Chapter 3
Chapter Three
K asi had just poured some creamer into her coffee when she heard a knock at the door. A quick glance at the clock told her it was a little before five a.m. It was still dark outside, so who the hell would be knocking on her door? The Riley twins usually didn’t arrive until six, and they never stopped by the house first, always just bypassing it and heading straight out to the fields. When they’d first started working here, Mama had offered them breakfast and lunch, but they’d refused, claiming their mother always made sure they had a big breakfast before leaving the house and packed them bagged lunches.
Walking out of the kitchen, Kasi glanced toward the front door. The top half was a window, the bottom solid wood. She always left the front porch light on these days, since Keith came in all hours of the night.
As such, it was easy to make out Levi Storm standing on the porch, looking back at her.
Kasi crossed the foyer and unlocked the door. “Levi?”
“Mornin’, little bear.”
Kasi wondered how this man could throw her for such a loop with just three words. For one thing, this was the fourth time he’d called her little bear, and she was starting to like the sound of it way too much. For another, even though it was an easygoing statement, hearing it issued in Levi’s deep voice had parts of her body that typically lay dormant waking right the hell up.
“Did you leave something here last night?”
Levi frowned, and she realized she hadn’t offered him a very neighborly greeting.
“Sorry,” she backtracked. “Good morning, Levi.”
His expression cleared. It looked like he’d come here straight from the shower. His hair was still damp and brushed back off his face, and he smelled good. Very good. Woodsy, musky, testosteroney.
Shit. It was way too early to be this turned on.
“You gonna invite me in?” he asked, the edges of his lips tipped up, leaving her to wonder if he could read her mind.
“Oh. Um, yeah.” She stepped back, allowing him to enter.
Levi closed the door behind him, clearly intent on staying awhile.
“Did you need something?” She was still trying to puzzle out his presence here so early in the morning.
“Wouldn’t mind a cup of that coffee I smell,” he said, heading in the direction of the kitchen without waiting for an invitation.
Kasi followed in his wake, trying to keep up physically and mentally.
She opened the cabinet that held the coffee mugs and handed one to Levi, who’d already grabbed the pot.
“Do you want cream or sugar?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Drink it black.”
Levi glanced around the kitchen, nodding toward the crusts she’d pulled out of the fridge. “You getting ready to put the pies together?”
“Yeah.” Kasi lifted a peach from the counter. “Peach pie today.”
Levi gave her a quick grin. “Another one of my favorites. So what do you need help with?”
“Help with?” Kasi frowned. “Nothing.”
Levi crossed his arms in that way she was coming to understand indicated annoyance. “Tell me what’s on your list for today.”
“Shouldn’t you be home doing your own chores?”
Levi leaned forward until his face was just inches from hers. For a second, she let herself imagine what it might feel like to kiss him. Would his lips be as soft as they looked? Would his beard tickle?
“Shouldn’t you be answering my question?” he retorted.
Last night had proven Kasi wasn’t as adept at winning arguments with Levi as she might have liked. “I’ve got the oven preheating. Once it’s ready, I bake the bread while assembling the pies, then they go in. While the pies are baking, I run out to feed the animals and gather the eggs, then I check in with the Rileys, letting them know what produce I need for the stand. Then I come back and make breakfast for Daddy and Keith. And after that…” She sighed. “This is kind of a long list. You good if I just stop there? I need to get back to work peeling those peaches.”
Levi’s scowl was back, but just like last night, it wasn’t anger she was feeling from him.
“That your brother’s bike parked out front?”
Kasi nodded. “Yep. Heard him roaring down the driveway around two a.m.”
He reached out and ran his thumb gently under her eye. She knew exactly what he saw there. The same dark circles that had become a permanent part of her makeup these days. She’d started referring to it as her “extreme smoky eye” look.
“So he woke you up,” he grumbled in a tone that shouldn’t sound so fucking sexy.
Kasi shrugged. “I fell right back to sleep.”
