There was a pause while Owen answered.
“Good.I’ll see you in a sec.”
She turned to Aurelie and Jace.“I’m going to check on Maddie.You two behave yourselves for the next few minutes until the guys get back.”
It was said as a passing joke, but Aurelie felt the words like a jolt of electricity warning her off a particular path.
The minutes that passed were the longest Aurelie had ever endured.In the silence, Jace’s hand still on her thigh, her thoughts went wild without anything to rein them in.She wondered about what she would do if she had to leave Banberry; what Paige would think about how their helping out Analise had not ended their troubles; and that now Analise’s abusive ex was behind all the land purchases around Banberry.She gave her father only a fleeting thought, but even that was enough to cause her pulse to race.
Most of all, though, she thought about the man sitting next to her, of what his hands would feel like on other parts of her body, what they were capable of.Her leg began to tremble, but the weight of Jace’s hand, now farther up her thigh, calmed the tremor.She wanted to look at him, but she knew that if she did, she would lose the last of her resolve to keep him at arm’s length.
When the front door opened, they both jumped.Owen stomped his feet on the outside mat, but it barely made a dent in the muck he brought in with him.
“Hey, Aury,” Owen said, the nickname sounding heavy in the otherwise quiet room.Only her Montana friends called her that.He leaned in to whisper, thankfully not noticing how close she and Jace were sitting.At least Jace’s hand was off her leg now.“You still down to babysit?I dropped the ball on a place to take Paige with all that’s going on, but if you can still cover Maddie, I’ll come up with something.”
“Of course.I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks.”
“Sweet, thanks.”He kissed her cheek, and she couldn’t help but smile since the wordeffusivedidn’t apply to her best friend’s husband.“Brad’s on his way up.Where’s my lovely bride?”he asked.
“Checking on Maddie.”
“I’ll go find her and get thinking on a plan for tonight.Good to see you, man,” he added, shaking Jace’s hand.“I’ll be down to help with the porch when we’re done here.And we’re not taking off until Paige is done with work, so I’ll have the day for you.”
“You sure?If you have other chores…”
“Nah.This is fun, breaking down your old life to build a new one.”
Aurelie froze in her seat; what she wouldn’t give to do the same.
Owen jogged out of the room toward his wife, and the now-familiar pang tightened Aurelie’s chest again.
Owen and Paige returned together, Maddie, swaddled and half-asleep, in her mom’s arms.At the same time, the door opened, and Brad came in.The tightening seized hard, making it difficult for Aurelie to breathe.
“Hey, sis,” he whispered, knocking his boots on the side of the house, then stomping what he could off on the mat, like Owen had just done.“Sorry it took a sec.We were almost done with the west field.”
Paige sat on the couch beside the large oak dining table, another Owen original.Come to think of it, there wasn’t much in this home Owen had not made or improved, Paige included.Paige pulled her nightshirt up and tucked Maddie up underneath it.
“No worries,” she said.“These two are the ones who called this meeting, so talk to them.”
“No way, sis.You’re the boss in every situation; weallknow that.”
Owen laughed, earning a scowl from Paige.His attempt to hide his smile was futile, as it scrunched up his eyes in the corners.
“Jace, tell them what you found,” Aurelie said, shifting the conversation to the matter at hand.At a minimum, it would give her some distance from the man she’d kissed and been thinking about nonstop the past two days.
Jace stood, walked over to where Brad and Owen were digging in the fridge.Owen took a long pull of milk from the carton, to an exasperated sigh from Paige, which he ignored.
“You two know there was someone who was gonna buy my property?”
Owen looked at Brad, then at his wife.They shook their heads.
Jace grimaced.Aurelie had had enough rum the night before that she’d forgotten about that part of the story.
“Okay, well, it turns out he’s the same one that’s been buying up these other properties around town, places that are in arrears or are struggling.I made some calls to my agent in LA, who has connections all over the country.She did some digging and found out who the mystery millionaire is.”
Owen looked up, tossed a few pieces of dry cereal in his mouth, one eyebrow raised at Jace.
“Have you heard of Isaac Puckman?”Owen and Brad shook their heads, but Paige looked at Aurelie with surprise registered in her eyes, heat pinkening her cheeks.
