Chapter 12
RIVER
“You’re kidding.”
River shook her head. “I’m not.”
“That’s just… Well, I mean… Whoa.”
River cut Emerson a look from beneath her lashes. She was leaning far over the edge of her truck, reaching for an annoying bolt. It was times like this that she hated her height. She grunted and lunged forward again. “Yeah, and I think I just made it worse.”
“Which part? That you took him on a date that turned into bailing your foster sister out of jail? That he paid the bail when you came up short and conveniently distracted you so you wouldn’t try to pay him back?
That he then took you out for dinner afterward?
” Emerson’s tone was way too amused for her liking.
“Or the fact that you didn’t even thank him? ”
River’s jaw tightened. “I never said I didn’t show gratitude.”
“Oh?” Emerson leaned against the fender. “It wasn’t in the story. You said he confessed to taking off work, and according to Rose, he never takes off work.”
River paused and pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead, wrench dangling at her side in her other hand. “I know. Stop reminding me.”
Emerson laughed. “So you did thank him. How’d that go? What do you even say when someone admits they changed their work habits because you’ve got a wayward sibling and a crisis of the week?”
Straightening, River fixed him with a look. She set the wrench on the edge of the truck a little harder than necessary. “I told you to stop making this something it isn’t.”
“Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Heat rushed up her neck—fast, traitorous, and completely unhelpful. Her pale skin was probably as red as the bandana tied around her head.
Emerson’s mouth dropped open. His eyes flicked away, like he was trying—and failing—to pretend he hadn’t noticed how red she’d turned. Then he leaned forward and nudged the wrench aside so it wouldn’t topple. “Oh, now I have to hear this.”
Groaning, River reached for the rag tucked into her back pocket. At this point, wiping her hands was less about grease and more about nerves. She squinted at Emerson and tilted her head, trying for nonchalant but the high pitch of her voice said otherwise. “I might have kissed him?”
Emerson held it together for exactly one second before he laughed. He actually laughed, which only made the heat in her cheeks burn hotter.
“Stop it,” she said, wanting to melt into the floor with embarrassment. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“I agree,” a low voice said behind her, and River went stock-still. For one humiliating heartbeat, everything inside her dropped—then rushed back in a wave.
She shot Emerson a look that could’ve welded metal and mouthed, not funny.
Emerson only grinned and backed away from the truck. “I think George said he needed some help with that baler today. I’d better get going.”
“Emerson,” River warned under her breath, but it didn’t do any good. He left with a low chuckle.
River could feel Mathew at her back. Close. Too close. The hair on her arms lifted like she’d brushed a live wire.
When his voice came right beside her ear, she startled. “One of the best kisses of my life.”
Oh goodness gracious. That timbre of his voice.
Why did the sound of him make her want to melt on the spot? Why couldn’t she find the courage to turn around and face him?
Because he was right.
That kiss had been… magic.
It had sparked something in her she’d honestly thought was non-existent.
She couldn’t explain it. Maybe it was how adorable he was when she pushed his buttons just right. Maybe it was the fact that he’d come with her to bail Skye out of county lockup—and paid the bail without blinking. Or the cherry on top: he’d taken off work to spend time with her.
No one had ever done that for her. Not like that.
And that was why she hadn’t held back. She’d been so full of messy, raging emotion that she’d just… kissed him.
Turning, she faced the man she’d hoped she wouldn’t have to see for at least a few days, if not longer. Heat still lingered beneath her skin.
How could she have been so careless as to talk about Mathew when anyone could overhear her?
There was amusement in his eyes where she’d expected offense. He brought a thumb to his lower lip, and River’s attention followed the movement before she could stop it. The memory of that kiss flickered—warm and startling—and her own mouth tingled like it remembered, too.
He must have noticed, because his grin widened. This man was different from the one she’d met weeks ago. Yes, there was still an edge to him that she knew needed to be softened, but there was also a lightness that hadn’t been there before.
“Go out with me,” he said, like he’d already decided.
She nearly choked. “What? No.”
He lifted a brow, but his smile didn’t waver. “No?”
“No,” she repeated. “Not a good idea.”
“And that kiss?”