That was a lie. She’d tossed and turned, replaying her evening with Levi, then stressing out about the ever-growing pile of bills, before making a mental list of which chores needed to happen first today. There was no way she could do everything that needed to be done around here, so she’d started prioritizing the tasks, much like her mother used to do for Daddy.
“Which room is Keith’s?” Levi asked.
“Why?”
Levi raised one eyebrow. She recalled him mentioning that they’d have problems if she kept questioning everything he said and did. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of problems he meant.
She pointed to the steps. “Top of the stairs, second room on the right, but?—”
Before Kasi could point out that her brother wouldn’t crawl his lazy ass out of bed before noon, Levi was climbing the stairs.
“What the hell?” she muttered, moving to the bottom of the stairs curiously.
She heard Levi pounding on Keith’s door, though she couldn’t make out her brother’s murmured reply. She had no trouble understanding what Levi was saying because he wasn’t exactly using his inside voice.
“Get out of bed,” Levi bellowed.
Keith muttered something indistinguishable.
“You either get out of that bed on your own, or I’ll drag your ass out,” Levi threatened.
More mumbling, and then footsteps.
Kasi had shuffled away from the stairs and back to the kitchen when she spotted a furious Keith, in just his boxers, coming downstairs with Levi hot on his heels.
“What the fuck, Kasi?” Keith said, the second he walked into the kitchen. Her brother had been the mildest, most gentle of souls before Mama passed, so it was still jarring for her to see this new, always-present angry side.
Levi, who’d followed him to the kitchen, whirled him around, putting his finger in Keith’s face. “Don’t you dare talk to your sister that way. The animals need to be tended to. Get dressed and do it.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Keith spat back.
Kasi thought perhaps she should caution Keith that his response was stupid as shit because, Jesus Christ, Levi had at least half a foot on her brother and probably fifty extra pounds—all of it sheer muscle.
Levi beat her to that warning. “You want to rethink that answer?”
Keith blinked a few times as Levi’s deadly tone penetrated, clearing away whatever lingering drowsiness was impacting her brother’s ability to think. He’d only been in bed a couple of hours, and it looked like Levi caught him right in the middle of a deep sleep.
Keith swallowed hard once, then looked away from Levi. Unfortunately, that shifting gaze landed on Kasi like he expected her to save him or something.
For one thing, she couldn’t win her own battles with Levi, and for another—and more importantly—she didn’t want to win this one. Because she wanted Keith to do exactly what Levi was telling him to.
Before Mama’s death, the animals had always been Keith’s to care for, and he’d done so with enthusiasm, naming each of his precious chickens and bottle-feeding any baby goats whose mothers died or rejected them. Daddy used to call him Dr. Doolittle, claiming there wasn’t an animal alive that Keith couldn’t “horse whisper” into undying devotion toward him.
“Your sister has her own chores to do,” Levi continued, when neither she nor Keith spoke up. “Too many chores. So you’re going to take some of them on. As of today, gathering the eggs and taking care of the animals is your job. You got it?”
Keith clenched his jaw, but it was obvious he didn’t want to go up against Levi—so he turned on Kasi.
Because of course he did.
Kasi had been Keith’s whipping boy for eight months, the recipient of every single drop of rage in his system. The first time he’d lashed out had been three days after Mama’s funeral, and the utter venom he’d spewed on her had left her so numb and taken aback, she’d gone to bed and stayed there for fourteen hours. When she crawled out, she’d discovered Keith gone and Daddy sitting in the living room, staring at a picture of Mama. Nothing had been done on the farm, and that was when she realized she didn’t have the luxury of falling apart.
“Are you fucking this guy or something? Isn’t he too old for you?” Keith spat at her.
Levi reached out and shoved her brother against the wall roughly. “Apologize to your sister,” he demanded through gritted teeth.
Keith narrowed his eyes, glaring at Levi. “Sorry,” he said, in the least-apologetic voice Kasi had ever heard.
Levi slammed Keith against the wall again, applying more pressure. “Apologize. To. Her.”
