Before anything fun could happen, I would have to check on any work he had done, but after that? I could ask him for help with something in the barn. We didn’t actually need to hide away. The birds didn’t care if Farmer Shelby was getting split like a cord of firewood under the wide-open sky.
I supposed I would just have to see what kind of mood Carter was in this morning. I assumed he would be in a good mood after last night.Icertainly had a spring in my step.
The farm looked intact as I drove up to it. That was a good start. Carter was walking through the grass, followed by a flock of ducks. It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen. I gripped the steering wheel, deciding maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.
Should I just tell him I liked him? Or would I just make a fool of myself? He had to know already. I wasn’t in the habit of getting naked with guys I didn’t like. So did I even need to tell him?
And then what? He moves into the farmhouse and we have a hundred babies?No. So what the hell was the point?
I got out of my van, torn in every emotional direction. This was why I avoided relationships. They complicated life to the point of driving a girl crazy.
Carter saw me approaching. I waved at him with a smile I couldn’t suppress. “Look at you,” I said. “You’re like a real farmer.”
He nodded but there was no smile in his expression. His brow was furrowed and it looked like he didn’t want to look me straight in the eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, panicking. “Are all my ladies okay?”
“They’re fine,” he said quickly. “They’re all fed already.”
“Thank you so much for doing that,” I said. “But what’s going on?”
“I have a question for you and I need an honest answer, okay?” Carter’s gaze met mine, burning with intensity.
Was this the conversation I’d been hoping to have with him? Was he going to reveal he had feelings too? Were we about to head to the barn?
I pulled back to look at him. “Okay, sure.”
“Were you the one who trashed my company online? Did you make that post that went viral?” He looked like he was holding his breath, waiting for my answer.
Funnily enough, I couldn’t breathe either. My lungs felt paralyzed while my heart galloped madly like it might be able to escape this awkward conversation. How did he know?
I considered denying it but there was no point. “I was going to tell you, but it never felt like the right time.”
Carter nodded, his face solemn. “My team tracked you down. I didn’t want to believe it.”
“Really?” I asked gently. “Even after knowing what happened when Allory came into my life?”
He held up his hand to stop me. “Oh, I totally believed you posted it. I just couldn’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“I’m not ashamed of what I posted,” I said. “It’s all true.”
“All the more reason to tell me,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve been chasing my tail around here, trying to fix this PR nightmare, and it was you the whole time.”
“Yes, but in my defense, you were the enemy up until the last couple days.” I drew my shoulders back and met his gaze. “I had no reason to confide in you. And, yeah, I like you, Carter, but you’re still a stranger to me.”
“We weren’t strangers last night,” he growled.
“Yes, we were,” I challenged. “What’s my middle name?”
That stopped him short. Carter’s head tilted while he searched through his memory. “Samantha?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Will you tell me what it is?”
“Nope.”
Carter ran a hand through his hair. “I know we’re just getting to know each other, but still, I guess I thought…”
