She turned her spoon in the bowl. “I didn’t really have a plan past getting… somewhere Which is new for me. I’m usually the one with the plan.”
I didn’t say anything to that. I knew something about building a life around being the one who held things together, and what happened when that stopped being enough.
“Take the morning tomorrow. Go to town. Get real food. Buy a pair of work boots. Those sneakers aren’t safe.”
Her expression softened, the sass disappearing for a rare moment of genuine gratitude. “Thank you, Cord. Really.”
“Don’t thank me. I just don’t want my employee passing out from malnutrition.”
The corner of her mouth quirked up. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Mountain Man.”
She helped me clear the table, her hand brushing mine as we reached for the same bowl. The contact stopped me cold. I froze, my fingers gripping the ceramic, my gaze snapping to hers. She didn’t pull away. She stayed there, her skin warm against mine, her eyes dark and searching.
I knew the exact moment she decided not to move. She wanted me to touch her. I could feel it in the air, a physical pressure that was pushing us together. I could see the pulse jumping in the hollow of her throat, and damn, I wanted to place my lips there, see if I could make her pulse beat faster. Hell, I wanted to do a lot more than that.
Dark, forbidden thoughts flashed through me. I wanted to bury myself so deep inside her she forgot she ever had a life before now.
But if I did that, I’d be lost, and I wasn’t ready to lose myself to a girl who was just passing through.
“Go back to work, Poppy,” I ordered, somewhat desperately.
“See you at five tomorrow morning, Cord,” she whispered.
She left, the enticing swing of her walk capturing me as she walked down the porch steps. I stood at the window, watching her until she disappeared into the trees.
I stayed at the window a beat longer than I should have. The trees swallowed her up, and the kitchen felt too quiet.
I’d built that quiet deliberately. Spent a decade getting comfortable in it.
It had taken her exactly one afternoon to change it.
I’d hired a lot of seasonal workers over the years. Good ones and bad ones and a few who’d surprised me.
I didn’t know yet which one she was going to be, but as I watched her go, I knew one thing was for certain. My solitude was officially over.
CHAPTER THREE
Poppy
The seed-sorting shed was small, windowless, and currently about ten degrees too warm. It smelled of aged wood and old earth, and corny as it sounded, new beginnings. Because that’s what seeds were—new beginnings.
Just like me, they were looking for a little kindness. Someone to nurture them, water them, and let the sun shine down on them.
It was my second day in the shed, and I’d been paired with a partner. A seventeen-year-old boy who was as inexperienced as I was. I don’t know why Cord had done this, but we were learning together.
Today, we were learning what to do when several trays of seeds were knocked off the table and mixed together. Seeds not of the same variety. I couldn’t very well say anything considering my seedling incident.
“Look, Tyler, we all make mistakes,” I said from my position, kneeling on the floor. “Now, let’s try and fix this one.”
“Of course, of course.” He was still standing, literally wringing his hand together and radiating enough guilt to power a small city.
“Help me pick up the seeds.” I finally said. I kept my voice bright and encouraging, the professional caretaker in me taking over, even as my knees ached against the hard floor.
I was mid-reach, sliding a piece of paper under a pile of seeds, when the door opened. The air in the shed didn’t just shift, it moved out of the way and the space suddenly felt half as large as it had seconds ago.
I looked up, pushing a stray lock of hair out of my face.
Cord stood there, his massive frame blocking out the sun. He was wearing a faded denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing forearms that looked like they could pick me up with no problem. I had no idea where that thought had materialized. Actually, that was a lie. I knew exactly where it came from. I wanted to know what those thick, corded muscles would feel like wrapped around my waist, lifting me until I was level with that brooding mouth.
