“Thank you so much.”
“Let me carry the tub for you,” he offered.
“That’s so sweet.I’m Darcy.My friend Rhomi is having a baby shower here and I was trying to carry too much in one trip.I overestimated my ability to keep the cupcakes stable.”
“I’m Ford.I came with my friends who are visiting family here at the employee cafeteria.I live on a farm in Little River, and was happy to get away from the chores for the afternoon.”
He lifted the storage box, which wasn’t heavy so much as awkwardly large.
“Ford?”Avi called.
He looked over his shoulder and smiled.“I’ll catch up to you guys later.”
“Got it.”Avi gave him a thumbs-up and Ford smiled.
“Lead the way, beautiful,” Ford said.
Darcy’s cheeks pinked, adding a lovely hint of color.As they walked, he took every chance he could to sneak peeks at her.She was gorgeous.Petite and curved in all the right places, wearing a pale green dress that highlighted her chestnut hair that fell past her shoulders in thick waves.
He wanted to make small talk, or any kind of talk, but he was positively tongue-tied.His stallion wasn’t short for things to say, whinnying non-stop in his head.But he knew that Darcy was human and wouldn’t know about shifters, so he had to keep his stallion’s nature to himself.
Until he won her heart, though.Then he could tell her everything.
But how would he even go about that?
* * *
Ford held the door of an old glass-walled building open.Darcy wiggled by him, and he caught another hint of her sweet scent.His stallion pushed at him, making all sorts of demands related to bringing her back to the farm or hurrying off to a corner for some privacy, but he ignored them and focused on helping her.
When she was through the door, he followed and set the tub down near an arch made of balloons.There were a dozen round tables covered with linen tablecloths and topped with vases of tropical greenery, a long table for holding trays of food over Sternos, and another table with a sign denoting it was for gifts and cards.
He watched Darcy as she set the box of cupcakes on the side of the food table with desserts and once more tried to think of something to say.
“Thank you so much for helping me,” she said, turning to face him.“It’s amazing how much stuff is needed to celebrate a tiny baby.”
“It looks great in here,” he said.“I’m sure the party will be amazing.”He cleared his throat, his voice going rough with the push from his stallion.“Looks like you’ve got it all handled.”
“I don’t feel like it,” she said, her lips twisting into a grimace for a moment.“My friend Reagan is my partner in crime, but she had to run out and pick up the gift that she and I went in on because the one we ordered ended up not getting delivered.So I’m… all alone.If you’re not doing anything?Well, you probably are.You said you came with your friends to visit people who work here…”
Her cheeks pinked again as she pressed her lips into a thin line.
“I just came along for the ride, I’m not really visiting with them.If you need help, I’m happy to lend a hand.”
She breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled broadly.“Thank you so much.I owe you one.”
She put him to work, and he gladly stepped in, helping her hang streamers, move tables, and open some rusted-shut windows to let in the light breeze.They worked side by side for an hour, and he learned that she worked in the office of a hardware store, lived with her brother in a too-small-for-two-people apartment, and had a penchant for movie theater popcorn and sour gummy bears.
She’d asked him similar questions, and the banter between them had been easy and fun.She had the best smile too, which showcased a hidden dimple in her cheek.
“I had to get a different crib than the one we ordered—oh, hi!Who is this?”a female said as she tugged a large box on a dolly behind her.
“Hey, girl,” Darcy said.“This is my new friend, Ford.Do you remember Sera?We met her earlier when she and her boyfriend Caesar came by to check on the shower planning.”
“Sure,” Reagan said.
“Sera is Ford’s friend Fallon’s mom, and he came with Fallon and her boyfriend Avi here for a visit.I snagged him to help.”To Ford, she said, “This is my bestie, Reagan.”
Ford smiled at the female.“It’s nice to meet you.”
