Page 48 of Where She Belongs

Tate chuckled. “Jason’s got a knack for knowing when storms are coming. It’s… uncanny, actually.”

Once again, she glanced up at the sky. “Huh.” Then she brought her sparkling eyes to meet his. Her head tilted and she smiled like she was expecting him to say something.

He stepped forward, drawn to her without deciding to be. Jason and Faith seemed to believe that she wanted something more. Were they right? He could test their assumption right now—ask her out and prove them wrong.

Or maybe he’d prove them right.

As if against his will, he reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “You look nice today,” he murmured. It had to be his imagination, but for a moment there, he thought she leaned into his touch. That was a good sign, right?

Her lashes fluttered and her whispered, “Thanks,” hit him somewhere under the ribs.

He exhaled, allowing himself to imagine what his life could look like if he could call Rylee his. Tate must have been staring for far too long because Rylee released a strangled laugh.

“Are you okay?”

Dropping his hand like the prolonged contact between them burned him, he chastised himself for losing his focus. Now was not the time to ask her out. He needed a plan. That was how he would succeed.

Tate nodded. “Yeah.” It wasn’t that he was scared. He refused to admit that what his pulse was doing had anything to do with the fear of rejection. He’d ask her out. Just when he was ready.

Rylee rocked back on her heels. “So…”

“So…” he repeated. Then he thumbed over his shoulder. “I was just going to turn in for the evening. Make some dinner for Jason and me.”

She seemed confused as she looked at him, then his house. Then her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed deep red. She looked away and coughed out something unintelligible. He frowned while she struggled to get anything out. “Right. Well, I guess you’re busy, then.”

He opened his mouth to contradict her statement but before he had a chance to do so, she was walking backward with a strange kind of smile on her face.

“I’ll catch you later, yeah? When you come by to put the finishing touches on the barn?”

He nodded. “Yeah, the rest of the supplies are supposed to be delivered by mid-next week.”

“Yeah, okay. Next week it is. See you later, Tate.” Then with those parting words, Rylee scurried away.

Tate frowned at her retreating form. Why did she come by if she didn’t want to stay? He trudged toward the house, more confused than ever only to be stopped short by a scowling Faith. She stood on the porch with her arms folded. “What?” he demanded. “Look, I’m not in the mood for another lecture, okay?”

Faith scoffed. “You’re such an idiot.” Then she skipped down the steps toward her car.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he called after her.

When she reached it, she turned to face him once more. “Think, Tate. Think really hard.” Then she climbed behind her wheel and drove away.

It took him two hours to finally connect the dots.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

This was so embarrassing!

What had gotten into her? Rylee should have known better than to spring a visit on Tate. The last time she’d just shown up, he’d been more than a little grouchy. Yes, he’d warmed up to her, but it had been clear that he didn’t like surprises. Not in that way.

Tate liked control. He craved it.

And Rylee had been dumb enough to believe things had changed between them. Tate’s actions and the way he looked at her made her believe that she meant something more to him.

It had been a risk to just show up and see if he wanted to hang out.

Her face burned hot again as she stopped in front of the mirror and took in the effort she’d put forth just for him. She never wore makeup. At least not day-to-day. Roxy insisted she get dolled up for her parties, but that was done begrudgingly.

Here? Rylee felt more like herself, and part of that was not feeling the pressure of societal expectations. She groaned and reached for the bottle of makeup remover. That was the last time she’d let Hallie convince her to take the first step. Tate wasn’t interested. He definitely didn’t seem the least bit interested in asking her to stay.