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She giggles and tries again, but I twist my torso again, blocking her. Rising to her knees, she tries to reach it over my shoulders. Quickly, it turns into a cat-and-mouse game. I purposely don’t let her have it, and she tries to overpower me. I shelter the small carton under my body, and she jumps on my back, legs straddling me and thrusting her spoon over my shoulder.
“Never going to get it,” I taunt.
“Want to make a bet?” she says.
Her tongue slides up the side of my throat, then her teeth bite my earlobe, and not in a sexy way. Regardless, my dick twitches in my jeans as thoughts of swinging her under my body, ditching the ice cream, and devouring her instead jump to the forefront of my mind. Strike that. I’d lather her in ice cream and lick it off one inch at a time.
“So not fair.” I get up from under her, needing space before I do something stupid.
“Salt and sweat. Not my best idea.” She sticks out her tongue over and over, trying to get rid of the taste.
I hand her the ice cream. “You deserve it.”
She smiles and scoops up some ice cream. “Yeah, I do. I see the reason you have three showers a day.”
Now that she’s on the other side of me, her papers held together with a binder clip are open for me to grab. I pick them up and sit back down as she eats the ice cream next to me. “So, what are these?”
“The plans for the farm.”
I thumb through them. She’s got everything—the cost of the start-up, what we need to build for the chickens, even a branding page with logos. She always amazes me how she goes all in on something she’s committed to.
“It’s not complete, but I wanted to make sure you knew that I do not take you doing this for me lightly.”
“You know you don’t need to show me anything. I’ll follow your lead.”
She puts the ice cream next to her, and her shoulders sag. “We’re both very invested, and I want to work with you on this. I’ll need your help and expertise on so many things, and two minds are better than one.”
I glance at the papers between us. “What are you asking me?”
She sits up on her knees, taking my hand. “I don’t want to do this on my own. I know you have Plain Daisy Ranch and a commitment to your family, but if you’re going to marry me, I want you to be a partner in this with me.”
“But—”
“Fifty-fifty.”
She’s right, there’s a lot on my plate, but I was ready to help her with whatever she needed, not expecting anything in return. I don’t want fifty percent of her profits. But I know her well enough to know she is not going to back down on this.
“Eighty-twenty.” And I don’t plan on taking my twenty.
“Jude…” she says with exhaustion in her tone.
“Sadie…” I mimic her.
Her straight back and glare say she’s not going to argue this point.
“Fine.” I put out my hand between us. I’ll never take my twenty percent, and if she forces it, I’ll find some way of getting it back to her.
“Thank you.” She tackles me to the ground and hugs me. “You’re the best friend a girl could ask for.”
My hands fall to her hips. She’s so close, the tip of her braid is touching my cheek. Our eyes meet and lock for a blink of an eye as my body registers the heat and the weight of hers on top of me.
She scurries off me. “Sorry, I should’ve just shaken your hand.”
“If you want to pay me with hugs or more, I’m game.”
She shoves me and grabs the ice cream.
I sit next to her and grab my spoon, and we ignore the tension between us, devoting our full attention to the ice cream while the sun sets. I’m pretty sure I’ve taken my horse down an unbeaten path by asking Sadie to marry me. It’s too late to turn around now though.
