“Of course,” he said. “It’s just proper barn maintenance.”
Sophia smiled as he also climbed the fence and perched on the next post over, looking a little wobbly as he did his best to find a comfortable position.
Sitting on the fence was fun, but it wasn’t extremely comfortable.
“I’ll see what I can do about the festival,” she said, “but you’ll have to give me more specific details than just that you want access to my friends.”
“Tell me more about your friends,” he said. “Do they work in businesses in town?”
Sophia smiled as she thought about her friends.
The fact that she actually had friends was strange enough. For her to know them as well as she did after so short a time here felt incredibly strange. “Yes, they all work in different businesses around the town. It’s so much fun to see the different things they’re doing—they’re all wonderful.”
“Are any of them closer to you than others?” he asked, and something in his tone felt different. This felt more personal than the Fall Festival.
Sophia shook her head. “I know Thea the best because I see her every time I’m in town. The others tend to come in and out depending on who’s working that day and who’s free to stop by and say hello. But they all accept me for who I am, and don’t mind that I’m new to town. I’m very thankful for them and their friendship.”
Caspian looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t, and Sophia didn’t push.
“You should come to the café with me,” she said. “I’m sure Thea and Dietrich and the others would be more than happy to get to know you.”
“I might take you up on that offer.” He stared at Liliana, who had given up on chasing the goats and was lying in the field while the goats climbed on top of her and chewed her hair. “I don’t suppose Liliana has ever thought to protect her hair from the goats,” he said, abruptly changing the topic.
Sophia shook her head. “No, she seems to enjoy the fact that goat spit turns her hair into sticks. She must take a bath far more regularly than I do.”
Caspian shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about my hair turning into a stick.”
“Given that you don’t have long hair, it’s not an issue,” Sophia said, the corners of her mouth turning up. “Although you could grow yours out just to experience it.”
He shuddered again, nearly falling off his fence post.
“I don’t suppose you want to try it,” she continued teasing him. “After all, it does take forever to wash out. And if you don’t get a regular bath, you might have your hair stuck together with goat spittle for a few days.”
“Please stop.” He shook his head rapidly. “I absolutely will not be doing that.”
“Then it shouldn’t bother you. If you’re never going to grow your hair out to enjoy the experience of a baby goat sucking on it, you don’t have to worry about it.” She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped as Caspian shuddered a third time and jumped off the fence post outside of the pasture.
“I will do nothing of the sort,” he said, “and you know it.”
Sophia laughed until her sides ached, with Caspian on the ground staring up at her, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re just having fun torturing me,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“So what if I am?” she asked. “You’re making it easy.”
Caspian stared at her a moment, his expression unreadable, before making his way over to her and holding up both hands. “May I help you down?”
Sophia stared at his hands for a moment. Would she feel the same spark if she touched him again? There was no reason to turn him down, so she nodded, unable to find the words to say yes.
He put his hands on her waist and her heart beat faster as a spark flowed through her. He gently lifted her from the fence post, his eyes meeting hers the entire way as he lowered her to the ground. He paused a moment before letting go, his hands warm even through the fabric between them.
She’d never felt anything like this before.
The distance between them grew as he took a step back and she took a deep breath, not sure how things had changed between them and yet so sure that they had.
Whatever this was, surely he was feeling it, too. It couldn’t be something that only she felt, this feeling that everything was changing.
Did he feel the same way?
Did he want something to happen between them?
