26. Dove
DOVE
T he next week passed in a wave of heat and preparation.
As the crops dried out from the heavy rain, Josh and I worked. Thankfully, the weather was predicted to be clear skies and hot days for a stretch that left us feeling confident we could harvest within the next few weeks.
The parts on the tractor had been easy enough to replace, which left us with time to focus on Josh’s truck.
We’d been working on it in between the rest of our responsibilities, and I was pretty sure we’d have it fixed enough to start today.
Helping Josh had been challenging at first. Not only because he refused to wear a shirt while working on it, which distracted me more than I cared to admit, but because I couldn’t look at the damn thing without blushing.
Every time I caught a glimpse of the hood I was transported back to when I was sprawled across it, metal solid underneath my back with the phantom touch of Josh’s fingers buried inside me as he commanded me to come.
We’d been so busy preparing for the harvest these past few days that we’d done nothing but fall into bed together and pass out.
Not that I was complaining, snuggling with Josh was amazing.
Sleeping beside him was the best sleep I’d gotten in years.
But now that I’d had certain parts of Josh, I craved them.
My body practically lit up when he was nearby, thirsting for his touch, begging me to touch him.
I squirmed against the truck’s driver’s seat, my sweaty thighs sticking to the vinyl uncomfortably.
I wish I could blame it on the heat, but in all honesty, it wasn’t the sole cause.
Thinking of Josh had me burning, yearning , creating a throb deep within me that begged for release.
My hand twitched on the wheel before it slipped down to the fly of my jean shorts and pressed?—
“Alright,” Josh called from under the hood, startling me. My hand shot back to curl around the steering wheel like I’d been caught. “Start her up.”
Ignoring my pounding heart, I twisted the key in the ignition, wincing as the engine struggled to turn over.
“Give her some gas,” Josh ordered over the noise.
I tapped my foot against the accelerator, once, twice, three times.
“Come on, come on,” I coaxed under my breath, wishing it to start for Josh’s sake.
The engine roared to life.
Josh whooped with joy as he slammed the hood closed.
I nearly did, too. I never imagined this truck would be up and running again.
I never imagined Josh would be back here to fix it.
Somehow hearing it started back up caused my stomach to swoop as the reality of the moment washed over me.
There were so many chances for this to go wrong, but maybe, just maybe, this could go right.
Josh appeared beside me in the open door, a smudge of oil along one cheek and his bare chest glistening with sweat, smiling the brightest I’d seen since he’d been back. Seeing it caused something in me to slot into place, like a missing piece of the puzzle I’d been waiting to find.
I couldn’t stop myself from pitching forward to taste that smile. I wanted to see him happy like that for the rest of my life. Wanted to be the cause of it.
When I pulled back, he asked, “Want to go for a ride?” sounding so boyish and giddy my heart did a funny flip behind my ribs.
I answered by sliding over into the passenger seat. Josh’s grin widened as he hopped behind the wheel and slammed the door shut.
As he slowly drove the truck out of the garage for the first time in years, something awakened in me. Something that I allowed for the first time to dream of more , more than this farm, more than this life, more than being stuck here in the safety of Haven.
Something that included Josh by my side, just like he was now.
Golden fields gave way to lush woods as trees passed in a blur through the open windows.
Wind whipped through the cab as Josh cruised down the road, his hand slipping into mine before tugging it over so he could cradle it in his lap.
The gesture had me turning to look out the window, lips pressed together to subdue the goofy grin threatening to slip onto my face.
There was a warmth spreading in my chest, and an emotion I wasn’t familiar with filled me.
It took me a moment to recognize it as contentment.
If I were given the opportunity to live in this moment forever, I would. Gladly.
For some strange reason, the strongest urge to tell Josh that overcame me, the words crawling up my throat.
The sentiment threatened to spill from my lips, but I swallowed it down, giving Josh’s hand a squeeze instead.
His eyes crinkled with happiness when they met mine before turning back to the road.
A moment later he brought my hand up to his lips to place a quick kiss along the back of it, causing the butterflies in my stomach to make an appearance once again.
It was as if he was their master, commanding them to life just by existing.
As Josh drove, we enjoyed each other’s company without words, the silence eaten by the wind whistling in our ears.
