AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Understandable and yes, I can do that for you.” He turned the key and revved the engine once more. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, sure, see you.” She made a move to leave, but suddenly swung back. “Actually, can I go with you? It’s been a while since I’ve taken a look around the place and honestly, I’d love to see what you do. I’ve been trying to get my dad to teach me more of the day to day operations, but he keeps putting me off.”
How can I say no to that without feeling like a jerk?
“Um, sure.”
Her uncertain smile widened and she did a little hop of excitement he couldn’t help finding adorable. “Great! Thanks.”
She climbed up behind him and her arms slipped around his waist, locking against his abdomen. He could feel the warmth of her pressed against his back and, unbidden, a semi stretched the front of his jeans.
Shit.
If that wasn’t evidence it had been too long for him, he didn’t know what was.
“I’m ready,” she sang, traces of laughter in her voice. Her excitement was infectious and with a smile, he pressed the throttle. The quad took off at a steady pace on the outside of the trees, the rows whizzing by like labyrinth paths. As he took a hard bump, she gripped him tighter, her body bouncing against him and he slowed, wondering if he should turn around to get the riding helmet he’d left behind. He didn’t usually wear one for property checks unless Jace was with him.
“Want me to go back and get the helmet?” he asked loudly.
“No, I’m good! I don’t scare easily.”
The urge to gun the engine a little to test her mettle shot through Clark, but he resisted. If they’d been friends, he might have teased her a little, but he couldn’t let his guard down.
If I’m so worried about Merry Winters, then why did I let her come out here with me?
Because her earnest request to come along touched that raw ache of loneliness he’d been trying to beat back? Even if she resented his presence, he wanted her to know he wasn’t her competition. He’d given up avoiding her; especially with the holidays fast approaching, they were going to need to find a common ground.
Clark took the long loop around, pointing as several deer bounced further ahead into the pines to their left. He’d been planning on taking a peek at his MeetMe messages while checking the property, but he couldn’t do that with Merry along for the ride. He’d hurry with his rounds, then drop Merry off and grab Jace at the same time. If Knotty said yes to tonight, he’d need to find a babysitter fast.
He parked the quad at the end of the row of planted trees, near the start of the natural growth surrounding the farm. In the distance, craggy mountains cut through the gray clouds like the jagged teeth of a saw. Clark shut the quad down with a smile, watching the wispy bottoms race across the top of the ridges, playing peek-a-boo with the peaks.
“I never get tired of this view,” she said, reading his mind. “I mean, I left for several years, but the beauty of this place makes me wonder what I was thinking.”
He waited until she climbed off the back before dismounting, running a hand over his face to feel for bugs. “Sometimes you don’t know how good you have it until you let it go.”
“Very well said. I definitely learned my lesson.”
Merry stared at the mountains, short strands of hair escaping her braid and curling along her temple and neck. His gaze trailed over her profile, lingering on her flushed cheeks and curved lips.
Stop looking at her like that and say something!
Clark cleared his throat. “I take it you didn’t find it.”
“What?”
“You didn’t find what you were looking for out in the world.”
Her mouth twisted in a wry smile. “You’d be right. Turns out the missing piece I couldn’t locate was me. I needed to leave, do everything wrong, and then come back to realize who I am and what I want. My family. The farm. My friends. Mistletoe itself. There is something about your home town nothing else compares to. I hopped from state to state after college but never found the sense of community anywhere else like I had here.”
They had that in common. He’d picked a college away from his parents, hoping to find somewhere he belonged. The Winters Farm was the place he’d been looking for and he didn’t want to lose it. He wasn’t sure why Merry had wanted to come out here with him, but her easy, warm demeanor was slowly chipping away his resolve to keep his distance.
“What about you?” she asked. “Why did you come back? Your parents aren’t local anymore, right? Where did they end up?”
“Florida, but we aren’t close. They liked the idea of kids more than they actually wanted us around.”
Merry winced. “Sorry, that’s got to be rough.”
“It wasn’t.”
