She waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. “Darren.”
“I just miss him,” he said. “He was like my dad for a while, and I’ve just had some experiences that have reminded me to be grateful for what he did when our parents died.” He cut her a glance out of the corner of his eye. “That’s all.”
She watched the sun dip lower in the sky. “Will we be able to get back in the dark?”
“We’ll leave as soon as the sun goes down,” he said. “There will still be enough light to get back.”
Several more seconds passed before Darren shifted beside her. She glanced up at him, and he stroked his fingers down the side of her face. “Farrah, I know it’s crazy, and probably way too soon to tell you this, but I think I’m in love with you again.”
She blinked, unsure of how to respond. So she tilted her head back and received his kiss willingly, sparks shooting through her whole body at the contact.
She’d kissed Darren before—lots of times—but this kiss definitely held something more. He really did love her. She basked in the warmth of it, let it send shockwaves through her muscles, and deepened the kiss so he would know she might be in love with him too.
chapter
thirteen
Nothing existedwhen Darren kissed Farrah. The sky could fall, the sun could burn to dust, everything could disappear from existence.
He marveled at the way she kissed him, like she really enjoyed herself and couldn’t get enough of him. Which was perfect, because he absolutely couldn’t kiss her for long enough. He laid her down on the blanket and kissed her again and again, almost like he’d been starving without her touch these past few months.
He finally remembered his manners and pulled away. She tucked herself against his chest and they watched the sun sink lower and lower in the sky.
He couldn’t believe he’d confessed that he loved her. But he wanted to tell her, wanted her to know the depth of his feelings now, so she wouldn’t run away later.
And she hadn’t run. She’d stayed. Stayed and kissed him.
His heart beat erratically in his chest, rejoicing to be here with her, playing out one of his fantasies. The gentle rise in the landscape finally swallowed the sun, and he said, “Well, we should go.”
She groaned and held onto him as he tried to stand. “One more kiss.”
He chuckled and planted his lips against her forehead.
“No,” she complained. “That wasn’t a good kiss.”
“You’re saying I’m not a good kisser?”
She gazed up at him with those blue eyes, so full of trust and hope and…love? “Better prove it,” she whispered in the semi-darkness.
He touched his lips to hers for just a beat, barely there then gone. A tingle started against his tongue, and he kissed her again, holding on longer and really exploring her mouth. She responded in kind, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would never be satisfied kissing anyone else.
“All right,” he said a bit breathlessly. “We really do have to get back.” They got up and he folded the blanket and stowed it back in the saddlebag. They arrived back at Steeple Ridge with only a hint of light left in the sky.
Working beside her to brush down the horses was almost as exciting as kissing her, and Darren couldn’t help glancing over at her every few seconds. She seemed to be watching him just as much, because as soon as they put away the animals, she grabbed onto his shirt collar and pressed him into the stall door for another kiss.
He wanted to kiss her everywhere. Here. In the other barn. Giggling as they ducked around the corner of the shed to steal a kiss. In the house. Next to her car. He simply couldn’t get enough of her.
“Lunch tomorrow?” she said against his lips. “The forest is only a few steps from the boutique.”
He nipped her bottom lip and claimed her mouth again. “I’ll be there.”
She ducked her head and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Darren, I’m sorry about?—”
“Not tonight, Farrah.” He placed one finger on her lips and stroked it across them. “We’re fine. Nothing to be sorry about.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn’t. Darren went with her to her car and he got that kiss next to it before she climbed in and drove down the lane back to the highway. He watched her headlights until they disappeared, his hands stuck low in his pockets. He gazed up into the dark sky, where the stars had just started to wink into existence.
“Thank you, Lord,” he said. “For bringing her home to Steeple Ridge.” For bringing her home tohim.
