That smile slowly lit up his face again. “Like calls to like. I knew you were special from the second you stepped out of your apartment.” He cocked his head and stared up at the house behind them. “Thirteen years ago, I ran away from a bad situation. Let’s just say my foster dad wasn’t exactly an upstanding member of society. Mrs. Taylor found me on the side of the road with a black eye and insisted on bringing me home.” His voice was quiet, reverent almost. “She saved me much to Mr. Taylor’s frustration. That man was ready to skin me alive if I even looked wrong at his daughters.” He shook his head and brought his eyes back to River.
So that’s what felt so familiar. He’d been in the system, too.
Her focus drifted to his truck. Inexpensive. Domestic. Easy to repair. But he took care of it. This truck was probably the most important thing to him.
“And you live here?” she asked.
“Yep.” He rocked back on his heels. “Help George with the things he can’t do alone. Look out for the girls. Stuff like that.”
He said it lightly, but River got the impression he meant every word.
“Come on.” Emerson jerked his chin toward a large building farther off. “I’ll show you the equipment. You’ll be working on all of it, and one of the balers has been acting up.”
The large structure looked more like a hangar than a barn. Along with farm equipment and mowers, there were four-wheelers and even a small plane.
River’s eyes widened as she crossed to it. “You’ve got a plane?”
Emerson chuckled. “George does. We use it for fertilizing and crop treatment. You’d be amazed how bad the pests get.”
She’d never worked on a plane before, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t learn. She ran a hand lightly along the side and she smiled as she did so. “It’s amazing.”
“It’s small,” he said, amused, “but I’ll be sure to tell George you admire his pride and joy.”
After Emerson finished showing her around Taylor Farm, River was beat.
Unfortunately, the day still wasn’t over.
Rose insisted on hauling River, her sisters, and Emerson out to a country club on the edge of town. The place was nothing like River expected. It had some of the polished feel of a high-end club, but the people were relaxed and real enough that it didn’t feel stuffy.
That surprised her.
She didn’t know why but sometimes she felt like people with less money were nicer than those who had lots of it. Maybe it was that during her travels, she’d met people stuck in poverty who were truer to themselves than those who had all the money they could dream of.
By the end of the evening, exhaustion settled deep in her bones, and when Emerson offered to take her home, she didn’targue. Rose looked less than thrilled about it, but she didn’t stop them.
Emerson headed out ahead of River as she told the girls goodbye. With a quick wave, River headed for the door.
She walked straight into a broad chest.
“Oh—sorry.”
The apology died on her lips when she looked up.
Gray-blue eyes met hers, and her pulse went into overdrive. The man standing there was tall, with broad shoulders, and unfairly good-looking in a way that caught her off guard.
She continued to the doorway and Emerson’s hand settled at the back of her arm, steering her gently toward the door.
“You ready?” he asked.
River blinked and nodded. “Yeah.”
Outside, Emerson walked her to his truck. She waited while he reached for the handle, but instead of opening the door, he turned toward her. Before she could figure out why, he leaned in and kissed her.
River went completely still. Her eyes flew wide, and when he pulled back, she just stared at him.
Emerson looked just as stunned.
For one long second, neither of them said a word.
