Page 20 of Dandelion Sighs

Her eyes widened in that innocent way, like I caught her the most off guard with the simplest invite. “Tonight?”

“Why not? I’ve been accused of being boring, so I’m sure you won’t want to sit here all night.” Unless she thought I was asking her out, but I wasn’t. Just as buds. To introduce her to the area. That was all.

“You are not boring, Jasper Duke.”

The mended part of my heart got a little stronger from her words, but she didn’t know. She hadn’t backed out of marrying me because hiking the Appalachian Trail was better than one more night with me. Definitely ambitious, and I hadn’t been accused of being that.

“If you’re boring,” she continued, “then I’m a downright snoozefest.”

“You don’t plan to throw big parties at the firepit?” I led her toward the kitchen where there was a small island for us to sit at.

“I haven’t planned a party ever. Maybe that was the first red flag that I shouldn’t run a whole business based on fun, extracurricular time.” She smiled sheepishly, but her transparency was on brand. She played it off like she was joking, but she wasn’t.

I gestured to a stool and took two bottles of beer out of the carrier. I set the rest by a small piece of wood and a rolled-up leather pad. “There are two types of people—those who plan parties, and those who only go to parties other people planned.”

She tapped her chin while she thought about that. “Three types. You always have the ones who do both.”

I opened each bottle and slid one in front of her. “I attend parties, and you do too. Thankfully, I have plenty of siblings who plan them.”

She laughed, and it was a much better sound than listening to her worry about her ability to run the resort. “I don’t have a big social network, and my best friend has kids now, so she doesn’t get away much.”

Damn, this woman. She loved being around people, but the hesitation was constant. I saw it before she met my family, and I saw each day that she wanted to connect with her employees. She was all heart, cradled in one shapely package with hips that flared and pink lips I was waiting to see wrapped around the beer bottle.

“But thanks to you,” she said brightly, “the resort has a firepit that people can plan gatherings around.”

“Or small weddings.”

Another laugh, and the sound wrapped around me like a soft glove. “Yes. The bride was quite impressed by the way.”

“Yeah?” I did my best to make the area around the pit and pavers look sculpted and less like the sod had been ripped up. A nice partition blocked the north wind and could be removed for the windless nights. It ended up looking modern and chic, and I managed to get the grass around it to look like it hadn’t just been turned up. I wasn’t as concerned about the bride’s reaction as I was Sheridan’s.

“Delighted. She can’t wait for tomorrow. Thank you for saving the day again.”

That soft, grateful tone was exactly what I’d been after. “You can repay me by not having me dig and lay pavers for a while. Give my back a break.” I grabbed my beer and walked to the sliding door. I opened it and cocked my head toward the opening. “Check out my yard.”

She stopped by a roll of leather on my counter and trailed her finger over it. “What is this?”

The awareness that tingled over me was utterly inappropriate. But the kit was my hobby. Something to do in my downtime that brought joy to others. “I carve sometimes. That’s my kit.”

A brow ticked up. “Sometimes? What do you make?” This time, she walked her fingertips over the piece of pine sitting next to it.

“Whatever inspires me.” I picked up the wood and turned it this way and that. “I’ve carved something for each niece and nephew, and now I don’t know what to make.” I wasn’t inspired.

“Do you have anything I can see?”

I mentally played through the floor plan of the house. “I’ve given them all away.”

“That’s generous of you.”

I was going to say it was boring of me, but she’d argue. I carved when I had nothing else going on, but the intrigue on her face was something I’d keep for myself for a while. “Thanks,” was all I said. “Now I have to show you the backyard.”

She followed me out. “Oh, this is small.”

“Exactly. Some people say you need more skill when you don’t have the size.”

She rolled her lips in and cut her gaze toward me. “Actually, you still need skill. Otherwise, it can be underwhelming.”

My lips quirked. The apples of her cheeks dusted with pink, but she didn’t say anything more. When else would she blush like that?