“Nope, come on.”
I quickly scan his appearance, from his worn blue jeans to his fitted T-shirt and the work boots on his feet. “Where are we going?” I ask.
“For a ride.” He flashes me one of his smiles, one that seems more comfortable and natural than it did before we startedhanging out. “I know you’re sad your sister just left, and I don’t want you sulking in this apartment for the rest of the day or going downstairs to work early on your much-needed day off. So, let’s go.”
I just stare at him, hating the fact he’s right. For the last thirty minutes, I’ve been super sad Em left, enjoying our time together and needing it more than I realized. And yes, after I switched the laundry, my plan was to go downstairs and catch up on a little paperwork in my office. I know Guy has the place under control, so I don’t have to worry about him, but I figured there was something useful I could do to keep my mind occupied.
I huff and turn around, heading toward my bedroom.
“As much as I love seeing your ass in those cutoffs, I’m gonna need you in jeans, closed-toed shoes, and a T-shirt. Oh, and something to pull back your hair.”
I pause and meet his gaze, raising a single eyebrow.
“Not for that, dirty girl.” He winks and grins, setting my heart fluttering in my chest.
I move to my bedroom and change into the clothes he suggested before grabbing a hair tie and a pair of boots. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I ask, returning to the living room and taking a seat to put on my boots.
Collin is standing at the windows, looking out at the downtown area. “No.”
I gape up at him, earning a small victorious grin.
“Come on, slow poke. We have stuff to do,” he informs me, clapping his hands together and heading for the door.
I get up, grab my purse, and follow behind him. After making sure the door is secured, we move down the stairs and out the back door where I find his truck waiting. That’s not what grabs my attention, however. It’s what’s in the bed. “Are we taking that?” I ask, pointing to the big orange four-wheeler in the bed.
“We are,” he says, opening the passenger door for me. “But not from here, so let’s go.”
I jump inside the cab, and before I can fasten my seat belt, Collin leans in and steals a kiss. “Hi.”
I press my lips to his once more before replying, “Hi.”
He pulls back and smirks. “More of that later.”
Once he closes my door, he moves around to get in on the driver’s side and starts the truck. We make our way to the main drag, turning left in front of The Tall One and driving out of town. “Where are we going?” I ask, now that I know the mode of transportation.
“You remember my friend Wyatt, right?”
“The tall farmer?”
“Yeah, the big, ugly ogre. He has several acres we ride on, and since it’s such a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I figured we’d go for a ride around his farm.”
I’m already grinning eagerly as we make our way to the land his friend owns. The house is an older two-story place, with a big porch and large windows. There’s a long driveway and a two-car detached garage with a breezeway between the structures. Not to mention two large, older barns that look like they’ve been well-maintained and a fenced-in pasture with cattle. “This place is great,” I reply, taking it all in as we drive past the house and park by the second barn.
“It was his grandparents’ place. His grandpa passed away a few years back, and they had to put his grandma in a place with memory care. Wyatt had been taking care of it, working with his dad, so they deeded it to him. His dad helps him with the cattle and farming the ground and lives about a mile up the road.”
Just as we park, Wyatt walks out of the barn, dirt covering his jeans and shirt, with a wide grin on his face. “Well, well, well. Look who we have here. If it isn’t my friend, Collin, and…a woman.”
I turn toward Collin just in time to see him roll his eyes. “Shut up.”
He holds up his dirty hands in surrender. “I’m just saying…it’s been a while.”
Moving to the bed of his truck, he lowers the tailgate and says, “I was here two days ago, asshole.”
Wyatt just smiles, like the cat that ate the canary. “Not what I meant.”
Collin doesn’t respond, just preps the bed to remove the four-wheeler with ramps. “You don’t mind if we take a spin around the farm, do you?” he asks, clearly already knowing the answer.
“No, no, of course not.” He gives me his full attention. “Hey, Lizzie.”
