“Fingers crossed, then.”
“You know what I do for a living, right?” Amusement laced his tone.
“Well, yes, but you have paying clients you need to focus on. The humane society can’t afford to pay you for any training for these guys.”
“I do have obligations, but I’ll see if I can’t put in a little work with them too.”
“Just don’t take any time away from your paying clients.” She turned to face him. “Really. I know this move is a big deal for you, and the last thing I want to do is put more work on your plate.”
“I appreciate that. I wasn’t thrilled about the idea yesterday, but now that they’re here, I’m invested in seeing them succeed. I’ll do what I can.”
“You’re one of the good ones, aren’t you?” Her voice dropped without her permission, sounding breathless and flirty, and somehow, they were standing a lot closer to each other than she remembered being a few minutes ago. Jake’s arm brushed hers, the warmth of his skin radiating through her.
“I don’t know about that.” His eyes seared into hers before he turned his gaze back to the horses. “I reckon I owe the Robertsons for any good you see in me.”
“Your in-laws?” she asked, vaguely remembering having heard that name around town, and he nodded. “It’s great that you’re still so close. They say tragedies either bring people together or tear them apart.”
“There’s a lot of truth in that.” He kept his eyes on the horses, but something in his demeanor had shifted, and she regretted her inadvertent dive into personal territory.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up anything painful,” she murmured.
“Don’t be,” he said. “Honestly, I’m sick to death of people tiptoeing around me. I don’t mind talking about it.”
“Okay,” she said, touched by his honesty.
“But yeah, Alana’s parents have become more of a family to me than my own. I don’t know how I would have gotten through any of this without them.”
“I’m glad you have them.” Her eyes darted to his left hand. When they’d met that night at Bar None last summer, he’d still been wearing a wedding ring, although she hadn’t noticed it right away or she never would have flirted with him. Today, his hand was bare, his fingers calloused and roughened from years on the farm. A shiver passed through her as she imagined how they’d feel on her skin.
A bug buzzed past her head, and she jumped away from it at the same time Jake turned toward her. Their chests collided, her breasts pressing into his flannel shirt, and before she really even knew what she was doing, her lips brushed his. He let out a rough sound that seemed to vibrate right through her, his hands gripping her waist, drawing her closer for a moment before returning some space between them.
Dammit. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t do this.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“Don’t be,” he said as a slow smile spread across his lips, andpoof, there went her hormones, exploding for him all over again. “I think you know I’ve been attracted to you since that first night we met.”
“Oh.” She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to calm her racing heart, because yeah, she’d been sure that night, but since he signed the lease…not so much. “Really?”
“Very much so,” he said, his eyes gleaming with a kind of heat that left little doubt as to the truth of his words. “It’s just…I haven’t dated since my wife, and I think it might not be a good idea for us to go there, you know, now that I’m living here.”
“Right,” she said, nodding. “You’re definitely right. It could be tricky. And…maybe you’re not even ready.”
“I might not be.” Sadness flickered across his features, and Megan’s brain clicked up to speed, because Jake had just told her he hadn’t been with anyone since his wife. Alana had been in a coma for something like nine years, which meant…was it possible Jake hadn’t had sex since he was a teenager?
Holy shit.
That was…she couldn’t even wrap her brain around it. Maybe, hopefully,surelyhe’d had a few random hookups in there somewhere.
“I should go.” She pressed the bag of apples into his hands. “You should keep these in the barn. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” he echoed, and she wondered why walking away felt so hard. Maybe she was finally learning what it felt like to make mature decisions.
