14. Jasper
JASPER
I finished up my early morning chores around the barn and was eager to set eyes on Delilah. After Colin had crashed, I’d lain awake for hours, trying to convince myself the time we’d spent stargazing in the back of my truck hadn’t just been a dream.
As I entered my mom’s big country kitchen, I caught sight of Delilah sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter. She cupped her chin in her hand and had a cup of coffee sitting in front of her while she chatted with my mom.
“Good morning.” I wanted to greet her with a hot-blooded kiss. But seeing as how I didn’t know if she had any regrets in the bright light of day, I grabbed a mug of coffee and slid onto the stool next to her.
“If you say so.” She turned to face me, and I realized she hadn’t been resting her chin in her hands but had been holding a bag of frozen sweet peas to her cheek.
“What happened?” I swiveled to face her, my hands reaching for her face.
“I got in a fight with your goat.”
“Tie Dye?” I’d never known the goat to be aggressive. I also had no idea when she would have found the time between when I dropped her off at the house and now to be in the goat’s presence. “When did that happen?”
“Last night. My mother called and I stepped onto the porch, so I didn’t disturb anyone. Tie Dye came up and I figured he got out of his pen, so I thought I’d be helpful and take him back.” She pulled the peas away from her cheek. “He caught me with his foot when the gate clanged shut.”
I felt like someone had run me over with a combine. The shiner Delilah sported on her right eye rivaled several of the ones I’d earned from fistfights over the years. “Are you okay?”
She managed a shaky smile. “As long as you don’t need any photo ops in the near future.”
“I’m so sorry. Mom, isn’t there something we can do? Do you have any rib eyes in the freezer?”
My mother shook her head as she prepped something to toss into the slow cooker for dinner. “Ice is the best thing.”
“I’ll be fine.” Delilah put the peas back on her cheek. “I’ve never had an actual black eye before. I suppose it’s like a rite of passage for some, isn’t it?”
“With seven boys, it’s more like a way of life.” Mom slid a plate of toast in front of Delilah. “Here you go, sugar.”
“Thank you.” Delilah took a sip of coffee. “Please tell me we don’t have any appearances today. I don’t know if they’d take too well to me showing up with a black eye.”
“I’ll move some things around. You sure you’re okay?” I wanted to do something, anything, to help. But she shook her head and took a bite of toast.
“This is fabulous, Mrs. Taylor. Did you make the jelly yourself?”
My mom’s face shone with pride. “Homemade preserves. They won first place at the Fall Festival last year. You’re going to enjoy all of the festivities. Don’t you think so, Jasper?”
“Yeah, you sure will.” The Fall Festival. That reminded me, I needed to call Lacey and see what she thought about the ideas I’d talked about with my brothers. But first, maybe I could switch up Delilah’s schedule and send her out to Zina’s for the day.
“I can’t wait,” Delilah said.
“Do you mind if I step out and make a few calls?”
Delilah waved a hand, her mouth full of another bite of my mom’s homemade preserves.
I slid my phone out of my back pocket and pulled up Zina’s number. If Delilah went out to tour the dog rescue, it would give me some time to help my dad work on the orchard. Seemed like we’d never get all of the trees cleaned up from the storm.
When I returned to the kitchen, my mom had gone upstairs. “It’s all set. Zina’s expecting you after lunch.”
“Great. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of place she has out there.”
I sat down next to her. “I’m really sorry about your eye.”
“It’s fine.”
“I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better.”
She tilted her head. “There might be one thing I can think of.”
“What’s that?” I took her hands.
“Maybe if you kissed it . . .”
I didn’t need any more encouragement than that. After a quick glance around to make sure we wouldn’t get caught, I pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Is that better?”
“Mmm. Not quite yet.”
“Let me try again.” I kissed her lips next, a perfectly polite peck that quickly turned into more.
The front door opened, and we broke apart. “Jasper, are you coming?”
“Be there in a minute,” I yelled. “That’s Mitchell. They’re waiting on me to come help in the orchard.”
“You should go then.” She nodded but the look in her eyes made me think she didn’t mean it.
“Will you be okay until lunchtime?” I didn’t want to leave her there, but I also didn’t want her tramping around in the orchard with me and the guys.
“I’ll be fine. I offered to help your mom with some stuff in the kitchen.” She put her hands on my shoulders and gave me one more kiss. “I’m a big girl. You know I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah. I get that. But I’d much rather you let me do it.” I left before I gave in to temptation, already looking forward to the next time I’d see her.