Whatever belligerence Keith had been holding on to slipped away, and for the first time, he appeared to realize he had no hope of winning this fight. His eyes drifted over to her. “Sorry, Kasi,” he said quietly.
Levi released him. “Now go get dressed and take care of the animals. Once that’s done, find me, and I’ll let you know what other chores you’re taking on.”
Keith scowled as he left the kitchen without speaking another word, but the way he stomped up the stairs told Kasi this was far from over. Her brother was smart enough to hold his tongue until Levi was gone, which meant she had an upcoming confrontation to look forward to.
The idea of having to deal with a pissed-off Keith sparked her own temper. Because, dammit, she didn’t have time for this shit.
“What the hell was that?” she asked Levi, her fists planted on her hips.
“You can’t run this farm, Kasi.”
Those words stung. Because she had been running this farm.
And because she knew he was right.
Too much stuff was getting left undone. She’d had to let two of their hands go since she couldn’t afford to pay them, which meant nearly two-thirds of their farmland was sitting unplanted because there was no one to work it.
It was a vicious circle. No one to plant meant no crops, which meant no money. Short of doing exactly what Levi jokingly accused her of last night, and plowing the back forty on her own, she had no hope that they could dig themselves out of this. She was fucking kidding herself if she thought she could save them with just the money from the stand and the weekly produce and egg deliveries to local businesses.
Of course, she had too much pride to let Levi know how much his words hurt, so she swallowed it down. “Another compliment, Levi?”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “What I mean is, you can’t run it alone,” he said in a gentler voice, something that looked like regret in his expression. Like he knew he’d hurt her feelings.
But how? Before yesterday, she and Levi had been little more than acquaintances. She was Remi’s friend, and he was her crush. Two roles that meant they’d hardly exchanged more than a hundred words in the past decade.
“I’m doing the best I can.” She hated that her voice wavered.
Levi stepped in front of her, cupping her cheeks in his large, calloused palms. “I know that. But it’s too much to do on your own. Until your father gets back on his feet, your brother needs to do his part.”
Kasi’s temper had been banked, but barely. Levi’s obvious observation tweaked it again.
She threw her arms out. “No shit, Levi. You think I don’t know that? But as I’ve been told too many fucking times in the past eight months, I’m not his mother, and I can’t tell him what to do. He’s eighteen and grieving. He won’t listen to me.”
“Then he’ll have to listen to me ,” Levi said, as if that was the simplest solution in the world.
“And what makes you think he’ll do that?”
“Because I’m the man of the house.”
Kasi laughed.
He didn’t.
She sobered up quickly. “Um…no, you’re not?”
Levi stepped closer, and Kasi hated herself for stepping away until her back was pressed against the counter. He caged her there, his hands resting on the counter on either side of her.
“Your father can’t do it, and your brother won’t do it, so it falls to me.”
Despite his attempts at intimidating her with his size, Kasi laughed, more than prepared to call him on his misogynistic bullshit because what the hell kind of game was he playing? “Actually, it’s fallen to me, Levi. Which means I’m the woman of the house. And I?—”
“That’s right,” Levi cut her off. “You are, and you’re mine, so now it’s fallen to both of us.”
Kasi frowned, bewildered.
Because she was what now?
“Yours?” she asked. “Since when?”
“Since you passed out in my arms yesterday at the fruit stand.”
She couldn’t smell liquor on his breath, so she didn’t think he was drunk.
There was no noticeable lump on his skull, so she didn’t think he’d hit his head.
She’d known him her whole life, and she’d never seen any signs of insanity.
“That was a one-off. I’m not the kind of girl who passes out regularly, so you don’t have to worry about following me around, waiting to catch me.”
“Good to know,” Levi replied, amused.
His response annoyed her. “I’m not yours, Levi.”
He didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he just smirked as if he was the one acting perfectly sane here, while she was off her rocker. Which was definitely NOT the case.
