looks my way. But Jay doesn’t want to hear the poor little rich girl’s sob story.
“Yeah,” I say. “I guess I do.” I steal a glance at him.
“You’ll be happy to have those things again, I guess.”
“Right,” I say. Okay, I get it. He’s impressed with my efforts, but he still doesn’t think I have what it takes to run the farm. He’s probably worried I’m going to run it straight into the ground, which is why he’s happy I miss home.
We both go quiet, lost in our thoughts as we scrub the entire dining room and half the hall. After a long time, I wipe my brow and drop the sponge into the bucket.
“I swear, if I ever come face to face with that skunk again… Well, I’ll…”
“Run.”
I laugh. “Yeah, probably.”
Jay laughs with me and says, “That would be a good idea.”
“Or maybe I’d capture him, stuff him, and set him next to Mr. Beaver.” Would that be possible? Do they have skunk traps?
“I could teach you to shoot,” Jay suggests, and when I crinkle up my nose, his head bobs and he adds, “Or you could just run.”
I snort. This man obviously knows me. “Yeah.” I stand back and examine the place, a warm summer breeze blowing in through all the open windows. “Do you think we got it all?”
He nods. “We just have to leave it to air out now.”
“My clothes are wet from all the scrubbing. I’m going to change.”
“Me, too. Meet me at my place, and come with me when I check on the bees.”
“Thanks for this,” I say, and he steps up to me, takes a strand of my hair between his fingers. “You didn’t have to help, you know.” My heart pinches. Jay has helped me—in so many ways. I thought I’d be lonely here, alone, but thanks to him and his family, I’ve barely had a minute to myself, and I’m not complaining about that. Seriously, though, how could I not like this man? Just as long as I don’t let it get out of hand, I should be okay. I am not interested in giving my heart to another man who doesn’t want it, and I have no intentions of leaving this place without it intact.
“Maybe I did it for selfish reasons,” he says, his body crowding mine, his voice dropping an octave.
“Oh?” He arches a brow, and that’s when I get it. “Ohh…” I say. “I think the skunk spray has affected my brain.” Either that or his close proximity is messing with my ability to think straight.
His head dips, and a second later, his lips are on mine. I part for him, welcome the tangle of his tongue as he steps closer, slides a strong arm around my waist to drag me to him. His kiss is hungry, hard, a promise of things to come, and as my body reacts, my brain reminds me this is just sex. A noise sounds at the door, and we both jump back.
“Hey, Jay,” Ty says, dashing inside and skidding to a halt when he finds us in the living room. “There are only enough potatoes in cold storage to make a few more bags.”
Jay clears his throat. “The ones in our garden are ready. I’ll pick them later.”
Tyler’s gaze goes back and forth between the two of us, and his smirk is slow, all-knowing when he asks, “Was I interrupting something?”
“Yeah, my peace and quiet,” Jay says.
“It’s fine, Tyler. We were just finishing up. Since you were so kind to work the market today, I’ll pick those potatoes.”
Jay glances at me. “Have you ever—”
“Of course not. But I can learn,” I say.
“Right, Google,” he teases.
“I’d better go get that shower.” With Tyler still grinning at us, I turn to leave.
“Make sure you pack a bag,” Jay reminds me.
“Right, I forgot,” I lie. Better that than for Jay to know how I haven’t stopped thinking about my upcoming sleeping arrangements.
“Let’s go,” Jay says to his brother as I bolt upstairs. I didn’t buy a lot of clothes in town, just enough to get me by, and if I keep ruining them, I’ll soon be running around in my underwear. I shower again, toss my clothes into a bag, and tug on a pair of yoga pants, a T-shirt, and my work boots. The look is not attractive.
I check for signs of Cluck as I cut through the path leading to Jay’s place. The damn rooster still hasn’t warmed up to me, and I