We didn’t need to talk. We were both basking in each other’s presence, appreciating the sun as it warmed our faces where it beat down from the bright blue sky, the clouds so fluffy they reminded me of white pieces of cotton candy.
The farther Josh traveled, missing several turns to head back home, the more my suspicions grew. I lolled my head to the side from where it was resting against the headrest to look at him. “Are we going where I think we’re going?”
“Depends.” His focus remained on the road, but from this angle I could see the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. “Where do you think we’re going?”
“There’s not much out this way except a few houses and the old mill.”
“They’re supposed to be taking it down soon. I wanted to see if it was still standing.”
I eyed him, but he kept his gaze forward. “And if it is?”
I had an idea of what he might be up to, considering it was notoriously used for hooking up. Mostly by high schoolers, though, because it was abandoned and secluded, perfect for clandestine teenage rendezvous. The occasional party had been held there back when we’d been in school.
I’d never gone there outside a party before, but I’d fantasized about it plenty of times.
Late at night, lying in bed, I imagined a boy taking me there.
Imagined what it might be like to sit out under the stars and give myself to someone—someone I’d tried so hard not to picture as my stepbrother.
A part of me wanted to know if Josh had ever imagined that, too.
If that was the reason why he was taking me there.
I waited, hoping to hear that we shared a similar fantasy, but before Josh could answer the truck gave a worrying lurch.
His hand left mine to grab at the wheel and the truck vibrated as the engine sputtered before cutting out completely.
Josh cursed, guiding it as best he could to the side of the road before slapping the steering wheel in frustration once we’d come to a halt.
“What happened?” Could we have made a mistake somehow when putting it back together, I wondered.
“My fault,” he admitted, turning to me with a sheepish grin. “I didn’t put a whole bunch of gas in it, just enough to get her started. I should have thought of that before we took her for a joy ride. Sorry, Dove.”
The breeze carded through my hair like fingers as the warmth of the summer sun kissed my face, and I couldn’t find it in me to be bothered. Most important of all, Josh was beside me. There honestly wasn’t anywhere else I’d rather be.
I relaxed into the side of the door. “It’s alright, you were excited. I was, too. We both overlooked it.” I glanced out into the trees beside us, thinking. “We could call someone for gas.”
Josh opened the door and hopped out, wiping his face off with the shirt he still hadn’t managed to put on before throwing it over his shoulder to fish out his cellphone from his back pocket. “I could see what Eddie’s up to,” he suggested. “Maybe him or one of his brothers could bring us some.”
I grabbed mine from where I’d set it on the dash. “If they’re busy I can see if Rev’s free. She might be at the salon, but it’s worth a shot.”
Josh tapped at his phone a few times until it started ringing. He set it on the seat so he could slip his arms into the sleeves of his shirt and pull it down over his head.
“Hey, J-man,” Eddie’s cheerful voice buzzed, too loud for the small speaker. “Miss me?”
“Like a hen misses her eggs,” Josh snarked, picking the phone up.
“You sure do know how to make a guy feel special.”
Here we go , I thought with a mental eyeroll.
Even over the phone these two were a trip.
Eddie carried the same energy as chugging ten Red Bulls, which didn’t match Josh’s laidback personality at all.
But put them together, and somehow, they fit perfectly.
Eddie became Thing One to Josh’s Thing two.
Josh became the Tweedle Dee to Eddie’s Tweedle Dum.
I’d been witness to one too many idiotic ventures when these two got together.
Secretly, it made me happy to hear their banter after all this time.
“Oh, you’re special alright.”
“ Ouch , that one hurt, man. I hope you didn’t call just to wound my ego.”
Josh chuckled, resting an arm along the top of the truck.
“I’m sure your ego will survive.” Like moths to a flame, my eyes were drawn to the muscles of his biceps as they strained against the sleeve of his t-shirt.
“Actually, I called to ask a favor. You busy? I got the Chevy up and running but, uh, kind of ran out of fuel.”
“Kind of?” Eddie mocked. “You forgot it takes some or what?”
Josh rolled his eyes. “Alright, smartass, you free to bring me enough to get back home or what ? We’re near the old mill on Pine, just past crazy Shep’s junkyard.”
“We?” he questioned, intrigued.