She wasn’t the type of woman who threw herself at a man, and if she found herself wrapped up in Judd’s arms again, she might do something they’d both regret. Years of friendship and trust would crumble in a kiss.
Chapter 8
Judd
“Today is the big day.” Judd paced the judging stand.
There were six entries for the state’s biggest pumpkin competition, and his was on the end—right next to his cousin’s. The two pumpkins looked identical in size. There was no way to tell which one weighed more until the competition later that morning. The other pumpkins were close seconds. Unless one of them was full of lead, he and Wyatt were the only two contenders.
The sun wasn’t up yet, and the world was painted in muted fall colors like a Photoshopped photograph. Judd crept through the grass, keeping one eye out for his competition.
“This is so James Bond.” Wynn had Laney on her hip, the girl still in pajamas. The two tracked behind them, silent as deer in the mist. Miles was still in the truck, snoozing so deeply that they couldn’t wake him to come look at the entrants. “I’ve never seen this side of you. What’s your motivation?” She joined him as he glanced around the last real cover they had before making a run to the giant pumpkin patch.
“Wyatt didn’t bring his pumpkin until late last night, and I was watching the kids, so I couldn’t check it out.” He pulled up short in front of his cousin’s entry. Glaring at the behemoth, he asked, “Does it look bigger than mine?”
Wynn snorted a laugh. “Your pumpkin is the biggest pumpkin in Harvest Ranch.”
“In the whole world.” Laney threw her arms out to the side. Her little voice was big in the predawn stillness.
Judd pulled a tape measure out of his pocket. “Help me measure this.”
Wynn set Laney down. “Stay close.” She took the tape and stood next to cream-colored flesh. Giant pumpkins weren’t always orange, but Judd preferred his that way. Wyatt must have gone with a hybrid. “There’s no way your cousin grew a bigger pumpkin this year.”
“You’ll win the trophy, Uncle Judd.” Laney’s encouragement was like candy corn—it came in a small package and was always appreciated.
“Thanks, pea. I couldn’t have grown this without your help.”
She beamed, her pigtails swinging, and his worries lessened. All summer, the two of them had watered, turned, babied, fertilized, and fretted over the three giant pumpkins in his garden. Well, garden might be a generous term. The only thing he grew was the pumpkins for the contest. Maybe next year he’d try peppers or something so Laney could have the pride that came with putting food on the table. “Even if we don’t win, I’m glad we got to do this together.”
Wynn gave him one of her my-heart-is-melting looks. She did that sometimes when he said things to the kids that got to her. It made him feel like Superman, and he lifted his chest.
Before he could say anything else, he reached the end of his tape measure. “Shoot.” He put his arm around the hull and searched for Wynn’s fingers. She gasped as their skin brushed. A shock went up his arm, but he didn’t pull away. It was a nice jolt, like waking up and realizing it was Christmas morning. He hooked his hand around hers and held on. “Are your arms all the way out?”
“Mostly,” came her muffled reply. She must have been facing the pumpkin.
He frowned, letting go of her hand. “Okay. Let’s do ours again.”
“Ours?” She folded her arms. “I want it on the record that I did not participate in this. I am neutral ground here.”
“What? No way. You’re clearly on Team Judd.”
She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. “I want the cousins to like me, okay? That’s why Stephanie and I stay out of your weird rivalry.”
“It’s not weird.” He and Wyatt were the same age, same height. They always had been, and it drove them both nuts growing up. Grandpa would line them up against the wall at every family gathering and lay a ruler over their two heads. They never gained so much as a sixteenth of an inch on each other. “I’ve entered this competition every year since my junior year of high school. He didn’t have to copy me.”
She rolled her eyes and muttered, “Children.”
He grinned. Her tone said she wasn’t all that upset with him.
When he’d roused the house this morning, he’d expected some resistance. What he hadn’t expected was the feeling of intimacy that surrounded him when he walked into her bedroom. She was so beautiful in her sleep, her eyelashes resting heavily on her cheeks and her full lips slightly opened as she breathed deeply. He’d had to backtrack and get Laney so she could wake up her mom, because he didn’t dare touch Wynn for fear of what it would stir inside of him.
He’d had way too many stirrings when it came to Wynn as of late. If he were smart, he would have called her instead of walking in—but he always walked in her house as if he lived there too. Standing in her bedroom, knowing he didn’t belong but wanting to, told him that sleeping next door was the best option—the only option.
They stretched the tape, and he reached for her hand. This time, she was also grabbing for his, and his heart sped up.
“Well?” he asked.
The tape measure dropped, and she leaned around the pumpkin. Her forehead wrinkled. “They felt the same.”
