AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Clark could feel Holly hot on his heels the instant he stepped off the porch and he knew this moment was coming. If he was going to win Merry over again, he was going to have to prove to her sister and friends he wasn’t the douche they most likely thought he was.
“Hey, you!”
Clark stopped at the edge of the walkway, waiting for Holly to catch up.
“Hi, Holly.”
She was shorter than Merry by a few inches and while their features were similar, Holly’s eyes were a deep brown and narrowed, her mouth pursed mulishly.
“You hurt my sister.”
“I know and I’m—”
“Shhh, no, I am not done. Merry acts tough, but she is as soft and squishy as a stuffed animal. And while she seems to be on her way to forgiving you for your deplorable behavior, I’m going to need more.”
“More than…?” Had Merry told her about the letter and the pie?
“An apology. I need to know what you’re doing to make things up to my sister. Do you actually care about her or are you still sticking to ‘we can’t date because I work for your parents’?”
“It’s a valid reason. They could fire me and kick me out if I underperform or break their daughter’s heart.”
Holly crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. “Are you planning on doing either of those?”
“No.”
“Do you care about my sister?”
“Yes, but—”
“Eh, no buts. You either do or you do not.”
Why did he feel like he was sitting under a hot light being questioned by a CIA operative? “The but is important.”
She released a skeptical grunt. “Let’s hear it then.”
“I’ve never been in love with a woman, and Merry believes in all of that romance and happily ever after. What if I can’t give her what she needs?”
“You’ll break up and she’ll get over it. Unless you’re a total dick bag, there is no reason for all of this added stress. Merry is an adult. You don’t need to ask our father’s permission with fifty goats as compensation to date her. Stop trying to crunch the numbers and plot out everything that can go wrong.”
“How do you know I do that?”
“Because my dad does it and so do I. It’s what makes us good at business. The difference is you don’t seem to be able to leave that at the door and instead bring it into your personal life. Just relax and let things happen. If she’ll give you another chance, that is. I wouldn’t.”
Before Clark could process all this, Victoria came out of the house and waved a shirt at Clark from the front porch. “Oh, Clark! I forgot I bought an extra shirt in case I mis-sized anyone. Is your brother around?”
“Yeah, I think he’s watching TV. The tattoo parlor isn’t open on Sundays. Is Jace okay?”
“Yes, he’s finishing his cookie.” Victoria came down the steps, spryly eating up the walkway until she stopped next to him. “Merry will bring him out when he’s done, but your brother…” She slapped it against his chest. “Go tell him to put this on and get his behind up here.”
“He’s not an employee, though.”
“These are family shirts. Chris and I have paid for a full day of family photos for all the farm employees. He is your family and you need some pictures together.”
Clark looked at Nick and Chris, who’d been joined by Martin and his wife and several other employees. All of them were wearing red or white, except the Winters men. They wore plaid, the same plaid Victoria bought for Clark, Sam, and Jace.
Emotion crawled up his throat, making it difficult to swallow. “Thank you.”
Victoria patted his cheek. “You are so welcome. Now hurry. I want you back here in a few minutes for the big farm picture.”
