A little girl who wore flowy dresses and hiking boots.One who could wield a wrench and tend bees with a gentle hand.
Man, he had it bad.
When Bibi yawned and stretched, he reached over to pat the beast.Then he grinned at Dani.“How about you show me your welder?”With the glorious stretch of spring weather, they’d been spending all their time outdoors and hadn’t made it to her garage yet.
She laughed, a bright and happy sound.“Is that an innuendo?”
He grinned.“Not this time.It’s been a hell of a day for you.We’re not taking that step until we’re both a hundred percent sure that’s what we want.”
Her eyes darkened with desire, and he could see the protest building.He kissed her forehead.“Not today, Dani.Let’s see what the papers say tomorrow and deal with it.Then we’ll see.”
Her eyes misted, and she blinked the moisture away with a smile.“Promise?”
Desire shot through him, but he didn’t take back his words.He didn’t want her to have any regrets.And he certainly didn’t want her to make decisions when she’d had such an emotional day.
She sighed dramatically and grinned.“Fine.I’ll hold you to it.For now, let’s go see my workshop.”
He lifted her down from Beatrice and kissed her again.Once Bibi had jumped down to join them, he closed the tailgate and patted it.“One day, we need to talk about giving Beatrice here a bit of a polish and shine.”
Dani laughed.“I think she’s perfect just the way she is.”
He squeezed her hand, and they walked through the field to the portion of her property she called her yard.
Once she unlocked the garage, the scent of metal had him breathing deeply.“Heaven.”
Dani laughed.“Not everyone would agree.I like this as much as I love the scent of wildflowers in the clearing.”
“I get that.In fact, I’m surprised how much I also love the sensations in that meadow as well.”
“That’s because you’re in love with Beatrice.”
He chuckled, knowing he was falling in love, but it wasn’t with Beatrice.“True fact.”
He looked around the garage with curiosity.He hadn’t even managed a glimpse the day she’d closed the door in his face that first day.
He whistled at the organized space in front of him.Shelves covered the side walls.Clearly labeled bins held everything from crystals to nuts and bolts.Shelves held racks of long metal rods of various thicknesses, probably the basis for most of her metalwork.
One worktable held a metal brake for bending pieces, and a few more brakes sat on a nearby shelf.They all looked homemade, and she’d set the tubes at various angles so she could make different shapes.
A welder sat on wheels, and he imagined her welding out in the driveway in suitable weather.That image would live in his fantasies.
At the back of the garage, she’d sealed off a section with tarps and heavy-duty tape.Probably her painting and sanding space.
While he wandered the garage, Dani opened the large door at the front to give him a better look.He turned to grin at her.“This is amazing.I want to create something similar in the equipment barn over at the farm.I love restoring old vehicles, and I’ve had some fun painting motorcycles.The barn is huge, and I’ll block off a section for painting like you’ve done here.Can I see some of your work?Do you have anything in progress?”
Nerves didn’t have a chance to flutter under his intensity.He’d already seen her work and enjoyed it.She knew the process, and her products genuinely intrigued him.
It felt odd to share her work in person.“It’s weird showing my art to someone other than Bibi, but I’ve got a few pieces ready for sanding and polishing.I’ve also got some that I’m just starting over here.”
Lawson frowned at her.“If I’m being pushy, tell me to shove off.It’s your work.If you’d rather not show it, that’s fine.”
She smiled.“That’s not it.It’s just that there’s never been anyone to show.”Which probably sounded pathetic.
“There is now.Let me see.”
His smile and eagerness had her laughing as she led him back to the paint shop.“I’ve got a series planned in my head.The fairies, flowers, and bees are selling almost as quickly as I can make them.”
Lawson grunted approval when he spotted the table where the pieces were awaiting the next steps.
