Chapter 4
Chapter Four
L evi parked his truck next to the fruit stand, closer than usual. He figured he’d save himself and Kasi some steps as they loaded her empty trays and baskets. As he walked into the stand, there was a strange spring in his step that even he didn’t recognize.
He’d spent the better part of the afternoon grinning like a damn fool. Theo had caught him doing so in the brewery, when Levi had brought by a sample of the new variety of hops he was growing. His brother had taken one look at his big-ass grin and asked him if he’d gotten laid last night.
Levi hadn’t responded. Instead, he’d just rolled his eyes, whistling as he walked away.
Another brother, Maverick, had asked the exact same question an hour later as the two of them walked through the vineyard checking on the grapes, and he’d given him the same nonresponse.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to his brothers about Kasi. Truth was, he and his six brothers were best friends, and there was very little he didn’t share with them, including the big old farmhouse on their family farm.
Four generations of the Storm family had called Stormy Weather Farm home, starting with Levi’s great-grandparents, who’d bought the two-hundred-plus acres at the beginning of the twentieth century. They’d built a farmhouse—the one Levi’s parents now lived in and operated as a B&B—and planted an orchard of apple trees. Granddaddy Lloyd, their only son, had built the second farmhouse a little way down the lane from his parents’ place shortly after he and his wife, Grandma Sheila, married.
Upon his parents’ passing, it was Granddaddy who’d had the vision of starting a winery, so he’d chopped down most of the apple trees and planted the vineyard. Grandma and Granddaddy had two sons, Rex and Ronnie, and when Levi’s dad, Rex, married his mom, Claire, they moved into the original farmhouse that had been vacant for several years. When the second son, Ronnie, married Diana, a third farmhouse was built, and that was the one Levi and his brothers shared, each of them moving in after they graduated from high school.
Sadly, Ronnie and Diana had been killed in a car accident eighteen years earlier, after which their four young daughters—Lucy, Mila, Nora, and Remi—had moved in with Grandma and Granddaddy. Lucy, the oldest, had only been ten at the time. After their grandparents had passed, the girls remained in that farmhouse.
Levi’s mom claimed that sometimes it felt like all the Storms did was play musical chairs with the three houses, and Levi had to admit she made a good point. With the exception of his parents, everyone else had house-swapped at some point in their lives.
Remi had taken to calling the home he shared with his brothers the Frat House, and considering there were seven single men living there, it not only fit but stuck.
Once Levi had finished his chores at Stormy Weather Farm, he’d headed inside, fired up his computer, and started fiddling with his personal work schedule, trying to carve in some time each day to help Kasi. He didn’t have a problem working a few extra hours every day if it meant lightening her load. The problem was, harvest time had started. Currently there were only a couple varieties of grapes ready to be picked, but the others weren’t far behind. Which meant he was going to have to put a big dent in Kasi’s honey-do list in the two weeks before September arrived, when it would be all hands on deck in the vineyard.
Once he’d realized how short his time was, his smile was less prevalent as he considered what Kasi’s life had been like since her mother’s passing. He could kick his own ass for not asking sooner if she needed help. He’d seen the dark circles under her eyes, noticed the lost weight, but he’d chalked it up to grief, not exhaustion.
He should have asked.
Not that it would have changed a damn thing. He knew Kasi well enough to realize if he had asked, she would have put on a fake smile and reassured him everything was fine. He’d never noticed her stubborn streak before yesterday, but that was because he’d been a blind fucking idiot, failing to recognize what was standing right in front of him.
Those days were over.
When Levi stepped into the stand, Kasi had her back to him, combining two baskets of green beans into one. The empty one would be taken back to the farmhouse and filled with today’s yield by the Riley brothers. As he always arrived just before quitting time, he was somewhat familiar with her process for closing.
“Did you save me a pie?” He walked over to take the now-empty basket from her to add to the pile she’d already made.
Kasi grinned, gesturing at the empty pastry table. “Sorry. Sold out.”
Levi reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “What about the one you always hold back for me?”
Kasi’s eyes widened. “You knew about that?”