“Levi,” she insisted. “If my passing out has triggered something inside that’s telling you I’m a damsel in distress and in need of saving, let me go ahead and reassure you that’s not the case. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“I know you are.”
Kasi lifted her hands, placing her palms on his torso, intent on pushing him away. She couldn’t think when he was standing so damn close to her, and given the crazy shit he was saying, she needed her wits about her.
Unfortunately, her hands had a different opinion about their purpose when she felt his rock-hard abs through the thin cotton of his T-shirt.
Holy. Fuck.
What was this guy made of? Steel?
She reluctantly applied the tiniest bit of pressure, hoping it would be enough for Levi to take the hint and move away, but he only pushed back until his chest pressed against hers, brushing against her breasts.
She had to swallow down a whimper. “I…um…”
What the hell had they been talking about?
“I know you can take care of yourself, little bear,” he repeated.
Kasi was grateful for the reminder because she’d totally lost the plot. She just wished he hadn’t tacked on the “little bear” part because it made her melt a little more every time she heard it. “Good,” she said lamely. “So you get it. I’m not yours.”
Levi brushed her hair over her shoulder. She usually pinned it up in a ponytail, but she’d been too groggy when she first woke up to remember, and by the time she was downstairs, she was too tired to go back for a hairband.
“You want to bet on that?” he asked.
Kasi had started to look at her life as if it were broken down into two parts. There was the Kasi she was before her mother died, and the Kasi she became after.
The first Kasi had been playful, carefree, with more than a healthy dose of wildness mixed in for good measure. It was one of the reasons she and Remi had always been such good friends. Neither of them could resist an adventure or a dare.
This Kasi, the new one, was too serious and tied down with responsibilities so heavy that they threatened to break her back. Nowadays, the most adventure she enjoyed was finding a few minutes to watch a little more of Bridgerton .
For the first time in months, she felt a bit of her wild side emerging because she really—REALLY—wanted to take Levi’s bet.
But she couldn’t.
New Kasi existed for a reason, a good one, so she snuffed out the wildness and shook her head. “No. I don’t want to bet.”
“You sure about that?”
Once again, she got the sense Levi could tell what she was thinking, and it turned her on as much as it unnerved her.
“There’s no way you could prove something like that, so why bet?” Yeah. So much for shutting old Kasi away. Why didn’t she just wave a red flag in front of the man? Why didn’t she just scream the words, “I dare you!”
Levi grinned. God. She loved it when he did that. His eyes crinkled at the edges, his white teeth sparkled, and it drew attention to that thick beard of his that she was dying to run her fingers through.
Levi closed the distance between them even more, something she wouldn’t have thought possible.
“Little bear,” he said, his lips less than an inch from hers.
“Hmm?” she hummed, her eyes closing in anticipation.
“Here’s your proof.”
His lips touched hers softly at first, almost as if he were coaxing her out to play.
Kasi hadn’t kissed a lot of guys in her past. Hell, she hadn’t even had a real boyfriend. Sure, she’d gone on dates, but none of those guys had ever stuck around long enough for their status to upgrade to relationship.
Probably because she’d always measured every man who had ever asked her out with the Levi yardstick, and they’d all come up short.
Now, she was royally fucked. Future dead-end dates wouldn’t be measured by an unexplored crush. Because this kiss wasn’t fiction, wasn’t fantasy, wasn’t wishful thinking.
It was real and passionate and mind-blowing and overwhelming and…
She was screwed.
Her fingers closed around the soft material of his T-shirt, gripping so tightly she feared she’d tear it. One of Levi’s hands made its way to her cheek, cupping it in equal part affection and possession. His other hand was wrapped around the nape of her neck, the touch making her feel safe and claimed all at the same time.
She started when he nipped her lower lip, her gasp the opening he was looking for as his tongue slid inside. He tasted like coffee, his bitterness mingling with the sweetness of her cream and sugar.
Levi pushed her harder against the counter, every part of his body flat against hers, allowing her to feel the effect this kiss was having on him too.
