“Not a cowboy,” he grumbles. “And that’s the second time you’ve called me hot.”
My sister and I look in his direction simultaneously, shocked that he said so many words in one go. If he’d started talking earlier, I wouldn’t have screamed for so long.
Walker’s got this look on his face that tells me he’s slightly amused, even with a scowl fully in place. His eyes are no longer as narrowed.
“Now, can you both get out?” This time his words are gritty and filled with warning.
It’s irritatingly hot. Much like Walker.
“Why does the man have to be so good-looking?” I ask my sister. Her body sags with a nod, like she’s agreeing with me. “Maybe it’s because he’s naked. Although, I can think of quite a few people I’ve accidentally seen naked who I didn’t find hot.” I look back at him to explain. “Working in seasonal tourism, and mostly in hotels, means this happens more often than I’d like. It’s not like I’m a Peeping Tom.”
“Why are you still talking?” He grits out the words.
Oh. Right. “We’ll just—” I point toward the door. “Leave you to it.”
A bull-like huff escapes his lips as we leave, and I make sure not to turn around, even though I still have a thousand questions and zero answers.
“Start talking,” I say to my sister as I drag her down the steps and into the kitchen.
As soon as I spot the L-shaped counter, specifically the woven stools my dad always pulled out for us to sit on and have our chats, the memory of my father’s voice grounds me. “Breathe, Tally. Just breathe.”
This is where I’d go when someone made fun of my clothes at school, or when I got my heart broken by a boy. A few fights were fixed between me and Rosie, too, with diet cokes in glass bottles—one of my dad’s special treats—right in this very spot.
“God, I miss him,” I whisper, my hand going to my chest and rubbing as if I could ease this pain. I don’t dare walk into the living room, where my father used to sit in the worn blue chair that matched the couches we had when I was a kid. We got new couches when I was in high school, but his chair remains. There’s probably still a LEGO block or two lost in the cushions. He was always putting together a new model.
Penny leans her head against my shoulder. “Me, too.”
“What’s going on, Penny? Why is there a man living in our parents’ house? Why did Mom move out? Why did you really ask me to come home?”
My sister rolls her lips before nodding toward the counter. “Let’s sit.”
Wearing a pair of jean overalls that hang haphazardly onone side, Penny leads us over to the counter. With a roll of her shoulders, she straightens. “I’m not exactly sure what is going on with Mom. She refuses my help on the farm. Not that I’d even know what to do. Like Walker said, she moved into the cottage and gave him free reign over this house.” She pauses, looking around the kitchen. “I haven’t been in here in months because of that. Looks about the same, though.”
I nod in agreement. If Walker has been staying here, he can’t have touched much. Why, though? Why is he here? Why would he want to live among my parents’ things? It’s such an odd choice for a bachelor.
“Wait, is Walker single?”
Penny’s mouth falls open. “Wow, you’re interested in the farmer?”
“No. Obviously not.” My cheeks heat. “I am just wondering if anyone else is going to jump out of the rafters and claim they have the right to be here.”
Penny lets out a breathy laugh. “Not that I’m aware of. Dad hired Walker last year to help with the soil. He was trying to extend the wedding season.”
My stomach clenches. “Extend it?”
“Yeah. The daffodils only last a few weeks and then the tulips are gone by end of May. Dad figured if he could find a way to extend those time periods, more brides would want to have their weddings here.”
This is news to me. “But that wasn’t possible, right? You promised you only needed me through mid-May.”
Penny nods. “don’t think any magical soil has been produced. You’re safe to return to your exciting life as soon as the season ends.”
My exciting life. Right. Everyone thinks I left because Iwanted to. The truth is that Icouldn’tstay. Or at least that’s the lie I’ve always told myself. Now, Iee how I let everyone down. How I let my father down.
He had to hire some stranger to run our farm. Dammit, I should have been here. I should have known about this … Jesse Walker’s presence wouldn’t have been a surprise if I’d paid even a little attention.
The guilt is enough to eat me alive. But I can’t change the past. I may have failed my father once, but I won’t do it again. Which means I need to figure out what Walker is up to.
“Why is he still here? If he didn’t do what he said he would, why did Mom have him move into our house?”