Levi chuckled. “Not until now. Though I’ll admit, I wondered over the years. More than a few times, one relative or another would try to save me a trip down here, letting me know they’d been by the stand and you were sold out of pies.”
“So why did you still come?”
“A couple times, I didn’t. Then one day, I was running into town anyway and thought I’d take a chance. Sure enough, there was a pie. After that, I came even after the warnings and the funny thing was, every time I showed up, there was always just one pie left, sitting there like it was waiting for me.”
Kasi blushed slightly, her pink cheeks so adorable, he couldn’t resist stroking one with the back of his knuckles. “You’re one of my best customers and I, um…well…” she stammered, clearly embarrassed.
Levi bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, little bear,” he murmured, touched by her thinking of him, even though it drove home how little he’d been paying attention to her. “You ’bout ready to go?”
He walked to the counter and caught sight of a spreadsheet with numbers. It looked like a budget. Levi sighed. In addition to doing all the chores, it appeared Kasi had taken on the responsibility of paying the bills. Not that he should be surprised by that. Just bothered that there didn’t seem to be an end to all the things that had fallen to her after her mother’s death.
“Need help crunching numbers? I’ve got mad calculator skills,” he said, joking.
His teasing felt less funny when Kasi quickly grabbed the ledger and closed it. “Nope. All good.”
Two days in, and he was getting pretty good at recognizing when Kasi wasn’t being honest. Her eyes darted to the left, the pitch of her voice rose an octave, and she plastered on a too-bright smile.
“You sure?”
She nodded, turning away to retrieve something from behind the counter. He started to call her on her lie, but then she stood up with a peach pie in her hands. And not just any peach pie. The best one. He knew that because he’d watched her assemble it, fully aware the one with the lattice top had just a little bit more fruit in it than the others.
So she hadn’t just been saving him a pie each day. But the best ones.
Levi slid a twenty into her open cash box, winking at her as he said, “Keep the change.”
Her responding giggle was the sweetest thing he’d ever heard.
Then Levi took the pie from her, carrying it in one hand and her pile of baskets in the other. “Let me put these in the truck, then I’ll come back for the trays.”
“I can get the trays,” she replied, as she locked up the cash box and closed the tablet.
“I’ll get the trays, Kasi,” he repeated, waiting until she focused on him.
She crossed her arms, annoyed. “Fine.”
Levi grinned. It was going to be fun spoiling her, mainly because she was so bad at letting him. It also looked like he was going to have the opportunity to give her that lesson in consequences he’d promised, sooner rather than later.
Jesus. His mother would rip him a new one if she heard him threatening to spank Kasi the way he had. Truth was, he’d never said anything like that to a woman before, never even considered it one of his kinks, but something about Kasi had awakened a primitive part of him he didn’t even know existed. He’d always considered himself a nice, normal, easygoing guy, but with Kasi, that all went away, leaving behind this crazed, possessive lunatic who wanted nothing more than to lock her in his house and take care of her for the rest of his days.
Levi was overwhelmed by this sudden compulsion to take away her worries and sadness and wrap her in a soft cotton blanket and feed her pie. The problem was, he also wanted to strip her naked, tie her up, spank her sexy ass, and claim every inch, every curve of her body until she begged him for mercy. And then begged him for more.
Once they finished loading the truck and locking the stand, he drove them back to her farmhouse. Now that he was familiar with her routine, they worked quickly to place the baskets in the barn before carrying the trays to the kitchen.
The savory smell of cheese hit him as soon as they walked inside, and his mouth instantly started watering. Kasi was apparently a big fan of the Crock-Pot, which made sense. She didn’t close the stand until six each day, so it made life easier for her if she could come home to an already-prepared meal.
Once he put the trays in the pantry, he turned to her. “Tell me what I can do to help you get supper on the table.”
She nodded to the cabinet where he’d found the bowls last night. “Mind grabbing some plates? I’ll heat some of the green beans I canned from last year’s harvest to eat with the mac and cheese.”
Levi found the plates and started dipping out three servings. Keith’s motorcycle was gone again. “Keith not eating here?”
Kasi shrugged. “He came by the stand on his way out. Just said he’d be back later. If he doesn’t eat in town, he’ll reheat the leftovers.”
