8. A Soft Spot
Chapter 8
A Soft Spot
K nox regretted that he’d let his attraction slip to Thea. It wasn’t in the least bit appropriate and he should have kept his murmur to himself.
Instead of telling him he was an asshole, Thea had turned quiet and they’d finished the task of putting her groceries away in silence.
Then he’d left her to her own devices and he’d headed out. He walked the orchard, getting turned around more than once.
He found another cabin, one with electricity and plumbing, and spotted at least four sheds. Two of them needed a lot of help. Something he could probably do on his own, but he wouldn’t. He’d use the dilapidated state of the sheds lure his buddy here. Ford hated seeing buildings die a slow death. He loved to rejuvenate them and bring them fresh life.
Knox snapped a few more photos but didn’t send them yet. There was no point in working on Ford until he’d convinced the family to invest in the property. One thing at a time.
When he finally spotted the farmhouse again he smiled. At least he’d found it on his own and hadn’t needed help. The cloudy day meant the sun was hidden but he hadn’t even bothered to check its location as he’d wandered. He’d been too busy kicking his metaphoric ass over allowing his attraction to Thea slip out.
He needed to keep things friendly. Making her uncomfortable would ruin all his plans.
That made him smile. Currently, the long term plans running through his mind and his imagination involved Thea. It was so easy to picture the two of them as a couple with decades behind them.
But if he wanted to explore that possibility, he needed to ensure she didn’t run for the hills. Not only for the sake of the farm but for his own sanity.
Slow and steady.
He’d work on their friendship and see if he was getting miles ahead of himself.
His ex’s voice echoed in his head. “You’re thinking too far ahead, Knox. Not everyone’s looking to make long-term commitments. It’s best to have a little fun and then move on.”
She’d told him he was ridiculously old-fashioned and that no one thought long term after a few weeks.
His imagination had never put him and Dana together decades from then. Not like it was with Thea. Too bad it had taken him a few weeks to figure it out with Dana. He’d be smarter this time around because it felt far more important.
Knox wandered the perimeter of the farmhouse, looking it over for needed repairs. Nothing major but he figured pretty much everything needed an update.
Eventually. The farm itself would come first but they’d need to update the windows and the siding down the road a bit. No one wanted the harsh winter winds sneaking in through windows.
Knox walked the space between the two farmhouses and wondered what this area would need. Jolie would know more about that. Thea probably would as well.
The field was almost as large as a football field. Not quite there but close. Apple trees kept him from seeing the other building but he knew it was there. Weeds, wildflowers, and bushes covered the rest of the space.
The field cried out for someone to love it. He wasn’t a gardener but he imagined the space would intrigue anyone who was. There was tons of Jolie’s potential here. Lots of room to plant flowers and other varieties of trees. Could the farm use a space with picnic tables and benches? Maybe a pond or two.
If he could talk Amber into converting the second farmhouse into a B&B, they’d have to have some outdoor areas devoted to guests. Spaces for kids to have fun. Maybe a few romantic pathways for honeymooners.
He was definitely getting ahead of himself.
Knox had never been a big dreamer. He was generally a practical man. Do the next thing. Keep moving forward.
After the deaths of their parents, most of them had become more practical, especially the older ones. Burke had immediately taken on jobs to help contribute. Lawson had volunteered at the local mechanic’s shop to help him learn the basics. It hadn’t been long before he’d become a junior employee and had found work he loved.
Knox had picked up odd jobs, too. He wasn’t as big or strong as his brothers but he’d taken on a newspaper route and mowed lawns. Walked dogs.
Amber had taken on more than her share of the household chores and even little Jolie had started planting a garden to help feed the family.
Their parents would be proud of them all. They were hard-working and they all contributed to society.
But were they enjoying their lives?
His mom, Halona, had always been about finding ways to balance work and play. She would want them to be happy.
Would you like this place, Mom? Would you approve of my plan to take it on and get the rest of them here?
He hoped so.
In a nostalgic mood, he returned to the farmhouse he was using and let himself in. Locked up behind him and made a note to figure out what it would cost to implement a security system. It wasn’t something they needed immediately but after working in the army and as a bodyguard, he knew the systems were worth it.
One day.
Knox wandered the main room, opening cupboards and desk drawers at random, trying to learn more about the farm and the man who’d left it to them.