There was a large—holy fuck, too large—bulge beneath his jeans, and just the thought of him getting hard over a kiss with her was making her dizzy. Dizzy enough, she worried she might have to eat her words about not being the kind of girl who passed out all the time.
Kasi had no idea how long they stood there, Levi devouring her mouth, her lips, her tongue. He laid claim to it all, and damn if she didn’t hand it over without hesitation.
Levi broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. She expected him to do a bit of crowing, bragging about making his point. She sure as shit hadn’t resisted the kiss, so if that was what he considered proof of ownership, then yeah, he no doubt thought he’d won the bet.
However, Kasi had kissed plenty of guys in the past without handing over the deed, and she intended to set him straight on that.
As soon as she remembered how to breathe.
“Make me a honey-do list,” Levi said.
Where was the crowing?
Kasi blinked a few times, trying to make sense of his words in the wake of… that kiss .
“What?”
“Make me a list of chores that need to be done around here,” he reiterated, his change of subject nearly giving her whiplash.
Did he truly think that kiss had been answer enough to his assertion that she was his?
God. Did she ?
Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure. Probably because it was on the tip of her tongue to demand that he kiss her again.
“Kasi,” Levi said. “Did you hear me?”
“You want a list. For Keith?” she asked stupidly, failing miserably at keeping up with whatever the hell was going on here.
Levi shook his head. “For both of us, though one list will be fine. Write down everything that needs to be done around here. Put the most important things on top. I’ll divvy up what I do and what I give to Keith.”
“But isn’t it harvest time?”
Levi was a farmer too, working in the vineyards his grandfather planted over fifty years earlier. Remi told Kasi that for the past few years, Levi had also started growing hops for the brewery, but he wasn’t happy with the yield due to the lack of farmland available to him since the vineyards took precedence.
“Only a couple varieties of grapes are ready to harvest right now, and we’ve got plenty of help with the picking. My family and crew can carry on without me for the day.”
Kasi snorted. “Yeah well, you might as well head back up the mountain because my list won’t be done in just one day.”
Levi didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered by that. “Then I’ll keep coming back.”
“You can’t.”
Levi let go of the counter, his hands gripping her waist in a firm and oh-so-sexy way. “Make the goddamn list, Kasi.”
She drew in a slow breath, then nodded. She’d lost sleep, mentally worried about the very list he was asking for, so she would just write down the things she’d planned to do today and give him that. There was no way she could list everything, but she figured she could come up with enough stuff to keep him busy for a day or two. That should satisfy him.
At this point, his request felt like a win-win. She’d get to spend a couple more days with Levi and get some much-needed repairs done around the farm. He’d already worked one miracle by getting Keith out of bed and helping, even though she knew that phenomenon would be a short-lived one that ended the second Levi headed home.
Levi narrowed his eyes, cupping her chin in his calloused palm and tilting her head back to make her look at him. “I want the whole list,” he stressed. “If you leave anything off, I’ll find out—and believe me when I say, there will be consequences if you hold out on me.”
“Consequences?” It felt like a threatening word, so why was her pussy suddenly clenching in response?
Levi nodded. “Yep. I’ll bend you over that kitchen table, push those tight shorts down to your knees, and spank that sexy ass of yours. Then I’ll drive three fingers deep inside you hard and fast, fucking you with them until you come so hard you see stars.”
“You… What?” she breathed, her eyes dilated, her cheeks flushed.
“And then once you’ve suffered those consequences, I’ll kiss it all better and make you come on my mouth. After that…well, let’s just say that’s when I’ll get serious.”
Kasi opened her mouth, but when nothing came out, she closed it again. Surely, she should respond to that. Right? She opened her mouth again before she realized she had no clue what to say.
Levi pushed her mouth closed with one finger, smirking. “I didn’t ask a question, so you don’t need to say anything. Just nod so I know you understand.”
Kasi nodded.
Because…Jesus.
Was Levi saying he wanted to punish her? With sex?