Levi picked up the tray he’d used to serve Mr. Mills his meal last night. “Think your father will join us?”
Kasi shook her head. “No.”
“Does he ever eat with you?”
Kasi was slower to respond to that question, and when she did, he couldn’t help but notice it was one of her nonanswers. “He’s just having a couple bad days.”
Levi wanted to ask if something prompted those bad days or if they were all bad, but the tight way Kasi held herself and her closed-off expression told him it wasn’t something she wanted to discuss.
He put the tray together, adding a big scoop of green beans to the plate once they were hot, then picked it up.
“I can—” Kasi started.
“Set the table for us. You have any beer?”
She smiled. “I might have a six pack of Rain or Shine IPA in the fridge.”
He gave her a little hip bump. “Good girl. My favorite. I’ll be right back.”
Levi quickly delivered the food to Mr. Mills. If the man was surprised to discover Levi delivering his dinner for the second night in a row, he didn’t let on. Unlike last night, he was more alert and even said hello before turning his attention back to the television.
When Levi returned to the kitchen, he was pleased to discover Kasi had set the table for the two of them, steam rising from the plates of delicious-looking food, a bottle of beer open for both of them, and she’d even lit a candle as their centerpiece.
Levi decided to take advantage of that, dimming the lights so that the ambience of the kitchen changed from homey to romantic.
Once he sat down, she lifted her bottle, so he followed suit, tapping his against hers before they each took a sip.
“Your brother keep working after I left?”
Kasi nodded. “I think so. I know he fed the animals before he left. He made sure to let me know.”
“Is he still being rude to you?”
Kasi took another sip of beer. “Honestly, I’m not sure I even view his actions as rude anymore. I’m starting to think this is just his new personality.”
Levi didn’t care for that response, but he didn’t pursue it because Kasi looked just as tired tonight as she had yesterday. Even with him helping, she wasn’t getting enough sleep, and he wasn’t sure how to fix that. She wouldn’t take a day off, no matter what he said, and until her father got back on his feet and Keith started doing his fair share of the chores, she would work herself to exhaustion every night.
“This is nice,” he said, after they’d eaten in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
“The mac and cheese?”
Levi shook his head. “Eating dinner together. Just you and me.”
She gave him a curious look, no doubt trying to figure out if he was sincere. He thought he’d made it clear yesterday. After all, he’d point-blank told her she was his, but he supposed a proclamation like that—made after only a few hours of being together—didn’t hold much weight. Which was why he was going to put in the time, make sure she understood he was here to stay.
“Why haven’t you ever had a long-term girlfriend, Levi?”
The fact Kasi knew he hadn’t, let Levi know she’d been keeping tabs on him. He recalled the way she saved the pies, and he wondered about her feelings toward him. When she was younger, he was pretty sure she’d had a crush on him, but he hadn’t gotten the sense that was still the case until today, when she’d admitted to saving the pies. And while she’d kicked up a fuss after he’d used that “you’re mine” line, she hadn’t tossed him out on his ass or blocked the door when he’d returned this morning.
“Never found a woman I wanted to spend that much time with,” he confessed. “I’ve always known I wouldn’t settle for just anyone, and I figured if I ever did find the one, I’d know. Like my dad did.”
Kasi leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. “Like your dad?”
“My mom wasn’t originally from Gracemont,” Levi started, wiping his mouth and leaning back. He stretched his legs out under the table until they touched hers. He drew the toe of one of his boots along her calf playfully. “She came here right after graduation to visit her great-aunt for the summer. After that, she had planned to go on back home to Pittsburgh, where she grew up. She had a job lined up there in a department store.”
“She didn’t go back?”
Levi shook his head. “Nope. Met my dad at the town’s annual Fourth of July picnic. According to Dad, he took one look at my mom and fell head over ass in love. Asked her for a date fifteen minutes after meeting her. They went out every single night for two weeks, and at the end of those fourteen days, he proposed to her.”
Kasi’s eyes widened. “After just two weeks?”
Levi was used to that response whenever he told someone this story. “Dad swore he would have proposed to her at the Fourth of July picnic, but he didn’t have a ring, and he wanted to do it right.”
