her mouth, and they sounded so loud in this echoy kitchen.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked, his voice the complete opposite of hers—calm, quiet, in control. He was her complete opposite in a lot of ways, actually. She could barely lift a gallon of milk, and he could probably lift her right up over his head. She talked too much; he never said more than needed to be said. She always wanted to be outside, and he said he’d rather spend evenings indoors, as he worked outside all day long. She’d told him about her pillow obsession, and he’d said he used one pillow on his bed. One.
Holly Ann had pillows on the back seat of her sedan, for crying out loud.
“I want you to say you like me too, and that you want to be together with me too,” she said, throwing him a darted look. “Or I want you to say you don’t like me a whole lot, and that you’d rather I just made this meal and we can just say the kiss was a mistake of the heat.”
She swallowed, because if he said the second thing, she wasn’t even sure she could stay to make the meal.
“Holly Ann,” he said, really hanging onto the vowels in her name in a sexiest way possible. Had he practiced that? Had he called Bethany Rose and asked her how to say Holly Ann’s name so she’d swoon? Bethany Rose would’ve told him, Holly Ann knew that. She’d dated Ward Glover once, and she’d been infatuated with all the Glover men since.
When she’d found out it was Ace who’d sat down on the blanket during the Christmas movie, Bethany Rose seemed more excited than Holly Ann.
“I thought it was pretty dang obvious that I liked you a whole lot,” he said. “Was that part not clear with all the texting, and calling, and me hiring you to cater this party just so I could see you?”
She looked at him, and he did look a little perplexed. “A girl likes to hear it too,” she said, foolishness racing through her. “Especially after she says it right out loud to a frowning cowboy with his arms all folded.”
Ace laughed, and Holly Ann basked in the wonderful sound of it. He stopped taking breadcrumbs out of the bin and swept her back into his embrace. “Holly Ann,” he whispered, his breath trailing down her neck and making her shiver. “I sure do like you. A whole lot, like you said. I’ve thought we’d be great together since the day I missed my ride back to the ranch just so I could stay and talk to you after church.”
With that, he dipped his head and kissed her again. Holly Ann let his touch sweep her away, because he really was the very best kisser in the whole wide world.
He stopped much sooner this time than last time, and he said, “I’m ready to be together, sweetheart. You tell me when you can go to dinner, and I’ll be there to take you.”
“Okay,” she said, giggling. She playfully pushed him away. “Now get. I’m makin’ dinner for your aunt, and it has to be perfect. I don’t need you hangin’ around makin’ me nervous.”
He chuckled, straightened his hat, and said, “Yes, ma’am,” before leaving her alone in the kitchen. Holly Ann took a deep breath, giggled again, and got to work. Ace would give her a five-star review no matter what. But she wanted to earn it.
Hours later, Holly Ann took the last tray of coconut brownies out to the serving buffet. Ace and Ward had set them up for her, and she admired them in this gorgeous barn. This space was simply stunning, with a dark, rich floor, and pure white wood on the walls.
The exposed beams in the ceiling reminded everyone where they really stood, as did the scent of hay and dust. But the fixtures were high-quality, and all of the amenities top-notch. Even the bathroom she’d used a couple of times throughout the afternoon was nicer than anything she’d ever seen.
It helped that everything was brand-new and hardly used, but she loved every detail, down to the old barrels that had been restored and sealed and stood at the entrance to this big room where they had tables set up now.
She’d heard there’d been dancing here after the double-wedding in March. She hadn’t come to the wedding, despite being Ace’s semi-girlfriend. He’d asked her to come, but that