Her heart melted at the look in his eyes.
The door to the mudroom opened, and her brother walked through with Jolie.
She flinched, but Seth continued to hold her close, running his hand softly over her back. Had he heard them coming?
Obviously, it didn’t worry him to be spotted holding her closely. It didn’t bother her either, although her cheeks flushed. She didn’t know if she’d ever been held by a boyfriend in front of one of her brothers before.
Was Seth her boyfriend? There was nothing boyish about the man, but did he even want to be in a relationship with her beyond the bedroom?
His warm, confident grip on her waist said he did.
Jolie’s smile was in direct contrast to Ford’s scowl. Deciding to be proactive, Mara pointed at the plates. “I’m looking for guinea pigs to try the apple chips I’m experimenting with. Check them out.”
Seth ran his hands lightly over her arms one more time and released her. “We’ve got Kimi coming with chickens in a few minutes.”
Ford didn’t take his frowning gaze off of Seth. Jolie smacked him on the shoulder. “That’s amazing. We’ll help you settle them into their coop. I wonder whether Hemsworth or Fox will come to visit them. We left them playing tag in the orchard.”
Mara sent Jolie a grateful smile. “Thanks. It’ll be fun to see how the hens like the coop.”
“Did you come up with a name for it yet?”
Mara shook her head. “I haven’t even thought about it yet. Any suggestions?”
Jolie laughed. “Ford came up with the names for Duckington Palace and the Quack Mobile. Any suggestions for them, Ford?”
Ford’s gaze lingered on Seth for another moment before turning to Jolie. “Sorry. What was that?”
Jolie sighed. “Come on. Let’s go outside and check the chicken coop.”
Mara was relieved when her friend tugged her brother outside. Before she could ask Seth anything, he brushed a kiss over her lips and followed the others outside.
Reminding herself she wasn’t a coward, she joined them.
Seth knew when a man wanted to rip him to pieces. Ford’s big brother instincts were rumbling through him, and the man was looking for a fight.
Seth hoped it didn’t come to that. Mara wouldn’t like it if the two of them pounded the shit out of each other. Neither would Jolie.
Still, he wouldn’t back down from a fight if Ford wanted to go a round or two.
Outside, Jolie headed to the chicken coop, but Ford stopped, turned, and locked his gaze on Seth.
Never one to avoid a confrontation, Seth headed to his friend. “You got a problem with me, Dodge?”
Ford’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know, Babs. Why were your hands on my sister?”
“We were dancing.”
Ford blinked twice. “Dancing? What the hell does that mean?”
“It means dancing. Your sister’s got some moves on her.” Well, shit, that didn’t sound good.
Ford growled, and Seth held up his hands. He heard Mara calling from behind him, but he didn’t take his attention off her brother. “Okay, that didn’t come out right. We were dancing because she was happy about the chickens. But we’re also dancing our way around each other, trying to decide if the chemistry exploding between us is worth exploring. To my mind, it is. If she agrees, we’ll be doing a lot more dancing, both literally and in the way you first thought. You want to hit me now?”
Ford’s hands clenched while Mara called their names again.
Ford sighed and relaxed his fists. “Hell, she’s going to hate me if I hit you, right?”
Seth chuckled. “Probably.”