Finally, as I was about to take a break to satisfy the rumbling of my empty stomach, Dad called for a rest. Mom was headed down the path from the house to the orchard, her arms full of whatever she’d made for lunch.
Buster raced ahead of her, his tail wagging, his head bounding above the long grass that framed the path on either side.
I reached down to pet him, causing Buster’s tail to wag at a frenzied pace.
Then he looked up, his gaze catching on Delilah.
She had her hair piled on top of her head and wore a curve-hugging T-shirt and a pair of jeans that could have been painted on. My stomach clenched, then rolled, then gave way to a warmth that radiated out from my core.
“We brought lunch.” Mom held the big picnic basket in her hands.
My brothers abandoned their tasks, drawn by the smell of barbecued chicken and fresh-baked biscuits. Delilah held a bowl of salad. I walked over, hyperaware of the smile on her face, feeling pretty damn proud of myself for being the one who’d put it there.
“Hey.” I sidled up next to her, not trusting myself not to touch her.
“Hey, yourself.” She set the bowl down on a table my dad had set up. “Hungry for some lunch?”
“More like hungry for you,” I mumbled close to her ear, low enough that only she could hear me.
“Looks like y’all made some good progress.” Mom finished setting out the lunch spread.
“We sure did.” Dad went to stand next to her. “I think we might finish up this week or next.”
While my family filled their plates and talked about all of the things still left to do, I grabbed Delilah’s hand. “Come with me?”
She nodded, taking my hand and letting me lead her down the path and closer to the creek. I needed to get her alone, away from the prying eyes of my brothers. I needed to get a taste of her, pull her against me, and let her kiss away the worries I couldn’t talk about yet.
Not even to her.
Delilah
“You’d better get back up there and eat something if you want to keep your strength up for this afternoon.
” I pressed another kiss against Jasper’s lips.
We’d been making out down by the creek for the past twenty minutes.
Surely his dad would send one of his brothers to look for us if we didn’t join the others soon.
“I don’t need food. All I need is fresh air, sunshine, and you.” He gave me another smile before capturing my mouth with his again.
I wasn’t ready to admit it, but I felt the exact same way.
Last night had been amazing. Something in me had shifted, like he’d connected with a part of myself I hadn’t known about.
With Jasper’s encouragement, I felt like I could do anything, be everything I dreamed about.
He made me a better person. And we’d only spent one night together. The best was yet to come.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to survive on only air, sunshine, and me.” I smiled against his mouth.
It didn’t stop him from continuing to kiss me, his lips landing on my cheek, my nose, my forehead. “You’re such a downer.”
“Me? I’m the downer?” I laughed as I pushed to my feet. “Come on, you’ve got work to do and I’m supposed to tour the dog rescue.”
“You’ll have a good time with Zina.” He stood, then stepping in front of me, he lowered his nose to lightly tap against mine. “You want to have dinner together tonight?”
“Did you buy groceries? Can I cook at your place?”
He took a step back. “No, I haven’t had a chance to do that yet. How about I take you out for those amazing cheese enchiladas instead?”
“Or”—I turned around and pulled his arms around my—“we can go to the store, then head back to your place. Dinner and dessert?”
“I don’t think I’ll be done in time tonight. But we can grab whatever you need from the store tomorrow. Sound good?” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, then slid his arms away from my grasp. “We’d better get back before they come looking for us.”
“Okay.” I brushed off the bottom of my jeans, a little confused by his reaction.
Last night he seemed like he’d been into me.
Like totally into me. Had I misread the signals?
Was I trying too hard? Things had been so easy between us.
Maybe we’d been too easy. I followed him back to where the others had finished lunch and had already begun working again.
“There you are.” Mrs. Taylor gestured toward the empty bowl of salad. “I don’t know what you put in that salad, but I’m going to need the recipe for the dressing. I’ve never seen my boys eat so many vegetables so quickly.”
I summoned a smile. “I’ll be happy to jot it down for you when we get back to the house.”
I helped Mrs. Taylor clear the dishes and repack the basket. Before I turned to head back, I scanned the area for Jasper. He must have moved to a different section of the orchard. Disappointed I wasn’t going to get a chance to say good-bye, I filled my arms with dishes and set off for the house.