“A mistake.”
“I disagree.”
Surprise rocked through her. “You… disagree?”
He nodded. They were still close. Close enough that the air between them felt charged.
River racked her brain for the words she desperately needed to keep him at bay because those eyes of his were doing things to her she wasn’t prepared for. “I—we can’t.”
“Why? If this is because you work for my cousin, I…”
“It’s not that.” She forced steadiness into her voice. “It’s because you seem to be married to your work and I’m not so sure I could deal with it.”
That gave him pause. The amusement in his expression faded —then returned, though a bit dampened from before. “I’m working on that.”
“You’re… working on that?” A soft scoff escaped her before she could catch it. “Mathew, people don’t just flip a switch. You don’t wake up one day and stop being who you are.”
He pressed two fingers to her lips. She startled but surprisingly didn’t pull back. His voice was low but steady. “If losing my father has taught me anything, it’s that life is too short. I’ve lost so much time already.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, and she didn’t trust herself to ask.
“All I know,” he continued, “is that I don’t want to end up like my dad. I don’t want to leave this life with more regrets than I already have.”
What could she say to that? He wasn’t wrong.
She knew all too well about living life to the fullest. That was one of the biggest reasons she liked to travel so much.
There were countless places to visit. Food to taste.
Cultures to discover. Though, she had to admit being with him might top off all those other experiences.
Mathew didn’t push. He just stood there, close enough to make her heartbeat feel loud. “Go out with me,” he said again, softer now, as he brushed his knuckle along her jaw.
Tingles spread across her skin where he touched her, and River had to fight the urge to lean into it. To let it be easy. To let it be real.
Thankfully, her reason won out. She flashed him a playful smile before she patted his chest with her hand. “You make a compelling argument.”
“Is that a yes?”
Once again, she shook her head. “Unfortunately, I’m also not cut out for anything serious.
But not for the same reasons as you.” She lifted her shoulders and dropped them.
“I’m like a butterfly, always flitting from one place to the next.
And you?” She let her eyes trace over him.
“You’re the kind of guy who likes to put down roots. ”
Apparently, Mathew wasn’t the kind of guy to go down without a fight because that smile never wavered. In fact, he looked even more charming as he continued to grin at her. “Then I’ll be the one place that feels like home when you get tired of flying.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “Pretty sure a butterfly only visits a flower once before moving on.”
“But how can you be certain?”
“I guess I can’t,” she mused.
“What’s this about butterflies?”
Once again, River was the one to startle. And in that moment, with the sound of Rose’s voice, she realized just how close she was to Mathew. They were nearly chest to chest. All she would have to do was rise on her toes and she could have kissed him again.
That was not a mistake she was willing to repeat.
Taking a decided step backward, she glanced around Mathew to find not only Rose, but also the twins. Lily and Jasmine had matching eyes bouncing from their cousin to River and back. Rose wore a knowing smirk, and it was far too similar to Mathew’s for River’s comfort.
When no one answered Rose’s question, she rolled her eyes and pointed at her cousin. “Dad said you were stopping by to discuss Uncle Fred’s will?”
River hated the way disappointment pinched tight in her chest. Of course. He wasn’t here for her—he was here for family. He’d stopped by to see his uncle.
Mathew turned to her as if he was preparing himself to say something, but she gave a short shake of her head and flashed him a broad smile. “Go on. Your presence is needed.”
Rose glanced at her. “The twins were looking into replacing our dad’s truck for his birthday with an upgrade, but we’re not as savvy with that sort of thing. Do you think you have time to go out with them to a nearby ranch and test drive one that’s for sale?”
River nodded. “Of course. I’d be happy to.” She tossed Mathew another smile since he hadn’t taken his leave. “See you around, Dr. Klein.”
His eyes held hers for a moment. “Hopefully.”
She barely made it five steps out of the hangar with the twins when she heard Rose’s high-pitched squeal and the words, “Penny and Jason said…” Inwardly, she grimaced. So everyone was finding out then. And she wasn’t going crazy. Mathew didn’t usually take work off.
But he had for her.
And she didn’t know how to respond to that.
Not with words, and definitely not with another kiss.