He followed his ears to the fiddlers who were gathered on a grassy patch under an apple tree, the sound of the river playing counterpoint to Amber’s song. She was good, too, a worthy opponent for Brianna. Brock stopped a few yards away and studied the sour expression on Jerold’s face as he watched Amber, waiting for him to cast the slightest glance at Brianna. But the man seemed to be aiming all his nastiness at Amber for the moment.Equal opportunity dickhead.
Brianna watched Amber too, looking enraptured by the music, but her posture told a second story. Her back was rigid and she sat on the edge of her folding chair. She had one leg crossed over the other and her dangling foot fidgeted like she was ready to run at a moment’s notice. Brock could think of a thousand ways he wanted to soothe her anxiety, all of them involving a private room where he could slowly undress her, slipping the thin straps of her dress off her freckled shoulders, kissing a path down to her gorgeous breasts, listening to more of the sweet sounds she made when he did something she liked…
Focushe reprimanded himself.This is exactly what Kyle was talking about.
As if the heat of his thoughts caught her attention, Brianna looked over her shoulder and spotted him. He hadn’t seen her since she’d left the farm for the coffee shop, hadn’t communicated with her except through brief texts while she assured him she was all right but needed to give a statement. Now she smiled and waved her fingers before turning back to Amber. It killed him a little to see her act as though everything was fine, to try and hide her anxiety. She wasn’t a soldier built to suppress that shit until the battle was over, but she was doing it all the same. His admiration for her grew.
Amber finished her song and the group clapped—even Jerold, though barely. Anthony stood and approached Amber. As he started giving her a private critique, Brianna took out her phone and started typing. A moment later, Brock felt his cell vibrate with an incoming text.
Hey! I promise I’m not ditching again but my family is twisting my arm to see them at the coffee shop before I go to dinner tonight with the group (believe me, I’d rather go straight to dinner). Would you mind coming along for moral support?
He looked up to see her watching him. She lifted her eyebrows, ducked her shoulders, and gave him a questioning smile and a thumbs up. He returned her smile with a wink and texted:
Absolutely I’ll go with you.
Then he added:
Anything you need.
And hit send.
He watched her read her phone and loved the smile that spread across her face. It was like those first quiet, magic moments of the day when he’d be out on a boat during a mission and the sun rising up from the edge of the ocean lit the water and turned it into a carpet of diamonds. That always made him think anything was possible, and maybe—just maybe—today nothing bad would happen to him or his team.
When she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling, and mouthedthank youhe prayed nothing bad wouldeverhappen again. Not to her. Never to her.
Chapter 10
Brock insisted on driving the few blocks from the farm to Riversong Coffee before he realized what a mistake that was.
“No, huh-uh, no way.” Brianna shook her head so hard he thought she was going to give herself whiplash. “I appreciate that you’re thinking it might upset me to walk down the same street so soon, but this is my town and I’m not going to let myself become afraid of it.”
Damn. Brock grinned. “So you’re getting right back on that horse, huh?”
“I sure am.” She carried her fiddle case in one hand and looped her other arm through his.
“I admire that,” Brock said as they walked toward the front gate.
“Yeah, well. Let’s see if you still admire me when I’m facing my family.”
He stopped and turned, then cupped her cheek. “There is nothing easy about family.”
“Especially mine. As much as I love them, they are tough customers.”
Brock laughed. “And so are you.” Not caring who saw, he bent to kiss her. Sweet cherry lips sent him reeling.
“Get a room!” They broke apart in time to see Amber passing and waving at them, a goofy, teasing smile on her face. “Am I gonna see you tonight at dinner, partner, please?” she asked as she turned and kept walking backward.
“Count on it,” Brianna answered, beaming. “Just gotta check in with the fam first.”
“Cool. See ya!” Amber turned again and kept walking.
Brianna waved and traded compliments and promises to be at dinner with other people as they walked. Brock felt her footsteps go from almost dragging to light and bouncing. And he thought nothing short of a nuke could remove the smile from her face.
“What?” she asked as she turned her smiling face up at him. “What are you smiling at?”
“You. At how much I’ve seen you change in just a couple of days.”
Brianna shook her head, though her smile stayed in place.
