Chapter 15
You Matter To Me
A few days later, Mara had moved past her embarrassment at everyone knowing about Anson and the circumstances of her firing. As they pointed out, her quitting in the same breath trumped his firing her, especially as he was such an ass.
Ford tracked her down daily to talk about it. To ensure she was okay and that she’d told the whole story. She’d finally convinced her brother that she really was okay, that things hadn’t been worse than she’d told everyone.
After learning what the others had been through in her past, she was embarrassed that such a minor incident had thrown her into such a tizzy of emotions.
That had annoyed Amber when she’d said it aloud.
Someone making you feel pressured and vulnerable isn’t a small thing. I’m glad he didn’t take your power.
Which was a reminder Mara wasn’t weak. She’d moved out of the state and left her life behind to take on a new job. Sure, she’d had her brother here, but she’d been brave enough to walk away and toward a new challenge.
She was sure Anson had completely forgotten her.
Jolie had laughed and told her there was no way Anson would forget her anytime soon since the online reviews mentioned her multiple times by name. Mara didn’t want to look them up herself in case any were nasty. She wasn’t up to that.
Jolie assured her none were negative about her, and then read several aloud.
What happened to Mara? We miss her baking magic.
Anson Bakes has lost its best baker, no longer worth the visit.
Mara no longer works here—one star.
Dropping my former review from five stars to three mediocre stars. Don’t know what changed, but I won’t be back.
If anyone knows where the former baker works now, let me know.
Mara, we miss you!
Looks like the name is wrong. Anson’s proving that he can’t bake.
By the time Jolie had finished reading them aloud, Mara couldn’t hide the giggles. Along with the comments from the inn’s guests, her confidence was back where it should be. Her name could be Anson’s albatross—a reminder he’d screwed up and hurt his bottom line.
Her playlist shuffled to “Always Starting Over”. Idina Menzel’s talent always left Mara in awe.
Today, Mara was experimenting with baked apple chips. Like potato chips, but with apples and cinnamon. Some with chai spices. Others with sage and still more with ginger.
Midnight Security was running a training session for bodyguards for a few days, and five of the men were staying at the inn.
She figured they’d be a hungry group, so she’d made her usual caramel apple cheesecake, an apple-cranberry galette, and a batch of donuts to go along with the fritters.
Apple chips would be a fun addition for some evening snacks.
She was on her third recipe when Seth returned to the kitchen. “Time for more prep?”
He shook his head and crossed to grab a chip she’d left cooling on a plate. His eyebrows shot up. “Nice. Taste even better than they smelled, and the scent drew me in from the driveway.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I’m glad you like them. I thought they’d be a fun snack.”
He grinned and leaned down. “They will be, but I like this snack better.”
He brushed his lips lightly over hers and then leaned in to press more firmly against her.
A swoop of desire flowed through her body, starting low in her belly and radiating outward.
The man kissed as if he’d been trained by the very best.
She pulled away, ready to turn off the fryer and drag him to her room, when both their phones beeped with notifications at the same time.
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Better be important.”
His chuckle warmed her. He brushed his hands down her arms and then kissed her lightly before pulling out his phone. The frustration visible on his face morphed into another grin. “Our chickens are coming.”
Mara grabbed her own phone. Kimi had texted that she had their hens. She had another appointment in the area and offered to drop them off first. Mara grinned at Seth. “Yes?”
He nodded, and they both replied to Kimi.
Mara shoved her phone into her pocket and grabbed Seth’s hands to lead him in a dance around the kitchen. The song playing, “If I Were A Rich Man,” had nothing to do with chickens, but it gave her a beat to use to drag Seth into a dance.
To her surprise, he didn’t shut her down. Instead, he grabbed her hands in a proper dance stance and took over the lead.
Soon, he was whirling her around the kitchen. Joy spilled out of her in a laugh. He spun her out with one hand and then brought her back to land in his arms.
She reached up to kiss him. “You can dance. That was incredible.”
He shrugged, but his eyes sparkled. “Mom was a dance teacher.”
“What kind of dance?”
Another shrug. “Pretty much everything. Ballet to jazz to ballroom to contemporary.”
