“It’s not your fault.”She tilted her head to look at Ford.His eyes had little amber striations in them.“I just hate that he can’t be happy for me.But I’m not going to let him ruin things between us.Not when I’m so crazy about you.”
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Darcy.”
“I feel the same way.”
They took a walk to the pasture to get out of the house for some fresh air.He’d been busy with the other herd members working on the exterior of the house, so she hadn’t seen much of him once the sun had come up.
They talked for a while about the repairs, watching the cows and just enjoying the quiet morning.Then they headed back to the farmhouse to get back to work.
“Do you want me to run you to the apartment?”he asked when they reached the porch.
“What?”
“Well, I’ve been wondering if you still feel safe here.We haven’t talked much about what happened.”
“I feelverysafe with you,” she said.“But I would like you to run me to the apartment later so I can pack a bag.”
He rested his hands on her hips and smiled, the one smile that made her knees feel all wonky and her heart pound.Sexy guy.
“I can absolutely do that.”
“I like being here.Fire bombs notwithstanding.”
He snorted, then he leaned down to kiss her.“I like you being here.”
They parted ways with a kiss, him going to the exterior to pick up where he left off, and her to where Nancy was still scrubbing away at the walls and cabinets.
“All okay, hon?”Nancy asked.
“Yeah.Cruz is a butt.”
“Brothers can be like that sometimes.I’m sure in his mind it’s justified, and he probably doesn’t realize how heavy-handed he’s being.”
“Yeah.I need to talk to him, but not today.We both need to cool down.”
“He’ll come around, I’m sure.He’s family.”
“I hope so.”
But Darcy also knew that it was okay if he needed some distance from her while she started a new chapter of her life.She still wasn’t ready to move into the farmhouse, but it would happen soon enough.She didn’t want to lose Cruz, but the ball was in his court right now.
She was just going to concentrate on cleaning and getting to know Nancy and the others in the herd.They were Ford’s family, and they were hers now too.
After dinner on Monday, Ford drove Darcy to her apartment.Khyle had come along in the backseat of the truck as an escort, since Colton was still out there somewhere plotting and scheming.
Darcy pushed the sleeves of the hoodie she’d borrowed from him up to her elbows with a sigh as she looked out the window.She’d been quiet since they left the farmhouse.Every time he looked at her, he wanted to ease the stress she was feeling.But he just didn’t know how.He wasn’t sure what waited for her if her brother was home.He might have cooled down, or he could still be angry.
Ford was tense himself.She’d stood firm against Cruz that she was choosing Ford, but she was also struggling with the rift between them.He hated that he couldn’t protect her from the situation with her brother.
“So are we moving anything heavy?Because I think I’m still sore from Colton’s attack the other night,” Khyle said suddenly, breaking the silence.
Darcy turned to look at him.“I thought Crew said you guys healed really fast?”
“Oh.I didn’t know he told you about that.”
Ford looked at Khyle in the mirror, and his friend had a huge grin.“You’re an ass,” he said.
“Hey!I could still maybe be sore.Have you ever been hit by a truck driven by a maniac before?”
