“You mean like asparagus?Because I saw that in the refrigerator, and I hate it and I’ll never eat it as long as I live.”
“Maybe we could start smaller.”I look up to see Finn smiling at us, his head tipped to the side.
“All right, gang.”He leans forward on his elbows.“We have to keep this our little secret.”
I’m not following him.
“Under no circumstances can this get out.Nobodyat Yosemite Ranch can know about Emma’s talent in the kitchen.If they do, then we will never have a moment of peace over here.It’ll be like sharks prowling Santa Monica beach on Memorial Day weekend.”
I laugh.
“Oh, I’m not joking,” Finn says.“You haven’t met all my brothers.Let me assure you, the way they eat is no laughing matter.”
Jasmine giggles, but I watch as the humor in Finn’s expression fades.His eyes lock on mine, and the moment stretches into awkwardness.
We both freeze.
Until I break out of my trance and stuff more muffin in my mouth, just to have something to do.
As I chew, Finn points at a spot between my bottom lip and chin.“You’ve got a little…”
I use my napkin to swipe at the area he’s pointing to, but he shakes his head.
“Butter… better just… let me…” He extends one very long arm all the way across the bistro table and gently brushes the pad of his thumb near the corner of my mouth.The touch is way too close to the nerve endings on my bottom lip, and it sends a lightning bolt of awareness through my body and right into my panties.It’s everything I’ve ever fantasized about.
Better.
I close my eyes with pleasure, only to feel him withdraw his thumb like he’s just touched a hot stove.
My eyes fly open.The look on his face is one of torture.I’m embarrassed that he saw how much I liked it his touch.
We’re right back to the staring.
Uh-oh.
I clamp my thighs together, now worried that Jasmine is picking up on this.I shoot a quick glance her way, finding that’s she’s busy slapping more butter on a muffin.
Finn clears his throat and fiddles with a napkin, looking away for a moment.“Emma, I’m serious about my brothers.They can’t know.”Then he raises his eyes to me again.
“Sharks.Remember that.All MacLaine men are sharks.”
CHAPTER 26
Emma
Breakfast is over.
After tidying the kitchen, Finn and Jasmine leave the house and I continue my deep clean.First, I scrub the baseboards on the bottom floor.Then, I move outside to the front porch.There are a lot of cobwebs that need to be tackled.The screen door needs to be scrubbed, and the front door itself needs to be washed.
Finding a hose, I fill up a bucket with soapy water.I’ve already changed into cutoffs and a short-sleeved T-shirt for the wet work, and I kick off my shoes to get started.
Finn left to work with his brothers right after breakfast, and Phyllis picked up Jasmine to take her to school.It’s just me and the big house.There’s an amazing sound system in the house, but I would need a PhD from a fancy East Coast college to figure it out.
Instead, I enjoy the distant sound of ranch workers, horse hooves in the dirt, the occasional ranch vehicle passing by to keep me company.And the wind blowing a sweet breeze to keep me cool.
I begin with hosing down the front door and the entire porch.The cool water feels wonderful on my feet, and I think once again about the resort-style pool out back.As soon as I get my first paycheck, I’m going to town to buy a bathing suit.Then I’m going to jump in—straight in the deep end.I plan to swim every day as long as the weather holds out.
I wonder if swimming is against Finn’s rules.I don’t remember seeing it, but now that everything’s soaked in coffee, how can I double-check?