She might not be super-experienced, but she was pretty sure sex and orgasms weren’t punishment. Although, now that she thought about it, he didn’t call it punishment. He called it consequences, so…
Yeah, she had no idea if that made a difference or not. No one had ever said anything even remotely close to that to her in her entire life. And she’d sure as shit never imagined Levi saying stuff like that to her.
Kasi had indulged in a couple—thousand—fantasies of Levi over the years, and none of them had even approached this level of “yes please.”
She was shocked she wasn’t panting like a dog in heat.
This whole conversation was so far out of the realm of reality, Kasi actually stood there an extra minute, trying to make sure it had really happened.
Maybe she finally had gone over the deep end while standing here, imagining Levi saying all these wonderful, horny things.
She studied his face. He was looking at her with an all-too-cocky smirk, and it jerked her back to the here and now.
There was no way he really meant he’d do all that. He was probably going for some kind of shock factor to get her to do what he wanted.
If only she could remember what that was…
“List, Kasi,” he said. “Now.”
Oh yeah.
When Levi pushed away, she moved to the catch-all drawer, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen, then forced herself to the table on weak legs.
While she wrote her list, Levi slid the prepared loaves of bread into the oven, then started peeling and chopping the peaches.
Kasi started with the tasks she’d intended to do herself today, the most pressing ones, then she listed at least a couple dozen more items—drifting into fantasyland because no one could accomplish all of this.
Levi walked over to her, reading the list over her shoulder. “Is that everything?”
“It’s everything I can think of right now,” she answered honestly.
His hand landed on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “Okay. If you remember anything else, add it to the list.”
“This is too much, Levi,” she said, not entirely certain if she was talking about the chores or him.
“No, Kasi. It’s not. It’s just right.”
With those parting words, he took her list from her and left the kitchen, whistling like he didn’t have a care in the world. Like she hadn’t just saddled him with a shit-ton of backbreaking work.
Like he was happy.
Before Kasi could dwell on anything that had happened—like that kiss because damn, she’d love to spend a little time dwelling on that—the buzzer to the oven told her the bread was done.
She rose from the table, pushing aside all thoughts of Levi as much as she could and focusing on her own work. Her own overwhelming list.
Unlike Levi’s, hers didn’t have an end.
“You about ready to go to the fruit stand?” Levi strolled into the kitchen.
She put the last pan in the dishwasher, closed the door, and started it. “Yeah. I just finished loading all the trays and cleaning up.” She gestured toward the table. “I made you and Keith sandwiches for lunch if you’re hungry.”
Levi gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and a smile before picking up the roast beef sandwich and taking a big bite. “This is great. Thanks.”
Grabbing a seat at the table, he crooked his finger, pulling her list out of his back pocket for her to look at. He’d drawn lines through the first six things.
“You finished all this? Just this morning?” The first item on the list alone would have taken Kasi hours.
“Keith took care of two of those. Begrudgingly,” Levi added.
“Not warming up to you, huh?” she asked with a grin. “Can’t imagine why not.”
“Smart-ass,” he teased, chuckling before giving her a quick, hard slap on the ass that was probably meant to be playful. It missed the mark because her nipples tightened instantly and her panties were suddenly damp.
“Keith took the farm truck to work on repairing the fence, so I thought I’d drive you to the stand. I need to head home to take care of some stuff there. I’ll come back at the regular time to pick you up, and then we can have dinner with your father.”
“Don’t remember inviting you to dinner.” Kasi felt compelled not to make things too easy for the cocky man, but damn if she didn’t also really want him to stay for dinner.
Levi didn’t take offense, merely grinning in that way that told her, invitation or not, he would be here for dinner.
Kasi turned the Crock-Pot on low so that the macaroni and cheese she’d tossed together would be cooked by the time they returned home. Levi quickly finished his sandwich, then together, they loaded his truck with all the items for the stand.
Twenty minutes later, Kasi watched his truck disappear around the turn down the road, and it wasn’t until nearly an hour had passed that she realized she was still smiling.
