Delivery to the Farmhouse (Havenwood Cowboys Romance #4)

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

I turned on the hot water and stepped into what was probably the best shower I’d taken in my life. Water streamed down my head and shoulders, and I watched it turn from brown to clear. I made ample use of the shampoo she’d given me, and once I was sure I got all the mud off, I toweled dry and dressed in the soft, clean clothes Belle left for me.

Unsure of what to do with my muddy clothes, I rinsed what I could from them and found a plastic bag beneath the sink once I wrung them out and stuffed them inside. Then, I opened the door to the smell of steak and baked potatoes.

My stomach growled. I followed my nose and found Belle in front of the stove with her brown hair tied up and a cow-print apron covering her clothes.

“Hey, there,” she said brightly, taking me in. “You look much better.”

“Thanks for the shower. For everything.”

“Of course! Looks like the guys got your car out.”

“They did?” My attention strayed to the window above her sink looking out onto the farmyard. Sure enough, my mud-spattered white Honda was parked in Belle’s driveway .

“They sure did,” she said, using a pair of tongs to turn the steaks in the frying pan.

The meat sizzled in the grease, filling the kitchen with a fresh dose of whatever spices she had on it and making my mouth water all over again.

“That’s great. I’ll get your clothes back to you.” I plucked at the tan t-shirt with the horse and wildflowers on the front.

Belle laughed. “You’re not leaving now, are you?”

“Shouldn’t I?”

Turning down the heat on the stove, she moved the pan from the unit and wiped her hands on the kitchen towel hanging from the handle.

“Besides the fact that you didn’t make it past the mudhole on your second attempt?”

“Oh, that.”

“And you might have a hard time getting past my truck.” Colton stepped into the kitchen.

His skin looked slightly pink from being freshly scrubbed, making me wonder where he’d showered at. Had he used the little shed that Luke used to live in? His blond hair looked darker now that it was wet, and it tumbled into his eyes, cranking the synapses in my central nervous system into overdrive.

He was only looking at me. What was the big deal? Why did my heart wag its tail like the sight of him was a treat?

He rested a hand on the counter and kept on looking. Right at me.

My heart pounded. Heat collected in my chest, the edges of my skin prickled, and I couldn’t manage to tear my gaze away.

“You clean up nice,” I said. Someone might as well say it.

His eyes flicked over me. They took their sweet time raking their way up from my feet, my legs, my torso, and settling in on my face again, turning me into all kinds of knots.

“I like you better covered in mud.” His eyes blazed with mischief .

The nerve. I angled my head to the side, my teeth grinding.

“Belle? You got something I can throw at this man?”

Her mouth twisted into a bemused smirk.

“Try this.” She handed me a hot pad.

Colton sidestepped around the bar, making his entire, finely figured body visible. He opened his arms to me, and though his chest was fully covered this time, I still got a view of his biceps doing their thing. To make matters worse, a strand of hair dangled into his eyes.

“Take your best shot,” he said in a teasingly low tone.

“Come on,” I said, “now, you’re just ruining it.”

He lowered his arms. “You don’t want to hit me, Nat?”

“Not now,” I said. “It’s no fun when you’re expecting it.”

“The mud should dry up in the next few days,” Belle said, taking the hot pad from me and then handing me a few plates.

I gripped the dinnerware. “Wait—days?”

Belle nodded her head like this was nothing. “You’re welcome to stay here. I’ve got plenty of room.”

“Oh, I?—”

Excuses were short-changed. I had nothing but the desire to offer one, and that wasn’t enough to fill my mouth.

I just moved into a new place. I needed to start job hunting. I didn’t want to impose.

Of course, none of these came to mind in the moment I needed them.

“Or Luke or Colton could take you back on a horse if you need to get home for something.” She made her way to the table to place the cups in her hands at each spot. Four cups.

Four people.

Did that mean Colton was eating here, too?

Was he staying here ? And she was inviting me to do the same?

That was a hard pass. I knew that was how Bex and Dawson had hit it off, but if Belle thought she was going to play matchmaker, she would find herself horribly wrong.

Except I knew Colton wasn’t living here. He had his own place.

Gradually, one tick at a time, my reluctance faded. I gazed around the house. It was warm here. Bright. Cozy. There was company here. All I had waiting for me was dim lighting, stacked boxes, and loneliness.

Because my inner monologue was all about being dramatic.

“If you’re sure,” I said, bending to slide the plates into their places around her dining table.

“Are you kidding? I’d love to have your company!”

“What about Luke?” I asked, looking around and wondering where he was.

“He doesn’t care.” Belle returned to the kitchen, took the glass pitcher on the counter, and filled it with water.

Meanwhile, Colton had either gone deaf and mute or he was choosing to stay out of this conversation. He was in the kitchen, pulling knives and forks from the drawer as comfortably as if this was his home.

It made me wonder how often he came by.

“You’re staying for dinner, too?” I asked as he passed on his way to the table.

“I got no reason to leave. We still haven’t talked about what we need to.”

“We?” This had me squirming like a woman tied to one of those wheels and waiting for a knife thrower to lob the first attack.