In the room where Jay’s worn recliner proved he’d spent a lot of hours, he found a small box tucked into the old trunk Jay had used as a coffee table.
When Knox lifted the lid, he grinned. Old polaroid photographs. Exactly the kind of thing he’d hoped to find.
He closed the trunk and sat on the leather sofa. There were a handful of the old square photos and he placed them on the trunk.
In the first one, two young boys held a couple of fishing rods that had to be almost twice their height. The boys each held a tiny perch as they posed in front of a small lake.
Apparently Fox and Jay weren’t twins because one looked to be about a year older than the other. Maybe four and five years old. The family resemblance was strong and the picture could easily have been of Knox and Lawson or of Burke and Lawson.
Knox had to blink away the moisture gathering in his eyes. Here was the kind of family photo that showed the two had been brothers. Better, they’d been friends.
Knox could see their good relationship in the way they had their arms looped around the other’s shoulders. The fishing rods were gripped in those hands while they held up the fish with the other.
“What tore you two apart?”
The next photo showed a close up of one boy and his fish. The third showed the other.
Which was Fox? He could imagine either boy growing up into the grandfather Knox loved. There wasn’t any writing on the backs to help him.
The other pictures showed more of what had to have been a very good day for the two boys.
Wrestling in the grass.
Standing beside the canoe they’d probably been in when they’d caught their prizes.
The older brother sitting with his back against a tree while the other napped beside him.
No other people to give Knox more context. Had Knox’s great-grandfather taken these photos?
He studied the photos for more clues but didn’t find anything more than two brothers having a great day. He was glad to know they’d at least had a good relationship when they were kids. Whatever had torn them apart had come later.
Knox wished he’d asked Fox more questions when he’d had the chance. What had his great-grandparents been like? How had life changed from the time Fox was a kid?
Surely, if he’d asked more, he would have found at least a hint that Fox hadn’t been an only child. Then he might have had a chance to help them fix what had been broken.
Knox snapped pictures of the photos and sent them to his siblings with a text to the family chat explaining where he’d found them.
The responses were fast and fascinated. They were as curious as he was about this mystery.
Knox was going to use that to lure them all here. And to ensure their own bond was never broken.
F or Thea, the days passed in a blur. It had been two weeks since the awkward moment in her cabin. To her relief, she and Knox had been back on even terms since then.
They spent part of their days together where she took him through the property and taught him about the farm and caring for the trees. She worked the compost on her own and he worked on the finances. She was glad that wasn’t her job.
He’d had meetings with lawyers and accountants, learning more about the business end of the farm. Jay had never shared any of that with her.
Her bank account grew as not only did Knox ensure she was paid, but he’d increased her wage. Apparently his family had been in agreement that Jay hadn’t paid her enough. They’d also agreed with Knox that she could keep that cabin as hers for as long as they owned the farm and they’d transferred Jay’s old truck to her name.
It was more than she could have expected. All she wanted.
Okay, maybe not everything, but it was really good. She felt secure in her current situation and knew that even if they sold the farm, she had options.
Her number one choice would be for the Malssum family to keep the farm and her. She wanted to see Jay’s dream come to life.
If she was honest, she wanted more than a professional relationship with Knox. More than ever.
He was a really good man. Over the past few weeks, she’d seen all sides of him and hadn’t learned anything that made her like him less.
The chemistry continued to sizzle but they’d mostly ignored it. Well, that wasn’t true. They’d both reacted every time and she knew he wanted her. Knew he was holding back and respecting her.
But his eyes flared with desire before he banked it.
Thea couldn’t deny she wanted more. The security she felt had her imagining a future with Knox. A real one where they were together and she was part of the family and the farm.
She’d wrestled with the boss and employee dynamic but knew Knox wouldn’t cross that line unless she took the first step.
Every day she considered it. Every day, she stopped.
Would today be the day she’d take a chance?
She’d been alone for so long. Lonely for longer.
Her heart longed for Knox. Wanted him with a ferocity that consistently shocked her.
She wanted to kiss him, to see if the chemistry would hold up to its promise.
That made her smile. There was zero chance the kiss would be anything other than spectacular. Never mind sex. That would likely send her head spinning right off her body.
But a girl could dream.
And a girl could make those dreams come true if she was brave enough.
If only there was a guarantee that she wouldn’t mess up everything.
