Chapter 14
RIVER
River stared after Mathew, unsure of how she was feeling.
No one had ever treated her the way he’d been treating her lately.
No one.
Not her foster families. No one in past relationships. No one in her life had ever felt this trustworthy.
And that was exactly why she’d been holding back.
A lesser woman might’ve caved the first time he showed up with that gorgeous bouquet of daisies and roses. The truth was, the second she’d caught a glimpse of it, something in her chest had gone soft.
Deep down inside.
There was no way she was letting Emerson see that.
No way she was giving anyone a front-row seat to whatever Mathew Klein was doing to her, especially when she didn’t fully understand it herself.
She’d kept her walls up even though she’d wanted to chase after Lily and beg for those flowers, so she could see something bright and happy on her table.
But not just any something bright and happy. Something from Mathew.
Emerson hadn’t been wrong when he told Mathew she didn’t like flowers. River had said it to herself more than once—she wasn’t the flower kind of girl.
And yet…
That bouquet still filled her thoughts two weeks later.
Because it wasn’t really about the flowers.
It was about him showing up in that too-nice shirt, holding those beautiful flowers that she knew were for her.
Her.
The woman who lived in work clothes and came home smelling like oil and grease. The woman with calluses and bruises and a life that didn’t match his.
And maybe that was one of the biggest reasons she couldn’t let herself give in. Not when wanting something had always been the sure way to losing it.
With a heavy sigh, she pulled the door shut behind her and headed down to get to work. It was promising to be a hotter day than the one before, and she had a feeling some of the older machinery would need more than just a little tuning up.
Every day presented a new challenge, whether she was actively working on the farming equipment or helping the girls out with their own trucks.
Never a dull moment.
“You got coffee and didn’t bring me any?” a male voice called.
There was a blur of movement, and the cup in her hand was swiped. River turned to glare at Emerson as he took a long drink, then flashed her a shameless grin before offering it back.
Her eyes narrowed. “No, I didn’t get coffee.”
He gave the cup a pointed look. “That drink says otherwise.”
“I’ll have you know,” she said, taking it back, “Mathew dropped it off.”
A subtle lift of Emerson’s brows was his only response, and she rolled her eyes right back.
“It’s not what you think,” she insisted.
“Oh, it’s exactly what I think. He’s had it bad since the day he took off work to help you and your sister.”
River shot him a look. “Don’t remind me.”
“Why? Because he’s actually following through on his persistence to date you?”
She set the cup on a nearby workbench a little harder than necessary. “Because I told him I’m not looking to date. I was clear.”
“And he was clear that he’s interested,” Emerson said, like that settled it.
River spun to face him, hands on her hips. “Interest is fine. But I’m not some challenge for him to overcome.”
Emerson sobered, just a little. “Is he making you uncomfortable?”
The question took the edge off her frustration. River exhaled. “No. Not like that. He’s… respectful.” She hesitated, hating how complicated the truth was. “It’s just—when someone keeps showing up, it starts to feel like pressure, even when they mean well. I’m not used to it.”
Emerson studied her for a beat. “So what do you want?”
“I want him to be patient with me,” she said quietly. “And I want to stop feeling like the bad guy for not being ready.”
Emerson’s voice softened. “You want to know what I think?”
And though she knew better than to deny him, she did anyway. “No, I don’t want to know.”
Emerson continued, “I think he’s good for you.”
River’s discomfort climbed a notch. She turned away and grabbed a rag, giving herself something to do with her hands. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You need someone who isn’t going to go running for the hills the moment life gets hard,” Emerson said.
“Someone who’s going to be there for you.
And if you’re not ready for that, fine. But ask yourself this, if a good man shows up and keeps showing up, is it because he’s trying to win a game?
Or because he’s trying to prove to be someone you can count on… ”
River swallowed. “I guess you have a point,” she admitted.
Emerson nodded once. “Then don’t write him off just because you’re scared of wanting it.”
That hit too close to the real truth. River stared at the workbench, her throat tight.