What did he possibly have to talk to me about?

Colton smirked, either at the panicked cat-in-headlights look I was giving him or because he knew exactly how much he was making me squirm.

“Luke and me,” he said. “Who’d you think I was talking about?”

He smirked. I fought my own smile down once more, lamenting the fact that I’d set the hot pad down.

I was so ready to throw it at him .

“Where is he, anyway?” He directed his question to Belle, who carried a plate to the table. Steam seeped from the pile of mashed potatoes.

“Where’s who?” Luke strolled in from the direction of the stairs. He’d changed from the work clothes he wore earlier to a fresh button-up shirt and jeans.

“This smells amazing,” he said, not waiting for an answer and kissing Belle’s temple. She smiled at him.

“So do you,” Belle said. “That shower looks good on you.”

His eyes went hazy as he stared at her, and she stared right back as though both of them had been transported to a different plane completely and had forgotten Colton and I were even here.

Colton quirked a brow at me as if to say, “Can you believe these two?”

“What can I help with?” I asked.

Belle shook herself from Luke’s trance. “We need to put the steaks on that serving tray.” She indicated the white platter next to the stove.

I stepped for it at the same time Colton did—and once again, we collided. The entire side of my body that met his thrummed, my nerves doing jumping jacks.

“I just keep bumping into you,” he said.

Once again, I wrestled my smile. “Getting in my way, you mean.”

Playful light glittered in his eyes. “My apologies,” he said, tipping his head and retreating.

It took far too much effort to wipe the smile from my face. What was it about Colton that made me want to banter? To give in to his coy looks and the flirty things he said?

I didn’t want to be charmed by him. Couldn’t my body get the hint?

Using the tongs, I scooped each seasoned steak from the pan to the platter .

“Do you always keep things this fancy?” I asked. “I never use this nice of dishes for everyday meals.”

Who was I kidding? Mom and Dad didn’t even own matching dishes. The set I’d gotten for my own place had been procured from a thrift store and were beautifully eclectic.

“Only when I have guests,” Belle said.

“Yes,” Luke said at the same time, countering her. “Every night.”

Belle gave him an exasperated look. “Less talking. More eating.”

She took a seat and gestured for Colton and me to take the other two available spots. It didn’t matter where I sat—even if we changed things up to put Luke and Belle between us, I’d either be right next to Colton or looking at Colton.

He was unavoidable.

Giving in, I took the seat next to Belle, and Colton settled into the empty one next to me. My muscles tightened. That same awareness of him I’d had since he came into the kitchen wouldn’t go away. In fact, it was that much starker sitting next to him.

“What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” Luke said to his brother after he offered a prayer on the food.

Belle handed the bowl of steamed broccoli to me, and I scooped a helping onto my plate, giving Colton my attention. I was curious, too. He’d mentioned something about farming earlier.

I handed the bowl of broccoli to Colton, and he took it. Our fingers brushed—and from the teasing lilt on his lips, I could have sworn he did that on purpose.

Not sure why, I kicked his boot beneath the table. He nudged my foot back, sliding me a wicked glance that set off a small bonfire in my low belly.

And then he talked to Luke like nothing at all was happening.

“You know Bryce is getting married next month.”

“I’d heard a rumor,” Luke muttered derisively .

Belle shushed her husband, nudging him with her elbow. She then dished a piece of steak onto his plate and passed the plate to me.

Colton’s hands shook. He tucked them off of the table and into his lap, but this was interesting.

He was nervous? He tackled mud—and me—shirtless, but he was nervous to talk to his own brother?

“We can do this another time,” Colton said.

“No time like the present,” Luke said.

Belle dished a piece of steak onto my plate and then passed the platter to Colton across from her. He nodded his thanks and took a piece.

“I’m trying to get him to let me buy him out so I can own the farm outright,” Colton said, his jaw working even though he hadn’t yet taken a bite.

“I see,” Luke said. “And you don’t think Bryce will go for it?”

“I don’t know. He’s so busy with these townhouses, and he’s got his hand in too many pies. Much as we all love Allie, he’s distracted with her, too, and it’ll be worse once they get married. I don’t want to mess with that. I want the farm all in my name.”

Luke kept his attention on Colton, and I felt out of place, like this was personal. Was that why he was so hesitant to mention this in front of me?

Did he mind that I was here? I would never have guessed as much before now.

“I can leave,” I said, “if you’d rather have this conversation privately.”

“You’re just fine,” Colton said, but his smile this time had an edge to it.

Luke frowned. “So you want me to, what? Intervene? Sounds like this is something you two have to work out on your own.”

“I just wondered if you had any ideas of how I should approach this.”

“Have you mentioned anything to him yet? ”

“Not yet,” Colton said, slicing into his steak.

“I’ll think on it,” Luke said, nodding and staring at the food in the center of the table. “That’s a dilemma, for sure.”

“Thanks, bruh,” Colton said, taking a bite.

Silence joined us at the table, cutting into the conversation as each of us ate our dinner. I complimented Belle on such a delicious meal, and soon, conversation changed to something a little lighter.

