Page 66 of One Wild Chance

“You thought they were for someone else?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I say, feeling the heat creep into my face.

“Don’t worry,” he says, opening Gent’s stall. “There’s not a soul in the world who’d mind seeing us together.” A tiny smile curves his lips. “Unless you’ve forgotten about Blaine.”

I clear my throat, turning to go before he catches my flushed cheeks. “Then let’s take some pictures.”

We’re standing in the barn, doors pushed all the way back, light flooding in. The space inside is mostly empty now except for a few pieces of leftover equipment from my flower business that I’d pushed to the side since I don’t have room for them at my house. Even though Mom’s at Golden Haven, I can’t bring myself to get rid of her things. They’re the only ties I have left to her, fragments of a life she can’t remember, and I’m not willing to part with them. I keep hoping that by showing Mom another picture, another object from home, she’ll remember something about our life together. Otherwise, I’ll never know when one trinket might be the link her brain needs to spark a memory.

“I need to put my garden table somewhere.” I nod toward the large worktable in the corner.

“There’s plenty of space in the house,” he suggests. “You could move it to a guest bedroom.”

I shake my head. “I can’t do that. Where will your brothers sleep?”

“In the barn with the horses.” His grin is merciless.

I give him a look. “Jaxon.”

“What? Just because they’re professional athletes doesn’t mean they need special treatment.”

“No. I cannot.”

“Well, there’s plenty of room in the basement, then. It’s not fancy, but it’s cleared out, always cool. There’s even a fridge that no one’s using.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to get in your way.” I wish I weren’t asking for another favor. I’m already farming on his land and taking over his barn.

“You won’t be in my way.” He points at a box of my garden tools. “Mind if I move this to the basement?”

“Be my guest.”

I watch him pick up the box, the flex of muscle beneath his sleeve catching my attention before I can glance away. It’s not just how he looks, either. It’s the fact that he’s doing this for me. Every time he does something thoughtful, I’m not sure what to do with the way my heart stutters.

We spend the better part of an hour moving everything to the basement before I return to the barn. It looks huge now that it’s vacant. “You could fit one hundred and fifty people in here easily. And I’m not even counting the outdoor space.”

“You think?” Jaxon stands beside me. “That seems like a lot of people.”

“When’s the last time you went to a wedding? Everyone loves a party. Especially in a small town.”

His face tips toward mine. “Is that the kind of wedding you want? A big celebration with everyone from Golden Springs showing up?”

The question catches me off guard. If he were my boyfriend, it’d be a different thing entirely. But what are we, really? I can’t say rivals anymore—we’re too wrapped up in one common goal. Coworkers who hang out? I don’t know how to deal with a question like that from a man who used to only care if he beat me. Now I’m beginning to think there’s more depth to Jaxon than I realized, that underneath his flirty smile, there may be a deeper, unexplored pool.

“I used to think I wanted that,” I answer finally. “But dreams change.”

I think about Larissa’s theory that my wedding dream was really a personal fantasy.

“Now, I’d rather make other people’s dreams come true. It’s better that way. I get all the flowers with none of the complications.”

He smirks a little. “So Blaine’s not in the running, then?”

I cross my arms. “What do you have against Blaine Callahan?”

“Nothing. The man gifted you a spreadsheet.” His lips quirk. “I’m sure some women think that’s peak romance.”

“That’s just Blaine being Blaine.”

He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Next thing you know, he’ll be giving you legal advice and calling it a proposal.”