Wes just nodded.“I was sorry your dad interrupted us this morning.”
Shelby avoided his eyes as she washed and dried a plate and put the hot water on for tea, then pulled out the apples to slice for Pops’s lunch.
“I’m sure I won’t hear the end of it but since I don’t talk to my family much it doesn’t really matter.”
“So how is that going to work out then?Because it looks like someone is going to need to stay with your grandfather for a while.”
“I don’t know, I wasn’t expecting all of this,” she said, throwing her hands up.“I need some time to get this house cleaned up, and then I can think about how to take care of Pops while avoiding my family.”
Wes closed the space between them and reached out to grip her arms, turning her to face him.Then he lifted her chin, so she was forced to look him in the eyes.
“Do me a favor.Once you get this place cleaned up, can you let me know what needs fixing?”
“Sure.”
“Will you call me if your brother shows up and starts getting aggressive again?”
“He’s harmless.”
“If there’s one thing I know for certain, people are never what they seem.And your brother made it clear he’s worried you’re going to outmaneuver him for a very large fortune.”
She pulled out of his arms.“I’m not after anyone’s fortune.”
“I can see that.But I don’t want him to get the chance to try to intimidate you.”
“Fine.You’ve done your duty.You checked on Pops’s welfare and made it clear if my family tries to run me out of town you’ll make a good witness.”
Wes closed the space between them again.
“I’ll make more than a witness Shelby.”
She looked up and saw the hunger in his eyes.Even now as they talked about her dysfunctional family, the attraction between them was like a live current, drawing her in.He leaned down and kissed her, completely disarming her as his teeth bit her bottom lip before his tongue delved inside her mouth.Like pulling a trigger, the instant desire for him shattered her resolve to pretend nothing had happened earlier.Her heart pounded and her entire body reacted.Wes’s hand cupped the back of her head as he kissed her with so much passion she was forced to wonder what it all meant.Did he feel the same intensity of emotion spike each time they touched or was she just a convenient distraction?
Then the sound of shuffling feet broke through and he pulled away.But when she opened her eyes it was just one of the empty paper bags that had fallen to the floor.
“I need to get back to the office; you get your pops settled.But call me tonight with that list,” Wes said.
Shelby refocused on the plate she was making and decided now was not the time to ask what the heck was going on between them.Her entire life was in an upheaval and there were too many unknowns.Each seemed more perilous than the next.She quickly exited the kitchen with the meal and a water for Pops.But then returned to the kitchen for the hot water for Pops’s tea.
“Let me see your phone,” Wes said, waiting for her back in the kitchen.
She dug it out of her pocket, unlocked it and handed it to him.
He typed in his number and then she watched him send a text to himself.
“Now I have your number, and you have mine.No excuses.”Then he kissed her again and walked out to the living room where her pops sat.Shelby followed but hung back a bit and watched as Wesley sat next to Pops on the ottoman.
“Mr.Shepherd, any items off the top of your head I need to fix?”
“Besides that worried, sad look on my granddaughter’s face, the railing on the deck is a little shaky.”
“Is that how you fell?”
“Man to man, I don’t much care for all this fuss, but I’m also smart enough to know that I’m not getting any younger.Between the railing and the ice, I was a goner.”
“Probably lucky you only broke your hand.”
Zeke nodded and sighed.“I guess I probably need to find someone to help around here and someone to check on me from time to time.”
