It shouldn’t have mattered that she had noticed that he was big and strong—that was pretty much his best quality when it came to getting a woman’s attention, and he was used to it.
But with Jillian—well, even back in high school she had never treated him like eye candy, or even like he was a path to popularity. Their bonding had all happened as they whispered in each other’s ears through a headset. So he had no doubts that she liked him for who he was, not what he looked like.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“Talking to you on the headset,” he told her. “Those were good times.”
Her eyes widened slightly, like she hadn’t been expecting that answer, but she smiled.
“You always had the best stories,” she said, for once not breaking his gaze.
“You were always the best listener,” he told her honestly. “I’ve missed you.”
“Me too,” she said. “I like our texts.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “But it’s not the same as hearing you whisper in my ear.”
Her cheeks blushed a deep pink and she smiled as she took a sip from her glass of ice water.
Too soon, Remi was sweeping back to them with a tray of food that smelled so good it made Tripp’s belly rumble.
The two of them spooned servings on their plates, and ate and laughed their way into the beginning of a beautiful evening.
Later,when the plates had been taken away and Remi had come back with coffee and a decadent slice of cake for them to share, Tripp found himself wishing the evening didn’t have to end.
“This was magical,” Jillian said.
“I’m so glad you came,” Tripp told her.
“I’ve never been to such a fancy place,” she said, her eyes shining.
“I wanted to show you I can be a serious man,” he heard himself admit.
“What do you mean?” she asked, without a hint of judgement in her voice.
“It’s a funny thing living in the place where you grew up,” Tripp explained. “Most people around town look at me and still see the reckless young kid I once was. For heaven’s sake, my whole family still yells whenever the front door opens because I used to come in with muddy boots. I guess that’s why all the flatlanders moving in doesn’t really bother me. When I interact with one of them, I get to do it as the man I am now, not as the kid who put a cow in the principal’s office.”
She smiled a little at that, but there was a thoughtful look in her eyes.
“I need you to know that I’m serious, Jillian,” he went on. “Serious about the farm and my role in this community, and even more serious about being there for you and your girls. I’m willing to take it slow, but I need you to knowthat I’mall-in.”
“Thank you,” she said with a smile so sweet and filled with wonder that he knew she actually understood what he was trying to say. “That means a lot to me, Tripp, to all of us.”
And with Jillian looking at him like that, Tripp suddenly found that he didn’t care all that much anymore about how the rest of the town saw him.
15
JILLIAN
Jillian floated through the weekend, feeling like things were almost too good to be true.
Her date with Tripp to Mia’s had been incredible. And it wasn’t just the unbelievably romantic setting or the divine food. It was Tripp, and the way he made her feel—like everything was okay, like she could laugh and relax and just…be.
When he dropped her off, she had held her breath in anticipation as he walked her to the door. But he still hadn’t gone in for a kiss, just squeezed her hand and told her he’d be back in the morning for her and the girls.
But she didn’t think for a minute that he hadn’t wanted to kiss her. She’d seen the way he’d looked at her all night, his blue gaze dropping to her lips now and then with thinly veiled hunger. He was just showing her that he had self-control, that he was trying to take things slowly.
His words echoed in her mind.
