“I wouldn’t,” Colt said. “She does come out to the orchards on Monday. Maybe you could just happen to be there too.”
“Or maybe you can just go talk to her right now,” Nikki said. “Before she leaves.”
Trap focused on her, the only female in earshot of this conversation. “Yeah? You don’t think she’ll slap me?” Part of him wanted that, because then he’d be talking to Lila Mae. The other part didn’t want a public confrontation of any kind.
Nikki shrugged one shoulder and picked up her son’s plate. “You’re done with the chips, Shane. I mean it.” She met Trap’s gaze again. “All you can do is try.”
He exhaled as he nodded, his gaze migrating back to Lila Mae. She sat with her back to him, and the sunlight glinted off her golden hair even in the shade. That voice that had yelled at him to help Mrs. Braithwaite started up again, and Trap’s stomach flipped once, and then again.
Dropping his chin, he looked at the few bites of food still on his plate, his indecision raging through him. He cut a look over to Colt. “What does she buy at the orchards?”
“I’ll ask Marta to pull her purchases.” Colt started texting. “Sounded like cider, but maybe she likes the apple butter or something.”
Trap himself really enjoyed apple butter, and while he didn’t have his calendar sitting right in front of him, he could most likely make a trip to Colt’s orchards tomorrow morning. Then, he could “encounter” Lila Mae and get himself a treat. Win, win.
But something—God, or his conscience—told him he didn’t even have until tomorrow morning. At the very least, he’d be sick the rest of the day and wouldn’t sleep for more than five minutes if he left things like this with Lila Mae.
Sighing, he pushed away from the table. “Can I take anyone’s plate?” He collected them from Finn, Colt, Hank and Shane, and Alex. “I’ll be back.”
“Good luck, brother,” Colt said. “I’d go explain, but Jessa….”
“It’s fine,” Trap said, and he detoured over to the big green garbage can to get rid of the plates before he faced the table where Lila Mae still sat. She’d finished eating too, and perhaps he could go offer to clear her plate too.
He spun out as he took the first step, and Trap couldn’t even think English words as he approached the table. Because he’d worked the line for fifteen minutes, he’d finished eating after many at the linger-longer, and they’d moved away from the tables and into groups in the shade.
That left an empty chair next to Lila Mae, and Trap pulled it out and sat down next to her. “I’m sorry,” he blurted out, glad the words sounded somewhat human.
She turned toward him, those stunning oceanic eyes like blue crystal. They sparkled like sunshine on Caribbean water, and Trap found himself swimming hard against their current.
He drew in a breath, fearing this woman would allow him to drown before she threw him any kind of lifesaving device at all. “I’m really sorry about teasing you about your cats.” He nodded, hoping she could hear his sincerity. “Really. I think it’s fun that you go to Colt’s orchard. He’s worked really hard to improve it and get more people up there.”
Lila Mae blinked at him, a hint of surprise moving through her expression.
Trap ground his voice through the back of his throat. “And he was right—I really like working on your place, and I didn’t mean to make it seem otherwise.”
She softened completely then, and she nodded. “Thank you, Mister Walker.”
His stomach started to settle, and he offered her the best smile he could. “Jason and I will have a full walk-through of the veterinary stable ready for you on Thursday.”
Lila Mae nodded and glanced over her shoulder. “Your friends seem nice.”
“They are nice,” he said.
“You’ve talked to them about Feline Friends.”
“Yeah, of course,” he said, reaching up to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He tucked his cowboy hat back into place and glanced down the table. Thankfully, it seemed like Jessa had had her fill of him, and she giggled with her brother and the auburn-haired woman beside him.
“I’ve always wanted to build a tiny house, and I can’t wait to dig into the bigger projects around your ranch.” He’d cleared some land, and she had one usable building right now, but there was plenty of work to do to get the ranch back in truly operational condition.
Lila Mae wanted a fully functional cat sanctuary, with multiple safe houses, a fully functional hospital clinic, and plenty of outdoor play areas. Those had to be fenced to keep predators out, and they were still working through how to keep the cats safe in harsh weather conditions, both cold and hot.
Speaking of heat….
“Well, I’ll see you?—”
“Trap.”
He cringed inwardly and outwardly and dropped his head at the sound of Chelle’s voice. She slid into the chair across from him, and everything inside Trap stiffened. It felt like a hundred spotlights had suddenly been turned on, and with the summer afternoon heat already like a blazing inferno, Trap felt like he might combust at any moment.