Delighted, she ran her hands over his chest. “I love that. Did she make you learn them all? What was your favorite? Did your dad dance with her?”
He shook his head at her. “That’s a lot of questions, Chaos Machine. I learned a lot. Instead of going to daycare when I was little, I spent time in her studio. After school, too.”
“And your favorite?”
He lifted his hand and had her spinning in a circle while he didn’t move. Then he pulled her in for another kiss. “Any dance that lets me hold you close.”
Her heart melted at the look in his eyes.
The door to the mudroom opened, and her brother walked through with Jolie.
She flinched, but Seth continued to hold her close, running his hand softly over her back. Had he heard them coming?
Obviously, it didn’t worry him to be spotted holding her closely. It didn’t bother her either, although her cheeks flushed. She didn’t know if she’d ever been held by a boyfriend in front of one of her brothers before.
Was Seth her boyfriend? There was nothing boyish about the man, but did he even want to be in a relationship with her beyond the bedroom?
His warm, confident grip on her waist said he did.
Jolie’s smile was in direct contrast to Ford’s scowl. Deciding to be proactive, Mara pointed at the plates. “I’m looking for guinea pigs to try the apple chips I’m experimenting with. Check them out.”
Seth ran his hands lightly over her arms one more time and released her. “We’ve got Kimi coming with chickens in a few minutes.”
Ford didn’t take his frowning gaze off of Seth. Jolie smacked him on the shoulder. “That’s amazing. We’ll help you settle them into their coop. I wonder whether Hemsworth or Fox will come to visit them. We left them playing tag in the orchard.”
Mara sent Jolie a grateful smile. “Thanks. It’ll be fun to see how the hens like the coop.”
“Did you come up with a name for it yet?”
Mara shook her head. “I haven’t even thought about it yet. Any suggestions?”
Jolie laughed. “Ford came up with the names for Duckington Palace and the Quack Mobile. Any suggestions for them, Ford?”
Ford’s gaze lingered on Seth for another moment before turning to Jolie. “Sorry. What was that?”
Jolie sighed. “Come on. Let’s go outside and check the chicken coop.”
Mara was relieved when her friend tugged her brother outside. Before she could ask Seth anything, he brushed a kiss over her lips and followed the others outside.
Reminding herself she wasn’t a coward, she joined them.
Seth knew when a man wanted to rip him to pieces. Ford’s big brother instincts were rumbling through him, and the man was looking for a fight.
Seth hoped it didn’t come to that. Mara wouldn’t like it if the two of them pounded the shit out of each other. Neither would Jolie.
Still, he wouldn’t back down from a fight if Ford wanted to go a round or two.
Outside, Jolie headed to the chicken coop, but Ford stopped, turned, and locked his gaze on Seth.
Never one to avoid a confrontation, Seth headed to his friend. “You got a problem with me, Dodge?”
Ford’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know, Babs. Why were your hands on my sister?”
“We were dancing.”
Ford blinked twice. “Dancing? What the hell does that mean?”
“It means dancing. Your sister’s got some moves on her.” Well, shit, that didn’t sound good.
Ford growled, and Seth held up his hands.
He heard Mara calling from behind him, but he didn’t take his attention off her brother.
“Okay, that didn’t come out right. We were dancing because she was happy about the chickens.
But we’re also dancing our way around each other, trying to decide if the chemistry exploding between us is worth exploring.
To my mind, it is. If she agrees, we’ll be doing a lot more dancing, both literally and in the way you first thought. You want to hit me now?”
Ford’s hands clenched while Mara called their names again.
Ford sighed and relaxed his fists. “Hell, she’s going to hate me if I hit you, right?”
Seth chuckled. “Probably.”
“You know if you hurt her, I’m going to kick your ass, bum leg or no bum leg.”
Seth raked his gaze over his friend. “You can try, but I have no plans to hurt her. She sparkles with magic, Dodge. The woman’s like a damn magnet. I tried staying away, but she makes it impossible. I think you know what that’s like.”
Ford sighed again. “Hell. I do. Knox was not impressed when Jolie and I got together.”
“He kick your ass?”
Ford grunted out a laugh. “No, which means I shouldn’t try it either. Just don’t mess it up, Babs.”
