But Allie cleared her throat and blinked up at him.
“I know it’s not that late,” she murmured. “But I have to be up early tomorrow so I can make lesson plans before we head back here for all the festivities. It’ll be a busy weekend.”
“Of course,” he said, stepping back immediately. “Let’s get you home.”
She smiled with relief, and for the first time he felt really worried that maybe she didn’t like him as much as he’d thought after all.
How can I feel less confident after she said yes to dating than I did when it was all pretend?
But there was no point worrying. He’d tried to rid himself of that emotion long ago when he was trying to get a small business off the ground. Time spent fretting didn’t impact outcomes. It was simply lost. And while he couldn’t seem to stop himself from worrying about his daughter, he wasnotgoing to add more worry to his life.
As they left the park, hand in hand, he knew more than ever that he was going to focus on winning over Allie Lawrence no matter what it took.
She’ll be panting for me to kiss her by the time I’m done with her.
16
ALLIE
Allie’s heart pounded as Ash drove them back to Lawrence Farm.
She had returned her glove to her hand when they left the park, but she could still feel the pretty little ring around her finger.
It was amazing that Ash had a ring created just for her, and even more surprising that he had known exactly what kind of design she would love. She couldn’t have come up with something that was moreherif she had designed it herself.
How can he know me so well, so quickly?
But she knew the answer to that was Maya, of course. The little girl had clearly talked about Allie’s favorite things when she was at home.
She’s really listening in class,Allie realized, feeling a burst of warm pride at the idea that she’d been able to help the little girl concentrate enough to report back to her father every day.
“What are you smiling about?” Ash asked quietly as he rolled down the window to cross the covered bridge.
“Oh, I was thinking about Maya,” she told him honestly. “If she helped you know enough about me to design this ring, then she’s doing better with her focus than I imagined.”
“She adores you,” Ash said quietly. “She pays attention to everything about you.”
Allie beamed, it felt so good to hear those words.
But what about you, Ash?
She wasn’t sure where the question came from, but once she heard it in her mind, she couldn’t seem to let it go.
It was silly, of course. He’d told her that he encouraged the fake engagement as an excuse to get to know her better. She could at least do him the courtesy of believing him. And just because he offered to let her keep the ring didn’t mean he was trying to buy her affections. He clearly had some kind of feelings for her. Maybe in time he would adore her as much as his daughter did.
He turned the truck in the drive for the farm and she smiled at the comforting sight of her home. There were plenty of mysteries in the world, but this was one place where she always knew she was loved and accepted for exactly who she was.
Ash helped her out of the truck once it was parked, and they headed up to the front door, hand in hand once again.
Her pulse thrummed as they climbed the steps to the porch. He wanted to kiss her again and she knew it.
But something told her to keep walking, to get safelyinside and think things through tonight before anything else happened.
To his credit, Ash didn’t protest, he simply opened the door for her.
“Shoes,”her mom whispered from the living room.
Allie smiled and slipped out of her boots as well as her coat and gloves before heading into the living room.
