7. Duke
SEVEN
DUKE
“Can I drive the side-by-side?” My little niece looked at me with hopeful eyes.
I shrugged and answered “Sure” at the exact moment Wyatt ground out a harsh “No.”
Penny looked at her dad with an exaggerated pout, and he lifted his eyebrows, deepening the tiny scowl that had already formed on her cute face.
Not wanting to overstep, I backtracked. “How about this? I’ll drive you around in the side-by-side, and we’ll even go to the west pasture over some of the bunny hills.”
Penny’s eyes went wide with excitement. That kid had been born with a thirst for adventure and was turning out to be a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I was certain she was the cause for a few of the gray hairs sprouting at my younger brother’s temples.
“Can we go fast?”
Beside me, Wyatt sighed, and I shot Penny a conspiratorial wink. “I’ve got something to show you in the barn first.”
Without waiting for us, Penny took off like a shot, running toward the barn with Three-Legged Ed at her heels.
Wyatt sighed again. “That kid’s going to be the death of me.”
I watched the ground as we walked. “Ah, she’s all right. She just has an adventurous spirit.”
“She’s fearless.” He shook his head and watched her enter the barn.
I smiled. “Reminds me a lot of Mom.”
Wyatt dragged a hand through his hair. “Right? Sometimes the similarities are downright eerie.”
We let the painful subject of our mother hang in the air between us. Wyatt looked out onto the fields. “Do you ever get lonely out here all by yourself?” I glanced over at my brother but didn’t answer. “Ah, who am I kidding? You’ve always been solitary. Duke Sullivan needs nothing and no one.”
A low grumble was my only response. I wasn’t sure if that had always been true or if over time I’d been hardened to become like that. Either way, it was what it was.
As we approached the barn, Penny’s small figure filled the doorway. Her arms pressed against the entryway. “Shut the front door!”
Wyatt tipped his head to his daughter, knowing full well it was pure luck a swear hadn’t come flying out of her tiny mouth. She moved forward, grabbing one of her dad’s hands in both of hers, dragging him through the entrance of the barn. Her eyes danced with excitement.
Joy rippled off her as she pulled her dad forward. “Daddy, you won’t believe it. It is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”
I tucked my hands into my pockets and followed the duo into the barn, where Duck was making an absolute mess of his water.
Wyatt squatted beside Penny. “Hey, you’re pretty cute.”
Penny looked at me with wide, hopeful eyes. “Can I go inside, Uncle Duke?”
“Yep.” I hoisted her under her arms and lifted her over the small fence into the pen. “He seems pretty friendly, but a little scared of the farm equipment.”
“Aww...” Penny clucked her tongue. She gently stroked his head, and Duck leaned into her. “Look at him. He’s so cute. Can we keep him?”
Wyatt laughed and shook his head. “Sorry, Pickle. He doesn’t belong to us.”
Undeterred, she looked back at the duckling. “Come on. Come on, little duck.”
Penny moved through the end of the enclosure toward the opening that led to outside, flapping her wings in hopes Duck would follow her. Sure as shit that cute little bastard started quacking happily and following behind Penny.
Wyatt stood and laughed. “Well, you’re gonna have a hard time getting rid of her now.”
I rocked back on my heels. “I think she’s all right. It’s nice having someone around.”
Wyatt shot me a sidelong glance. “Oh? Maybe the impenetrable Duke does get a little bit lonely.”
I nudged his arm with my elbow. “Shut the fuck up.”
Wyatt laughed. “I like this side of you.” He leaned against a support beam and looked me over. “You know, it’s good to be back. So Penny can have all of this.”
I grumbled and looked over my younger brother. “I think Lark is rubbing off on you.”
Wyatt laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, I think you’re probably right.”
“You going to be able to hold down that job of yours, or are they going to be transferring you somewhere else?”
Wyatt crossed his arms. I knew that determined look in his eye. “This season is shaping up to be a good one. I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
I liked that. I liked it a lot.
“Kids are back on campus this week, so my schedule gets busier, but with Penny starting school soon, it’ll be good to get her into a routine. My kid is smart as hell, but man does she love to stir up trouble.”
I laughed as I watched Penny lift Duck in her arms, climb over the outside gate, and hoist herself onto the driver side of my side-by-side. With Duck still nestled in the nook of her arm, she flashed me a wicked grin.
“Yeah.” I clamped my hand on Wyatt’s shoulder. “Yeah, she does.”
I strolled toward the side-by-side and held my arms out for the duckling. After handing Duck off to Wyatt, I scooched Penny over to the passenger side for a joyride.
Once we were out from under her father’s watchful eye, I pulled down a row of blueberry bushes and got out. “Scoot over.”
Her eyes went wide in disbelief. Out of the back, I pulled out a pint-size helmet and plunked it on her head. Penny gripped the steering wheel in anticipation as I buckled the strap beneath her chin. Her little body was itching to go.