“And your mom said yes? I mean, obviously she said yes. But did she say yes that time or make him wait?”
“There was no waiting for either of them. Mom said she was just as smitten and positive as Dad that they were meant to be. They had a small wedding the next month and by the end of their first year of marriage, I was born. Dad calls her his soul mate. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen them fight, but even then, they don’t let their anger linger. They subscribe to that idea of never going to bed angry, so they always find a way to fix whatever’s wrong.”
Kasi rested her chin on one hand. “That sounds nice.”
“When you spend your life around that kind of love, that kind of happiness,” Levi continued, “it makes it impossible to think of settling for less.”
“Do your brothers feel the same way? I mean, you’re all still single.”
Levi toyed with his fork. “You know, I’ve never asked them, but I have a feeling if I did, they’d agree they were waiting for the same. True love.”
“Must be nice having a big family. Sometimes I wish my parents had had more kids. It gets…” She looked away.
“Gets what?” he prodded, tapping her leg with his foot.
She bit her lower lip. “Kind of lonely sometimes. I didn’t realize how much life my mother brought to the house until she was no longer here.”
Kasi looked away, and Levi could see her starting to close down. It occurred to him, that had become the standard operating procedure for the Mills family. Rather than talk about their loss, they shut it all up inside. Which was why all of them were falling apart.
“What was your parents’ marriage like?” Levi asked, determined to get Kasi talking about her mother.
She hesitated for a moment, but he didn’t let her off the hook. Just continued to look at her until she gave in.
“Their marriage was pretty similar to your folks’. They didn’t have a whirlwind romance or anything. In fact, they dated for four years before they tied the knot. Mama said she was starting to worry Daddy would never pop the question, and she said she’d been prepared to do it herself if it came to that. Daddy always laughed whenever she told that story, saying they’d have been married a lot longer if she’d just gone ahead and done it. Daddy’s kind of the nervous sort, and he was too afraid to lose,” Kasi finger-quoted the next bit, “the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. I think it’s safe to say theirs was sort of an opposites-attract thing.”
Levi had always been curious about the Mills’ relationship because he’d never seen a couple so different—in appearance and personality—as Katrina and Tim Mills.
“Nothing wrong with opposites,” he mused.
“That’s true, but damn if Mama and Daddy didn’t stretch that saying to its limits. While Daddy’s timid and quiet, Mama could have talked the paint off the wall. She had an opinion on everything, a saying to fit every situation, and a laugh that could split your eardrums wide open.” Kasi’s smile as she spoke was the first genuine one he’d seen on her face in ages.
“And none of that bothered your father?” he asked.
“Oh my God, no. He loved her laugh, loved listening to her talk. My daddy is…” Kasi paused, clearly looking for the words. “He’s quiet and a gentle soul. The kind of person who traps a bug in the house to set it free outside. He never raised his voice to me or Keith when we were little, which meant Mama was the disciplinarian. He says the greatest feeling on earth is when those first rays of sunshine heat your skin every morning. Daddy is one of those guys who would give someone the last dollar in his pocket if they were hungry.”
Levi could see how much Kasi loved her father. The man, up until his wife’s death, had been one of the hardest workers Levi had ever known, and generous almost to a fault.
“How did they meet?”
Kasi smiled. “Mama was ten years younger than Daddy, so they were never in school together, though she said she’d always noticed him around town and such. After she graduated from high school, she went to college and had a serious boyfriend for a time. She moved to New York with him, working in the finance sector. She hated everything about big city life, so she moved home, back to Gracemont after a few years—without the boyfriend. She said she never forgot Daddy, so after many—MANY—attempts at catching his attention, the queen of confidence just gave in and asked him out on a date.”
“I take it he said yes.”
“He did. She was thirty when they married, Daddy forty. After the wedding, they moved in here with my grandfather, who was still alive at the time. This farm has been in my family for a long time. I came along when Mama was thirty-three, and she had Keith when she was thirty-nine.”
The Mills family, like the Storms, had deep roots in Gracemont.
“After Granddaddy passed, Mama stepped in and ran the farm because of her background in business. She was the brains. Daddy was the strong back,” Kasi added.
