In response, she tackles me. I fall on my back with anoofas she climbs on top of me and kisses me hard. “Baby—” I manage.
“I’m so sorry all that happened to you,” she says earnestly. “It must have been horrible.”
“Right now, I’m just worried about you. Broke my heart to see you like that last night. Youknowsomething is wrong, sweetheart. You can’t keep on like this.”
She bites her lip. “I know I’m way too stressed out right now,” she allows. “But I’m scared if I stop posting, I’ll lose everything I’ve built. Working regular jobs was exhausting too. I hated it, I felt burned out,andI was barely making enough to get by. Being an influencer, I make good money, and I can set my own hours…”
I stroke her hair. “I just want you to be okay.”
She nods into my chest. “I’ll think about it. About taking a break.”
Relief floods me. I hold her closer. We lie there for a few minutes, breathing against one another. The sun comes out overhead, bathing us both.
The silence is broken by a softcracka few feet away. Summer looks up and goes very, very still. “Fraser,” she whispers.
“Aye.”
“Er, there’s a cow spying on us?”
I follow her gaze. Standing in between the trees is a huge furry Highland cow. She’s watching us both placidly, chewing slowly on some grass.
“Oh, that’s just Bessie. She’s in love with me. She comes down here to perv on me while I’m swimming.” I blow her a kiss. “Hiya, love.”
Bessie blinks at me slowly, then wanders on through the trees.
Summer lets out a disbelieving laugh, shivering against me. The winds are starting to pick up, so I sit, patting her pert bum. “C’mon. Let’s get you back to the house. I bet Cameron’s cooked you ten million pancakes.”
THIRTY-ONE
ALEC
Ishade my eyes against the setting sun as I steer the tractor one-handed through paddock twelve. It’s getting late, and golden evening light is flooding the green field, lighting the hills around me. The flock is grazing peacefully, and the spring air is cool and gentle. I’m doing my final rounds of the land before bed, but my mind keeps wandering.
It’s been hours since Fraser brought Summer back from their swim. He and Cameron had to leave to do some deliveries in the village, so she’s been alone in the farmhouse all day. I don’t know if she’s okay after last night.
Running next to the tractor, Scout barks an alert. I jerk my head around. A few feet away, a fat ewe is lying on her back, her wee black legs in the air.
I swear, put the tractor into park, and hop out. This happens sometimes. If sheep roll onto their backs, they can’t get back up again. They can die from the pressure on their lungs if they’re left too long like that.
I jog over and crouch next to the ewe, who bleats at me pitifully. “All right. Let’s get you up, okay?” I grab a fistful of wool and heave her right way up. She stumbles a bit in my arms, and I hold her while she gets her footing. “I hope you haven’tbeen like that too long,” I murmur, rubbing her back as she wavers.
If she has, it’s my fault. I was meant to be done with my rounds an hour ago. I’ve been running behind schedule all day. No matter how much I try to focus, my mind keeps wandering.
All I can think about is Summer.
Even now, as I pet the sheep, I can see her on the floor of the guest room last night, her hand curled in the front of my jumper as she sobbed. She thinks everyone hates her.
She thinksIhate her.I’veadded to that pain.
I don’t hate her.
I want her. Of course, I want her.
It’s been hell having her on the farm. Everything about her is a distraction. She’s beautiful. She’severywhere.She’s always dressed in tiny clothes. And to top it off, she’s sleeping with both of my best friends.
I grit my teeth. The damn moaning through the walls two nights ago kept me up until well into the morning. I woke up rutting in my bedsheets like a teenager. I’ve been half hard for two damn days.
I’m angry. I don’t havetimeto feel like this. It’s storm season. I have to take care of the lambs. I have to make sure Fraser’s okay, that Cameron’s not pushing himself too hard, and that the entire business is running smoothly. I can’t afford to be distracted. So when I saw her in the kitchen yesterday, all of that frustration took over, and I snapped at her. I shouldn’t have. I just couldn’t help myself.