She’d noticed the first few customers giving her curious looks. Considering there hadn’t been much to smile about lately, she now understood why they were suddenly wondering about her newfound cheerfulness.
Unfortunately, the smile faded when a new customer walked in.
“Hello, Kasi. You look pretty today,” Scottie Grover said.
She looked the same as she always did. Tired.
Scottie was the mayor of Gracemont and a major douchebag. His family owned and operated a horse breeding farm next door to her family’s land. Despite being neighbors for nearly twenty years, Kasi could count on one hand the number of times his parents had come to visit. And none of those had been social calls, but instead complaints about poor fencing or Keith riding his four-wheeler too close to their property line and spooking their horses.
“Uh, thanks. What can I get you?” she asked, aware he probably wasn’t here to buy anything. He never bought anything. Up until last fall, Scottie had never stopped by the stand. Not until Lucy Storm rejected his suit, and he turned his attention in Kasi’s direction. Since then, this “stopping by” bullshit had become a more regular occurrence.
She wasn’t sure what made her runner-up, but she wished he’d find someone else. The guy gave off major creep vibes, and the fact he always managed to arrive at the stand when she was alone made her uncomfortable. If he’d stopped by twenty minutes ago, she would have had the buffer of Edith Millholland and Genevieve Rogers to keep her from having to make conversation with him.
Scottie glanced around, and she thought perhaps he was looking for something in particular this time rather than just dropping by to flirt with her and remind her that her family was in debt to the town. That hope was dashed when he stepped closer. Scottie had definite issues when it came to understanding and respecting personal boundaries. He also thought he was quite the ladies’ man.
She took a step away from him when he ran the back of one finger down her arm. The touch was too familiar and inappropriate, considering they weren’t dating. Hell, they weren’t even friends.
Scottie scowled when she recoiled from her touch. He’d become increasingly irritated by her continual rejections during each visit.
However, when he spoke, she realized this wasn’t a social call.
“I wanted to stop by and speak to you on behalf of the town government again.”
Kasi frowned. “I understand you’re trying to help, Scottie, but we’re fine. I called Herb last week.” And she had, but Herb hadn’t answered, so she’d been forced to leave a voicemail.
Scottie placed his hand over hers where it rested on the counter. She pulled away again, and he sighed heavily, acting as if she was being needlessly difficult or something.
“Your family is still behind on paying their personal property tax.”
Kasi was aware of that. That bill was just one of many sitting in a stack back at the farmhouse, waiting to be paid.
“As I said last time, I wasn’t aware it was part of the mayor’s duties to collect taxes,” she said, striking out due to her overabundance of pride.
“And as I said,” Scottie began, not masking his annoyance, “I’m merely doing it as a favor for you. And for Herb. I told him I was heading home, and he asked if I could stop by to chat with you.”
Kasi supposed that sounded reasonable enough considering she had just left the voicemail. Herb Cline was the Commissioner of the Revenue, and his office was in the same building as the mayor’s. Herb also served as the clerk of court because Gracemont was about as big as a postage stamp. As such, all the town officials and government offices, as well as the police department, were housed in the same three-story building on Main Street. That also meant it wasn’t uncommon for others in the county offices to “pass word along” for each other. It was one of the curses of living in a small community.
“Herb and your dad are close, and I think he’s uncomfortable bringing up such a delicate subject,” Scottie continued.
Kasi was suddenly less sorry to be dealing with Scottie. She’d managed to hide the worst of her father’s mental break by offering a steady stream of excuses whenever friends stopped by to call on him. He’d visited with a few close buddies early on, but the conversations had all been one-sided and awkward as Daddy sat crying quietly. After a while, his closest friends stopped coming by and instead called her weekly to check on him.
Her relief over dealing with Scottie was short-lived, however, when he added, “Just like Sheriff Anderson didn’t want to add to your family’s grief by pressing charges against Keith for that vandalism.”