“Just think about it,” Emerson added.
She nodded.
“Oh—and Rose wanted me to tell you they’re hosting a barbecue.”
She didn’t have to ask. Emerson was already grinning.
“And yes,” he said, “your coffee man will be there.”
River rolled her eyes. “He’s not mine.”
Emerson’s grin only widened. “Keep telling yourself that.”
There were plenty of familiar faces. The Palmer family was present, but so were people from the Keagan family and the Callahan family. But it wasn’t them she was looking for.
There was only one person she wanted to catch a glimpse of—as ridiculous as that was. And the second he arrived, she felt him. The hair at the back of her neck lifted. Her heart tripped over itself, the same way it always seemed to in his orbit.
His low voice brushed in right behind her left ear, and she couldn’t stop the shiver that coursed down her spine. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
River smiled and turned around. He was still close, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to step back or lean in closer. “Hey,” she said, aiming for casual.
His lips twitched as his gaze swept over her face.
After work, River had actually put effort into her appearance.
She’d scrubbed her face clean, added a little makeup, curled her hair and left it down.
The jeans she’d picked hugged her just right, paired with a cream-colored tank and her combat boots.
This evening, she felt dangerously pretty, and she wondered what Mathew was thinking as he perused her.
He’d traded his usual look for jeans and a fitted T-shirt. His hair was neat, his jaw clean-shaven, that boyish charm on full display. It took her breath away and made her heart rate accelerate even further. “You clean up nice,” she managed.
“I was about to say the same to you,” he mused.
His attention dipped to the tray of cut fruit in her hands, a tray she’d nearly forgotten she was holding. “Need help with that?” He didn’t wait for her answer before taking it.
“Hey!” She huffed, following after his long strides. “I didn’t need—”
He flashed a grin over his shoulder and set the tray with the other food at the long table. When he turned back, she was close enough she had to stop short.
River pushed up onto her toes to avoid colliding with him, then folded her arms. Her eyes narrowed, but her mouth betrayed her with a smile. “I didn’t need help,” she insisted.
“I know,” he said easily. “But I’m allowed to offer.”
The way he said it made her chest tighten.
He leaned in just a fraction, lowering his voice. “I’m well aware that you’re a strong, capable woman, River.” His gaze held hers, steady. “But that doesn’t negate the fact that whenever given the chance, I want to do what I can to take care of you.”
And just like that, the air whooshed out of her lungs. She blinked a few times, trying to remember how words worked, and Mathew’s smirk turned softer around the edges.
“Fine,” she gritted out, though there wasn’t much bite behind it. “Do whatever you want.”
“What I want,” he said, “is to take you out.”
She huffed. “That’s still not happening.”
His expression didn’t harden. If anything, it warmed. “Then I’ll keep coming around, hoping you’ll give me a chance one day,” he said quietly. “And when you’re ready, if you’re ever ready, you tell me.”
River’s throat tightened at the choice he’d just handed back to her. She shook her head like she could shake off the feeling, then turned toward the house for another tray.
She didn’t have to look behind her to know he followed, close enough to help, far enough not to crowd her.
And she wasn’t sure she wanted to fight him on it.
The rest of the evening was more of the same. Mathew left her in peace here and there as he visited with people he knew, but she caught him watching her more times than she could count.
And when it was time to serve up the food, Mathew fixed her a plate before she had a chance to get up from the table where she was chatting with Rose, Wynter, and Isabelle.
The latter two were going to be sisters-in-law and all they could talk about was planning their weddings.
But the second Mathew placed a plate piled with food in front of River, they stopped mid-chatter and stared wide-eyed at River.
By the end of the night, River didn’t know what to do with herself.
Mathew was tearing down all her walls. Making her question every argument she could come up with. Making her believe that love could exist if she only gave it a try.
Maybe fairytales weren’t real.
But maybe… this wasn’t a fairytale.
Maybe this was just a good man, showing up.
And maybe, if she let herself breathe, it wouldn’t be so terrifying to want him back.