When she stopped the chainsaw she’d been using to break up tree limbs, she heard Knox whistling as he approached. The unfamiliar tune was cheerful and bright. Which matched how her body reacted.
Maybe today would be the day.
She turned off the saw and set it down. Then she removed her safety goggles and ear protection. Then her gloves. that was about as far as her primping ever went.
He waved through the trees and held up a cloth bag. “I finally remembered to pick up a lock from Phail General. I’m going to install it in your cabin.”
Surprise flashed through her. He’d mentioned it before but she’d forgotten about it. The orchard was safe and with the bolt she threw at night, she’d never worried about being alone in the midst of the property.
But he had worried about her.
Her heart softened a little more. “You didn’t need to do that.”
He frowned slightly. “I most definitely did. Any problem with me doing it now?”
She shook her head and joined him. “I’ll go with you. I’ve never learned how to do that before.”
He nodded. “I found an exterior door in the barn that we can install at the same time. It’ll be better during the winter to keep the cold on the outside.”
For the next hour, Knox showed her how to install the door and put in the dead bolt. It was friendly and he was a good teacher. By the end, she felt she could do the next one herself. “Thanks. Both for the new door and lock, and for teaching me.”
He grinned at her and the desire he tried to keep banked showed. Causing a reaction of her own.
They were standing close because they’d been installing the door and the lock. Normally, she might have backed up. Today, she didn’t. Be brave .
Except he was still her boss. One of them, anyway.
Her eyes flicked to his mouth as she contemplated kissing him. Did he want that?
When she lifted her eyes again, she saw the answer she wanted. Interest. Desire.
Her move. Why did it have to be her move? She wasn’t experienced enough at this.
Still, she didn’t back away.
Instead she inched closer and heat flared in Knox’s eyes. Her body cheered.
Finally, Thea found her words. “I don’t want to make a mistake here.”
Knox nodded. “I feel the same. What if it’s not a mistake? What if it’s the right thing.”
And what if it isn’t? She didn’t say that part out loud but figured they both heard it anyway.
For a long moment, they stared at each other and then Knox nodded and the indecision she’d seen flitted away. “I’d like to cook you supper tonight.”
“What? Why?”
Amusement filled his gaze. “Well, the obvious answer is that we both need to eat, so we might as well do it together.”
One of his large hands lifted and gently brushed her hair back from her face. “I could also say it’s a thank you for working the farm when you didn’t have to. You’ve maintained the compost, checked the trees for damage, and kept the orchard healthy.”
His gruff tone mesmerized her.
“I could even say that it’s more efficient and environmentally conscious to cook in one place rather than have two people prepare separate meals.”
His thumb brushed across her lower lip, and her entire body trembled. She wouldn’t have moved or spoken for anything. No way was she breaking the spell he wove. Not when she really liked the direction it was going.
His fingers rested in her hair, and his thumb continued to brush her lip. Her jawline. Her ear. Back to her lip.
“But the real reason is that I want to cook you dinner so that I can spend time getting to know you. Get to know what makes you happy, what pisses you off. I want to know all sides of you. I want to go on a date with you. And cooking you dinner is my plan for Date One.”
“I’d like that.”
He grinned. “And after Date One, I want to walk my date home in the moonlight. Under the stars. Through the apple trees where the songbirds are sleeping.”
She swallowed hard. “Okay.” Her voice shook and almost made it sound like a question.
“I want to hold her hand and maybe have a bit of a slow dance out there in that orchard.”
She’d slow dance with Knox anywhere. Any time. Oh, God, she was going to melt right here into a puddle like the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Except hers would be a puddle of need and want. Lust and a little bit more.
“And when I walk my date to her dead-bolted door, I want to hold her close and watch those sexy eyes go dark and greedy. And then I hope my date will let me steal a kiss.”
Yes. The answer was yes.
He brushed his thumb over her lip again and leaned in to press his lips softly against her forehead. He left them there for a heartbeat while she willed herself to stay upright.
“A real kiss. One that will spend my world spinning. Hers, too.”
With another brush of his thumb, Knox backed up. She missed his heat immediately. Her skin craved his touch.
He kept backing up until he reached the trees. “See you for dinner, Thea. See you for our date.”
When he disappeared into the trees, Thea grinned. The man was potent and they hadn’t even kissed yet.
She hoped the earth didn’t burn up when they did. Although she was pretty sure she wouldn’t care if it did.