She paused."Do you have a picture of the house?"
I pulled out my phone and showed her a photo of the outside.I was proud of the white farmhouse.The previous owner had updated the siding so that it was placed vertically instead of horizontally, and the wrap around porch had been replaced with new wood and paint.
"Wow.That's gorgeous."
"The inside doesn't look as good, but it will when it's done."
She looked up at me."How much property do you have?"
"A few acres.The original property attached to the farm was sectioned off and sold at different times but never to developers, thankfully."
"I can't wait to see it when it's done."She glanced up at me, her eyes bright with interest.
"You should come see it now, so you have a comparison," I said easily as if I didn't have an ulterior motive.
Her lips pursed."That's not a bad idea."
"I'm full of good ones today."The more time we spent together, the more I realized I'd made a mistake by letting her go.I was going to be patient and do all the things I neglected to do during our first relationship.
"It will be satisfying to renovate the entire home to your preferences."
That made me pause because I'd bought it, thinking I'd share it with someone.I hoped it could be her, but I wasn't going to get ahead of myself.
Natasha stumbled, and I rushed to grab her before she fell on the ground.I pulled her against me.
She huffed out a laugh."That was close."
"Good thing I was here."My tone was more serious.
She nodded, a little shaky.
I slowly let her go, and she moved to stand at my side, her hand curled around my elbow for support.I wanted to cover hers with mine, but I resisted.That was too much of a boyfriend move for this stage of our relationship.
I wanted to ease her into this, get her involved before she knew what was happening.I couldn't show my cards too soon.I didn't want to scare her away or prompt her to listen to all the doubts and fears that bubbled to the surface.
This time, I wasn't going anywhere.
Chapter15
Natasha
Iwas still reeling from my stumble.It should have been embarrassing because I was staring at Ford when I should have been looking at where I was walking.Instead, I tripped over a tree root, and he'd caught me before I could face-plant.
For a few seconds, I'd been pressed against him, and it was nice.Now I was clutching his arm under the guise of not falling again because I wanted this connection to him.
The logical part of my brain reminded me that I couldn't trust him.I wasn't even sure he wanted a relationship.He'd said himself this wasn't a date.
He smiled down at me as we walked, and my heart skipped a beat.This entire arrangement was risky.I wasn't sure I could be around him and not fall for him again.I wasn't sure I'd ever gotten over him.
A large tree caught my attention."Oh.What about that one?"
We broke apart, him to walk around it and me to test the branches."It looks good.What do you think?"
I walked around the tree, then stepped back so I could get the full effect."This is it."
"This one is for your place."He looked around."Then we need another for mine."
We looked at the other trees in the same cluster and found one that was comparable.