“Not planning on it.”
“Good.”
Mara reached their sides, hands on her hips. “Is this the part where men try to decide what’s best for the little lady?”
He and Ford shared a grin. Ford put his sister in a neck hold. “Not a chance. What names did you and Jolie come up with for the coop?”
Because she’d had years of practice getting away from big brothers, she shoved her way easily out of Ford’s hold and studied the two men. “You two are okay?”
Seth took Mara’s hand, showing her and Ford his intent. “We are.”
Mara looked at her brother, waiting for his response. He sent Seth another look, but there wasn’t much heat behind it. “For now.”
That made Seth chuckle, and he turned them to where Jolie waited by the coop. “How about Chick Magnet?”
Mara laughed. “If we ever get a rooster, that’s definitely his name.”
Ford looked over the coop they’d built. “This one could be Cluckington Palace to match the Duckington Palace at the back. Or Peckington Palace.”
Seth squeezed her hand. “Jurassic Peck.”
Jolie laughed. “That’s a good one. Or Hennsylvania. Anything we can do with the name Phail?”
Mara tilted her head. “No Phailed Eggs? No Phailed Fowls.”
“The Breakfast Club.”
“Coop Deville.”
“The Omelette Office.”
“Just Clucky.”
“Egg-topia.”
“Chick Inn Time.”
Mara’s laugh got louder and brighter with each ridiculous name one of them suggested. She was probably relieved to see that he and Ford hadn’t come to blows. He hoped she was also happy that their growing relationship was out in the open.
He was. It wasn’t like they’d been doing anything wrong, but they’d been taking time to ensure their feelings were real before putting them out in the open.
She was developing feelings right along with him, wasn’t she? If not, he’d figure out a way to make it happen.
Seth could see the future in her eyes and couldn’t imagine his own without her in it.
It was fast, but it was also right.
Mara squeezed his arm. “Is that one good with you?”
Shit. He’d zoned right out. “Which one?”
“Chick Inn Time. I think it works with the inn, and it keeps it separate from the duck’s place. We don’t want to confuse the guests.”
So far, the inn’s guests had wanted to wander the entire property, see the barns, the trees, the pond, the ducks, and Fox—all of it. Apparently, The Worminator was the biggest hit. This little farm in Vermont would spread environmental consciousness, one guest at a time.
Seth brushed his lips lightly over Mara’s. “Chick Inn Time, it is. We’ll have to make a sign.”
Jolie nodded. “Amber and I were talking with Ford about making signs for different areas of the property. The guests like to wander, so it would be good to put signs on the barns and along the pathways, too.”
Ford pulled out his phone. “I think we should keep them all similar, to add to the cohesive feel of the place. The one Nimii and Elina designed for The Worminator is great. If we keep the new ones in line with that, we should be good.”
Jolie looked around the area. “We should come up with names for the three barns, too. Maybe the Toy Room for Lawson’s barn. That would match the room at the inn.”
Mara bounced. “I like that. We’ll have to think of the rest later. Kimi’s here.”
She grabbed Seth’s hand and tugged him into a jog to meet the veterinarian, where she parked near the inn.
Kimi’s grin matched Mara’s, and he knew the vet didn’t miss the way they held hands.
Two cages in the truck’s bed held chickens, all squawking in unison. Kimi lowered the tailgate, and Seth jumped into the back of the truck to move the cages to the edge.
Mara beamed. “Hello, ladies. You’re going to like it here. We’ve got a new home prepared for you. We named it this morning, and we’ll make a sign for you. Welcome to Chick Inn Time.”
Kimi laughed. “I love it. You fit in so well with the silliness of Phail. I’m so glad you’ve all come to the area.”
Seth watched moisture form in Mara’s eyes, but she blinked away the happy tears. “Thanks. It’s become home so quickly. I’ve always lived in big cities. Now, I can’t imagine moving away from here.”
And that was precisely the news Seth wanted to hear.
When Mara’s happy eyes met his, he nodded. “Same.”
Her sparkle brightened, and he had to steal another kiss.
Then he hoisted the crates. “Lead the way, ladies. It’s Chick Inn Time.”