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Kate looked up at him.

She had been waiting to see what Wes would do. Waiting in his truck. Waiting while they danced. Waiting while he stood too close to her in an orchard or handed her coffee.

He had stopped the night before, and she still did not know why.

But Kate knew what she wanted.

She stepped closer, caught lightly at the front of his shirt and kissed him.

For the smallest fraction of a second, Wes did not move.

Then his hand came to her waist and he kissed her back.

Warmth rushed through Kate so quickly that she forgot the cold air, the fading light and the fact that she had spent most of the afternoon pretending she had not been thinking about this.

The kiss deepened for one breath, then another.

Kate drew back before she could change her mind about leaving.

Wes looked at her. He seemed, for once, to have absolutely nothing to say.

Kate smiled. “Goodnight, Wes.”

Then she turned and walked down the porch steps.

She did not look back.

She did not need to.

By the time she reached the boundary between the two orchards, she was still smiling.

CHAPTER 10

Wes

Have you thought of an excuse to be here yet? Wes’s bear asked.

Wes paused at the foot of the Harlands’ porch and resisted the urge to turn around. He had spent most of the walk across the orchards telling himself he did not need an excuse.

But now he was here…

Bins. Alan will need more empty bins before long. Wes nodded.

Once Alan started harvesting properly, he would need all the bins he could lay his hands on. Wes had plenty to spare, and it made sense to ask now rather than wait until Alan needed them.

The fact that he could have called was beside the point.

See. I have a reason to be here, Wes said, and climbed the steps.

I never said we didn’t have a reason, his bear replied. Our mate is reason enough. What I said is we need an excuse, since the Harlands have no idea that Kate is our mate.

Wes raised his hand to knock but then froze, his senses locked on Kate. She was so close he could catch her scent.

If you knock, we’d be able to see her rather than just smell her, his bear said.

So Wes knocked. Then he held his breath as Kate came to open the door.

“Morning.” Her smile came easily, with none of the awkwardness Wes had imagined during the hours since she had kissed him on his porch and walked away without giving him much chance to recover.