Page 90 of Harvest Heat

“Would you also love for me to tie you up in a barn?”

Rhys sputtered and nearly knocked the container of sauce off the counter. “What?”

“I saw the book you picked up from Jonah, Roping the Cowboy. I couldn’t resist flipping through it. There’s a lot of inspiration there.”

“Oh my God. I should have hidden it.”

“No. I’m going to read it too, and we can compare notes.”

Rhys’s cheeks were bright pink, and Caleb was thrilled with his reaction.

“I… I need to focus on dinner.”

“Okay. We can have reading time later.”

He finished cooking the pasta, made their plates, and poured them each a glass of wine he had been told would go perfectly with the sauce.

When they sat down to dinner together, the atmosphere felt as intimate as their charcuterie dinner at Cloud Nine, which was the time he’d felt closest to Caleb, more so even than when they were in bed together. “I like having dinner with you like this. I want to do this more often.”

Caleb laid a hand over his. “Me too.”

Mallow chose that moment to wake up from her nap, stretch, and come racing into the kitchen. She wove in and out of Caleb’s legs, then Rhys’s, making it clear she wanted dinner too.

Rhys smiled down at her. “She is really the cutest. Tell me about finding her.”

“I’d seen or heard her in the alley a few times, but I hadn’t caught more than a glimpse as she’d run. The night of Jonah’s party, she was right by the back door. It took some time, but I managed to catch her and bring her in.”

“And you knew right then you were keeping her?”

“Yes. This time, I was going to have a cat.”

“I hope I never meet your ex.”

Caleb smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look as angry as when I told you about what he did.”

“I hate him. No one should ever treat you or a sweet animal like that.”

“I’m just so glad you love Mallow and don’t mind having her here.”

“I’m honored to have her here.”

“Good. I’d eventually like to get a dog too.”

Rhys smiled. “We could get a dog.” He clasped his hand over his mouth. He was taking things way too far. “I mean, you can get a dog, or⁠—”

“Maybe someday, we can get a dog, but I think Mallow is enough for now.”

Rhys nodded. “Right. Sometimes I get ahead of myself.”

“I don’t mind. I like that about you. I like how you see the future all laid out.”

“I never saw this, though. Us being together.”

“You must have, or you wouldn’t have come to talk to me today.”

“I wanted this. I just wasn’t sure it was something I could have. I didn’t think I could be lucky enough to actually find someone who would put up with my grumpiness and… everything else.”

“Rhys, I’m not putting up with you. I’m enjoying being with you. I love you.”