Lev rocks excitedly in the backseat, pressing his face to the window as he scans the property like he’s hoping to catch a glimpse of his new best friend.
I circle the SUV and open his door. When he hops down beside me, his hand slips into mine automatically. My other hand reaches for Sloane’s, her fingers threading through mine as we start toward the petting zoo together.
“Are you feeling okay? After…”
Her mouth pinches into a tight smile. “Yes, sir. I’m feeling quite refreshed this morning. Not a single ache in my…um…legs.”
I chuckle, bringing her knuckles to my lips before leaning closer. “I’ll kiss it and make it better later.”
Her eyes widen. “Kirill…” Then she spots the Whitlocks heading toward the petting zoo and her cheeks immediately turn pink. “Not a word.”
“We’ll see.”
She bites the corner of her mouth just as Rue spots Lev and takes off running, crashing into him with a hug so enthusiastic, it nearly knocks him backward.
She’s barely half his size, while Lev definitely takes after my brothers and me in the height department, towering over her like a lanky giant. He only stands there at first, almost like he doesn’t know what to do. Then his arms come up, hesitant at first, and he hugs her back.
My chest cracks open at the sight. This is still so new to me, seeing him like this with another kid.
“Come on,” Rue says brightly, already grabbing his hand. “We can feed the goats together. They’ll love you.”
Lev lets her pull him along without even looking back at me.
I stand there watching them head toward the pen, Rue talking the entire way while he listens in that quiet, intent way of his. When she shows him how to hold the feed flat in his palm, he actually does it. The goat noses his hand, and he startles, then laughs.
He isn’t even wearing his headphones, trying something new without fear, and somehow she got him there faster than anyone else ever has.
Harlan steps beside me. “You’ve got a sweet kid.”
“Yeah… He doesn’t take after me.”
“I beg to differ,” Sloane cuts in.
I smirk faintly. God, I’m really starting to fall for this woman.
Greer snickers. “Well, now I can see why you quit.”
Color rises in Sloane’s cheeks immediately and she grimaces. “I’m so embarrassed about that.” She laughs as she rubs the back of her neck. “I’m really sorry. It’s just…Kirill needed a nanny and?—”
Greer waves a hand. “It’s all right. I get it. I’m just glad Rue has a friend. She really doesn’t have very many here, and when she comes to Jersey, she’s always bored.”
Jace gives her a dry look. “I keep my kid entertained.”
“Oh, yeah?” Greer turns toward him with a grin. “When? While you’re busy fighting off all the women who want you to put a ring on it, or while you’re back home hiding from Savannah?”
She waggles her brows at him, and even I have to fight the urge to laugh at the look that crosses his face.
Sloane looks between them. “Who exactly is Savannah?”
“Oh, that’s a story.” Greer gives her brother the kind of expression that makes it clear she plans to tell it whether he likes it or not, then flips back to Sloane. “Savannah’s family owns the ranch beside ours in Texas. Now, when I say beside, I don’t mean next door. Ours is about five hundred acres and theirs is closer to fifty thousand, so it’s not like we were borrowing sugar, but we all grew up around each other. We played together when we were kids, then we got older and Savannah decided she was too good for our family.” She shrugs. “But she always had a thing for Jace, and he had one for her too, even if he’d rather choke on a boot than admit it.”
She peers over at him, and Jace looks so uncomfortable, it pulls a quiet chuckle out of me.
“My brother has one of those heart-of-stone situations,” she goes on. “Very hard to break through.”
Jace shakes his head. “I’m just not interested in getting married, that’s all. If my father could accept that, life would be a lot easier.” He hits Harlan with a glare.
“What does that mean?” Sloane asks.
