“You’re the new tenant?” My brother scoffed. “You’re not set to move in until tomorrow.”
The woman lifted her chin, defiant. “We came early.”
Josh roughed a hand down his face. He wasn’t known for being flexible. “But I haven’t given you the keys to unlock the house.”
“Was it locked?” she asked, her head tilted. “Didn’t notice. Anyway, we’re here now.”
“But—”
“I signed the lease last week, and you cashed the check I sent. So how about you give me the keys so we can both get on with our days?”
Her expression was sharp, cunning, but as she turned to us, it morphed into the sweetest smile.
She was still standing before us in a bra and shorts, yet she didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed by her state of undress.
Her demeanor was at complete odds with my brother’s. He was stammering, the parts of his cheek visible above his thick beard flaming.
“I’m Celine LeBlanc.” She held out a hand to Josh.
On autopilot, he took it, though he didn’t introduce himself.
She turned to Evie next, then me, greeting us the same way.
“I’m Jasper, Josh’s brother,” I said. “And this is Evie and Vincent.”
“Do you run around half dressed often?” Josh growled, disdain dripping from his voice.
Most people would tuck tail and run in response to that tone, but Celine was unflappable.
And I was doing my best not to break into laughter at my brother’s expense.
With her arm at her side, she stretched out her fingers, and the little boy slid his palm against hers.
“We’ve been unloading boxes. I’d planned to change into clean clothes before introducing myself to the landlord.” She eyed him up and down. “But Julian ran off, so I didn’t quite finish.”
“Ma’am,” Josh said.
She flinched.
God, he was digging his own grave at this point.
“You can’t just let your kid wander around a working farm,” he gritted out. “He could get hurt.”
Her head snapped up. “You think I just let him?” She gently wrapped an arm around her son and pulled him closer. “This is Julian.”
Evie gave him a friendly wave, and Vincent kicked his feet.
“He’s autistic,” she went on. “You got a problem with that?”
Josh’s eyes widened. “No.”
“Good.” She huffed. “When he gets anxious or overwhelmed, he elopes.” She studied Josh, probably noting the confusion on his face. “He runs away. We’re working on it, but today has been a big day.”
Josh’s jaw flexed, tension radiating off him. Wayne, his ever-faithful companion, brushed up against his side and nudged his hand with his nose.
With a long breath out, my brother dropped his gaze. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to cause offense. I was just worried.”
She crossed her arms, but I looked away, not interested in seeing what the move would do to her bra-clad breasts. “We came a day early,” she said, “so we’d have a little more time to settle in.”