I looked her in the eye. “We’ll start off slow and easy.”
She nodded. I climbed into the passenger seat and gave her a brief lesson on how to drive the side-by-side.
After making sure she was securely buckled, I settled into the passenger seat. “All right, easy does it. Ease into the gas pedal.”
Without warning, the side-by-side lurched forward as Penny let out a tiny battle cry.
My own laughter exploded from my chest as I gripped the frame and used my left hand to help her steer down the path.
Once she regulated her speed, we cruised and bounced through the fields toward the west pasture.
Before coming to the small bumps of sand, Penny looked at me with anxious eyes.
I lifted a shoulder. “Up to you.”
The little daredevil gripped the wheel tighter. “Abso-freaking-lutely.”
She bounced over the tiny bunny hills with ease, giggling and jostling as we made a loop around to do it again.
Once she finished her third lap, her tiny fist shot in the air. “Hell yeah!” Immediately she looked guilty and bit down on her lower lip. “Don’t tell Dad.”
I shook my head, a serious expression overtaking my face. “You shouldn’t keep secrets from your dad. He’s a good guy, and he’ll understand. We just had a little fun, and we made sure that you were safe. If he gets upset about it, he can be upset at me, but no secrets. Okay?”
Her lashes lowered before her trusting eyes flashed to mine. “Okay, Uncle Duke. No secrets.”
I winked at her. “All right, let’s get this rig back home.”
As I had suspected, Wyatt wasn’t all that pissed—or surprised—that I had let Penny drive the side-by-side. She explained all the safety precautions we had taken, and Wyatt pulled her into a hug and said, “I’m just glad you didn’t hide it from me.”
A sense of pride washed over me when she beamed her gap-toothed grin at me.
Still riding high from my visit with Penny and Wyatt, my normal farm chores went by without a hitch. When I got a call from Huck asking if I had an extra ten pounds of berries, I knew my day was about to get even better.
Despite his offer to send someone to pick them up, I insisted on delivering the berries myself. I wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to sneak a glance at Sylvie. More and more I’d found excuses to stop by the Sugar Bowl. It was playing with fire, and I couldn’t seem to care.
I cleaned up and even ran a comb through my hair before pulling on a navy T-shirt, jeans, and boots.
At the back entrance, I typed in the security code to the Sugar Bowl and pulled open the door.
I was immediately greeted with the warm smells of pastry and fried doughnuts.
My stomach growled, and I realized I hadn’t remembered to eat that morning.
I adjusted the crate of berries on my hip as I let the steel door click behind me.
Moments later Sylvie walked through the saloon-style doors to the kitchen. “Oh. Hi. I heard the bell and thought I’d see who came in.”
Sylvie wore jeans, cropped at the ankle and tight through her hip and thighs.
My eyes moved upward, taking in the nip of her waist and the apron tied around it.
Her blue Sugar Bowl T-shirt clung to her ribs, giving me the perfect outline of her chest. When I reached her face, I noticed a smattering of tiny freckles that danced across the bridge of her nose.
Her pale blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun. A few strands had slipped loose, and had I not been holding a crate of berries, it would have been damn hard to resist the urge to tuck one of those strands behind her ear.
Her light-brown eyes were wide as she took me in. I was about to offer her some quippy line or flirty banter but instead settled on telling her how gorgeous she looked.
“You are—” I halted when Huck walked in behind her. Instead of finishing, I cleared my throat and raised the crate slightly. “Anywhere in particular you want me to put these?”
Huck moved around Sylvie—she was still rooted to the spot. “That was quick. Thanks for bringing them by. Over here on the prep table is perfect.”
I didn’t answer but nodded and moved toward the steel table in the center of the room. Instead of giving her a wide berth, I eased myself between Sylvie and the table, letting my forearm brush against hers.
Her pull was magnetic.
It was the first time we’d ever made contact, and electricity shot through my arm and across my chest. Her skin was warm and soft—exactly how I had imagined it would be.
At the contact, Sylvie cleared her throat and moved away, and I immediately missed the feel of her skin on mine. Her eyes scanned my face, bouncing from left to right before dipping down to my mouth and shooting back up to my eyes again.
I fought and lost against the smirk that tugged at the side of my mouth. My heart thumped harder.
“What do I owe you for the rush delivery?” Huck asked.
My attention never left Sylvie’s face, but I raised a hand. “No rush fee. I’ll just add the cost of the berries to your tab.”
I shook Huck’s hand, finally breaking my gaze and turned toward the door.
“Thank you.” Sylvie’s voice was high and tight.
I turned and looked at her over my shoulder. “See you around.” With the heat of her stare still on my back, I walked through the exit, hoping the cool coastal air would help me catch my breath.