Levi wasn’t surprised by that, given Mrs. Mills’ take-charge attitude. She’d served as president of the Ladies Auxiliary for the fire department, his mom the vice president. Between the two of them, they’d raised enough money over the years to buy a much-needed new tanker truck for the department.
“Mama made Daddy a list every morning of chores. She decided what we would plant, when and where. She was the one who came up with the idea to open the stand and to deliver eggs. She struck the deals with the local grocery stores, getting them to stock our produce. It was all her. Daddy used to say the greatest day of his life was the day she walked up to him outside the barbershop and asked him out to dinner.”
“Sounds like your parents had a relationship very much like my mom and dad, despite being one of those opposites-attract couples,” Levi mused, glad she’d grown up surrounded by love. It was the exact kind of life he wanted to give her…and their kids.
He could imagine the two of them telling their own story on his cousin Lucy’s Kiss and Tell YouTube show, sharing how they’d met and fallen in love. They’d sit on the couch together and he’d look at Kasi and swear the best day of his life was the day she passed out in his arms.
“God, they were even opposites in appearance,” Kasi added. “As you know, Daddy is tall and skinny, while Mama was short and fluffy.”
Levi chuckled. “Fluffy?”
Kasi’s eyes traveled around the kitchen as she spoke. “That was how Mama liked to describe herself. Food was her love language, and she strongly believed in sampling what she cooked before she served it. I’ve wondered…worried…well, I think now maybe her weight contributed to the heart attack. Her doctor had warned her about her high blood pressure and cholesterol, but Mama refused to cook without salt and butter, and she swore everything was better with bacon. I should have tried?—”
“Don’t,” Levi said, leaning forward to place his hand over hers. “No good ever comes from what if.”
Kasi considered that, then nodded. “She died in this room.”
Levi didn’t know that. How hard must it be for Kasi to spend hours in here, day in and day out, with that memory tucked inside her head. He squeezed her hand.
“I found her.”
Fuck.
Kasi was staring at the kitchen floor. Levi used his grip on her hand to tug her out of her seat, pulling her onto his lap. She sat there stiffly, but when he wrapped his arm around her waist and tucked her closer, she loosened up, sinking into his embrace.
“I’m sorry, Kasi.”
Something in her eyes softened. “I’ve never talked about this.”
Levi cupped her cheek, forcing her gaze to his. “You need to.”
“Yeah. I think I do.” She swallowed hard, then took a steadying breath before continuing. “Keith and Daddy were out in the barn, repairing the roof because it was leaking and the forecasters were calling for some bad weather that night. Mama and I were baking in the kitchen, just like we always did, getting things ready to sell at the stand. We were a few eggs shy for a cake Mama wanted to make, so I offered to grab some from the chicken coop. When I got back, she was on the floor.”
Every word she said felt like a dagger in his heart, but he didn’t stop her.
“I yelled for Daddy, then called 9-1-1. I tried to do CPR, but… The doctor called it a massive heart attack. There was a total blockage. She didn’t even mention feeling bad that morning and she didn’t act sick. One second, she was there and the next…gone.”
Levi pressed his cheek against the top of her head, slowly rocking her, though Kasi wasn’t shedding a single tear. He couldn’t tell if that was because she’d cried them all out or because she was holding them in so tightly.
She kept talking, her eyes distant as if she was replaying it all in her mind. “I don’t remember much about the days that followed. You know how it is after someone passes. There were lots of people stopping by, bringing food. Edith Millholland was here a lot, walking us step by step through writing the obituary and planning the funeral.”
Levi smiled when she mentioned Edith’s name. Edith Millholland was a Gracemont icon. If the town ever decided to elect a First Lady, she’d be it. She’d lived in Gracemont her entire life—all eighty-two years of it. She knew everyone and everything, had a sharp wit, and was probably one of the nicest people Levi knew. He was glad she’d been there for Kasi and her family.
“I’m not sure what I would have done without Edith because Daddy and Keith were… Well, they weren’t able to help much.”
“You did a fine job, Kasi. It was a nice funeral,” Levi assured her.