We finished dinner, cleaned up the dishes, and Belle excused herself, returning shortly afterward and looking paler than she had before. From the sickly expression she gave Luke, I thought I understood.

I’d heard morning sickness was a doozy.

My heady emotion from earlier came in with full force, settling in and making me sleepy. I hid a yawn behind my hand. I was glad Colton didn’t make any more attempts to flirt with me. He bade me goodbye before he and Luke wandered outside, and Belle and I headed upstairs.

“This is my old room,” she said, turning to the closet and setting a basket on the bed. It was full of travel-sized toiletry items. She dug through, rifling around the unopened packages.

“Grandpa always kept spare toothbrushes here, so I do, too.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” I said, taking the toothbrush she offered.

Belle lifted the basket and held it to her chest. She smiled wearily. “I love having you here. But I’m pretty tired.”

“I get it,” I said. “I’m going to bed, too.”

Except I didn’t usually crash this early. And I typically had a romance novel waiting on my bedside table. I could go down and dig in my car, but I doubted there was anything in there but the few things I’d intended on taking to my new place.

“Mind if I check out your bookshelves?” I asked, remembering those that we’d passed at the top of the landing.

“Please,” Belle said, bidding me goodnight.

I used her spare toothbrush and slipped into the pjs she left for me. By the time I made it out onto the landing once more, the sun was setting, casting orange shadows on the back wall.

Feeling strangely at home, I meandered in front of the shelves, perusing the titles. I doubted Belle had any romance novels, but they were my jam.

Maybe I liked indulging in torture, but I loved the idea of an adorable meet-cute where the heroine and her soon-to-be hero were forced into unexpected circumstances. I loved the anticipation, wondering how they would end up together despite the hardships they faced. And don’t even get me started on the grand gestures at the end.

It was more than I could ever hope for—and maybe that was why I liked it so much. Because even though my real-life romance had had a terrible ending, I knew these wouldn’t. I could rely on them whereas romance in real life was as unreliable as the tiger trap Francis made in Swiss Family Robinson . Sticks and twigs gave the impression of solidity; only, when the tiger stepped on them, it found itself sunk in a deep pit it couldn’t get out of.

I was in that pit, people.

My phone buzzed from within the pocket of my pajamas.

Mom: Made it a few hours ago. You getting settled in?

Me: You could say that.

I didn’t want to go into it. The last thing I wanted was her reading more into what had happened than there actually was. Although, the vision of Colton’s bare chest, his quick, considerate actions, and his flirty comments wouldn’t leave me.

Mom had been bugging me to move on after Jensen. I had no doubt she’d try pushing things with Colton, too.

She’d see this as some big coincidence. No need for her to know I wasn’t sleeping at my new place.

I thumbed the spine of a promising title. Destiny’s Dilemma. Behind me, the stairs creaked, and I turned to find Colton making his way up toward me. The sight of him invoked tiny monkeys swinging from trapezes inside of my chest.

His hair had dried by now, and it had that soft feathery look short hair did when it was newly washed.

“You’re still here?” I asked, doing my utmost to protest the swinging monkeys.

He looked more gorgeous than any man had a right to.

“Yeah,” he said, pausing to rest his hand on the top of the banister. “I’m sleeping in Luke’s old place till things dry out. I just wanted to make sure you got settled in okay. I can still saddle up Honey if you want me to take you back.”

My stomach did a little wiggle. I hugged my arms around my middle, trying to stop it. It wasn’t only his thoughtfulness catching me off-guard—but the idea of taking a moonlit horseback ride with him? Sitting behind him on the saddle, wrapping my arms around his middle to keep from falling off?

I wasn’t sure I’d ever regain my bearings after something like that.

“What about my car?”

He shrugged. “You can get it when you start your new job here.”

Heat hit my cheeks. Was he teasing?

Not for the first time that day, I had the urge to throw something at him. A book would do. But these weren’t mine—and the sound of the collision once it hit the floor would bring Luke and Belle out here, and I didn’t need that.

“No, thanks. Goodnight, Colton.”

“Night,” he said, turning and making his way down the stairs.

Feeling flushed, I snatched Destiny’s Dilemma and scurried into my room, closing the door, and burrowing into the bed. Once I settled against the pillows, I clutched the book to my chest, holding it there and waiting for my beating heart to slow.

The sight of him at the top of the stairs wouldn’t leave me alone. Colton had wanted to make sure I was okay? He’d offered to take me home?

I pictured climbing onto the horse with him, sliding my arms around his waist, and feeling every one of those abs I’d seen earlier without his shirt. He’d take things slow, probably, talking to me over his shoulder and making me lean in closer just so I could hear.

Ugh. It was far too warm under these blankets.

I kicked them off, allowing the air to cool my feverish skin. Why had he bothered? He couldn’t really think I wanted to work at Havenwood Farm.

I didn’t want to travel that road every day to muck out the barn and clean up after animals. Pardon my crudeness, but I was dealing with enough crap as it was.

I had to find a different solution, a different job change, one that didn’t require being around distracting cowboys. I’d soon find, though, that I couldn’t shake Colton Holden quite that easily.