hadn’t dared to bring a flashlight, as she didn’t want her father to see any lights outdoors. She was a grown woman, so why was she sneaking around? Shaking her head, she had to admit to herself that she wasn’t ready to stand up to her father; likewise, she couldn’t risk yet having her father find out she and TJ were an item.
When she reached the cabin, she peered through the front window and found TJ lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He must have been deep in thought, because she had to tap on the glass to get his attention. At the sound, he sat up on the bed and called out to her, “Door’s unlocked.”
Once she was inside and mere steps away from him, she felt the pull of their connection, stronger than ever. Her insides tingled with electricity, not only from the physical attraction, but emotionally, she knew he was the one for her. They belonged together. She had to figure out how to make it work.
“Hey. I had to wait for my dad to go to bed so I could come out here and talk to you. I don’t want to give up on us. You’re so worth it.” Suddenly, she was nervous, and she wasn’t sure why. She looked around the cabin, avoiding eye contact as she made a confession. “I, uh, usually don’t care when my dad sabotages my dates. But you’re different. You’re worth fighting for.We’reworth fighting for.”
“Hey. Look at me.”