Kasi nodded slowly. “I just tried to hold it together. I had to pick out an outfit for Mama to be buried in, had to find freezer space for all the damn casseroles, had to get Daddy and Keith to eat.”
“You’re a strong woman. Like your mother,” Levi murmured, his lips pressing against the side of her head.
“Not that strong. A few days after the funeral, Keith sort of…unleashed.”
Levi frowned. “What did he do?”
“He blamed me. Said I shouldn’t have left Mama alone in the kitchen, said I should have realized she was sick. He said she was dead because of me.”
“Jesus,” Levi muttered. “Kasi, you know that’s not true.”
She nodded slightly. “I do. Now. At the time, I wasn’t exactly in a good headspace, so I locked myself in my bedroom, cried forever, then slept twelve hours. When I came out, I realized nothing had been done. Keith was gone, Daddy hadn’t eaten or done a single chore. That’s when I knew I couldn’t do that again.”
Levi frowned. “Grieve?”
Kasi looked at him and shook her head. “Stop.” Then she looked away when she added, “The grieving will always be there.”
“My little bear,” he whispered, hating her response. “So fierce.”
He didn’t know what she saw on his face, but it broke the spell as Kasi pushed herself off his lap. It took everything he had not to pull her back down and hold her there until she cried out all her pain, then slept in his arms for the next week or two. She needed at least that much rest.
“I need to get going on the stand food,” she said, grabbing their plates and carrying them to the sink.
Levi rose and helped her clean the dinner dishes. Then he demanded the cake recipe, even though she insisted—as always—that she didn’t need any help. Luckily, he only had to give her a look before she relented. He was sorry she didn’t push him on the issue because he thought a spanking and an orgasm might do her just as much good as a nap. She was coiled tighter than a rattlesnake ready to strike.
It was nearly eleven before they finished, and he hated that, once again, she was getting to bed so late.
They walked to the front door together, his arm hanging loosely around her shoulders. He found it impossible to be near her and not touching her.
“I can’t come in the morning,” he said when they stepped out onto the porch. “My family holds a monthly meeting where we discuss all the farm’s businesses.”
“You realize you don’t work here. You don’t have to show up at all.”
Levi narrowed his eyes. “Thought we’d already sorted that out. You belong to me, and I take care of what’s mine.”
“I don’t remember agreeing to that.” Her grin was pure mischief. Yep. This woman was going to enjoy pushing his buttons. And he was going to enjoy letting her.
“Maybe I should jog your memory.”
Levi didn’t give her a second to consider what was coming next as he drew her into his arms and kissed her. He’d spent too much time today thinking about their first kiss that morning. The memory of it kept sneaking up on him, distracting him.
Kasi hummed softly when his tongue found its way into her mouth. God, she tasted sweet, like berries and sugar. His cock thickened when she lifted her arms and ran her fingers through his hair. He pushed her against the screen door, pressing his thigh between her legs, loving the way she started riding it, pushing her pussy against him, seeking stimulation.
She was going to be a firecracker in the bedroom, and he couldn’t wait to watch her explode.
Sadly, that wasn’t going to happen tonight. For one thing, her father was asleep in the bedroom right down the hall from hers, and more importantly, the dark circles under her eyes needed to go away. His girl needed sleep way more than sex.
Dammit.
He slowly gentled the kiss, thrilled by her resistance, by the way her fingers tightened in his hair in an attempt to keep his lips on hers.
Levi pushed away, only a few inches, watching as Kasi blinked a few times, trying to shake off the remnants of the kiss. When her eyes cleared, her forehead furrowed. Her damn brain had kicked in.
“I don’t think I understand what’s going on here,” she admitted.
Levi grinned. “I know you don’t, but I don’t want you to worry about it. You’re dealing with a lot of hard shit right now, but this…” He pointed his finger at her and then himself. “This thing between you and me? It’s going to be the easiest thing in the world. Trust me.”
Her expression cleared and she nodded. “I do trust you. And I like the sound of easy.”
He chuckled, then stole one more quick kiss before saying good night.
As he drove down the dark driveway, he couldn’t help but smile.
Levi liked the sound of easy too.