There was something in Scottie’s tone that let her know the end of that situation would have been different if Scottie had been the sheriff. The mayor had shown up the day after the event to “gently”—ha ha—let her know her brother clearly needed a man in his life to keep him in line. Sadly, that wasn’t the first time Scottie had dropped the hint that he’d like to be that man…as her husband.
As if.
“I’ve reached out to Herb a couple times about getting an extension. He was more than happy to extend the first time.”
“The first time,” Scottie reiterated, making it clear the same courtesy wasn’t likely to be offered again.
“We’re going to pay our taxes, Scottie. We’re just going through a rough time with the drought last summer, and the fire, and…” She paused, not wanting to use the last as an excuse but hoping perhaps it would buy her some time. “And Mama passing away.”
Scottie nodded, even as he sniffed haughtily. God, he was an insufferable ass.
“We’ve never missed payments in the past,” she added, trying to sound more contrite.
Scottie tried—and failed—to look compassionate, and when he reached out, putting his hand on her shoulder, Kasi fought not to shake it off this time. “I’m sure it hasn’t been easy, Kasi.” He started squeezing his grip, like he was giving her a massage. She’d hit her limit on his creepy touches, so she lowered her shoulder and twisted until his hand fell.
He scowled again…and she knew she’d pushed the wrong button when he said, “But that’s not exactly true, is it? Because you’ve missed the last two years. Herb already gave your family an extension on the first year. It’s not the town’s policy to extend longer than that. Failing to pay your taxes?—”
“We’re good for the money. You know that. We just need more time.”
Scottie sighed heavily, making Kasi feel as if she were asking him to part the Red Sea or single-handedly straighten the Leaning Tower of Pisa, as opposed to just asking for more time.
“I’ll speak to Herb for you,” he replied, like he was doing her the world’s biggest favor, “but you have to understand that this town depends on those taxes to function effectively.”
And to pay his salary.
Wisely, she held her tongue, her face flushing with anger and embarrassment. She hated being made to feel like a pauper. “I’m only asking for a little bit more time.”
“You realize there is another solution, one I mentioned in the spring.”
Spring, my ass, she thought.
Scottie had first dropped the marriage suggestion on her just four weeks after her mother died because apparently his ego was so large he genuinely thought he’d be the cure to her grief.
“I’m not interested in getting married. To anyone,” she added, simply to appease him. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to piss him off so much that he started making waves for her with Herb.
Scottie nodded, walking over to a basket filled with apples. Helping himself to one, he took a large bite, then nodded before stepping next to her again. “You know I’m on your side, Kasi. I’d do anything for you. I hate seeing your family in this position. I’ll talk to Herb. See you soon, sweetheart.” He gave her a smug smile, like he was some generous benefactor, pausing with one eyebrow raised. It was obvious he expected her gratitude, even though it was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she wasn’t his sweetheart.
“Thank you,” she choked out.
“Anything for you.” He stroked her arm again in that overly familiar way, and she swallowed down the bile his touch produced. With those parting words, he left.
Without paying for the apple.
The petty part of her considered calling the sheriff to report the theft, but she decided it probably wasn’t wise to piss the mayor off, since she was asking for more time to pay their debt.
Keith walked in just as Scottie was climbing into his BMW.
“Was that Grover?” he asked.
Kasi nodded.
“What the hell did he want?”
She shrugged, trying for nonchalant. She was unwilling to burden Keith with any of this. “Just trying to drum up votes.”
Keith gave her a hard look, and she realized her mistake. Up until eight months ago, she and Keith had been close. Which meant he knew her tells when she was lying.
She’d been avoiding his gaze, so she forced herself to look him straight in the eye as she added, “He’s up for reelection.”
Keith scowled, clearly unconvinced.
“Whatever,” he said finally, reverting back to this new version of himself as he walked out.
Suddenly, Kasi didn’t feel much like smiling anymore, so she did what she always did whenever she ran into Scottie. She put him out of her mind completely.