Halle lovingly washed the chicken-shaped platters. At Owen’s insistence, she placed them behind the glass-door cabinets in the kitchen. “Saying thank you isn’t enough,” she murmured to him as she stood back to gaze at them.
“There are other ways.” He angled his head toward the back porch.
Her heart raced like a wild pony across an empty field as she followed him outside. “Owen, if you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting…”
He held his arms out to her.
“We’ve only known each other a little over a month,” she reminded as she stepped into his embrace.
“So?” he mocked huskily as he bent his head over hers. “It’s the best month I’ve had in a long time.”
“I don’t have the best track record when it comes to stuff like this.” She spoke against his lips.
He hitched her closer. “Well, here’s your chance to fix those stats.”
Their lips touched, making her feel like weeping all over again. It felt like her first kiss, even though it wasn’t.
He didn’t rush what was happening between them. Instead, he dragged his mouth gently over hers, testing and sampling until she sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, inviting him to take more.
And he did.
Much later that evening,Halle’s phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number. Figuring it was a junk call, she set her phone back on the nightstand without answering it and rolled to her side in bed. She was still reveling in the afterglow of her and Owen’s first kiss.
First kisses, actually. There’d been more than one. Afterward, he admitted he’d dated no one since losing his wife, nor had he wanted to until now.
She’d agreed to see where their growing attraction led, but only if they were discreet about it. The last thing she wanted was for Ryder and Cooper to get hurt if things didn’t work out between her and Owen.
Going from the boys’ nanny to their dad’s girlfriend was a big leap—one that filled her with happiness.She had a good feeling about where things between them were heading.
The guest room brightened as her phone screen lit up with an incoming text. Her cell phone was getting a good workout this evening. She reached for it to read the message, and the bottom fell out of her joyful evening. It was from the mysterious imposter, who’d been pretending to be Jensen. She hadn’t heard from him in weeks.
I saw what you did today. You’d better run while you can.
Her insides chilled at the realization that someone had been watching her. However, it was unclear what they were objecting to.
Was it the kisses she’d shared with Owen?
Or her successful recovery of some more of her parents’ belongings?
Or her failure to become a human pancake during Rex’s emergency landing?
Who was the imposter, and why was he trying so hard to chase her away from her childhood home?
With shaking hands, she took a screenshot of the creepy message and forwarded it to Owen.
Chapter 6: A Child’s Prayer
Daybreak
“There’s no cell phone service out here.” Halle walked around the site where Rex had manually landed the crop duster. She held her cell phone high above her head. “I’m getting no bars whatsoever.”
“Neither am I.” Owen had a bad feeling about it. They’d been waving their phones around for several minutes. “I know it’s a long shot to ask this, but do you know if this part of the farm has always been a dead spot for cell service? Or, is this something new?”
She shook her head. “Honestly? I’ve never tried to make a call this far away from the house.” The only reason they were doing it now was to determine what had interfered with the crop duster’s navigational system yesterday.
She moved his way, lowering her voice. “Do you believe Rex’s story about the controls glitching out on him?”
Owen had been asking himself the same question all morning. “I don’t have any reason notto.”
