Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
By adding the two single-story wings on either side of the original farmhouse, they just about tripled the size. But it still surprised Erin that all three siblings would want to share a residence, even with how it was laid out.
“Ford did all of this?” she asked, entering Dylan’s private area.
“I drew up the plans and he executed them.”
“Of course,” she murmured. “From what I’ve seen so far—the event hall, the lodge, this house—your work is impressive, Dylan. Changing a simple dairy farm into a stunning resort couldn’t have been an easy feat.”
“Thank you,” she heard from directly behind her. Not even a foot away. With her heart beating wildly, she spun to face him.
Was she more attracted to him now that he was a man and not the boy from back when they dated?
She casually took him in, trying not to be too obvious.
His short, dark blond hair was cut close on the sides and left a bit longer on top. It used to be so much lighter in high school and most likely darkened with age. Plus, back then it was sun-kissed since he was always outside, whether doing farm chores, swimming in the lake, or riding his dirt bike and ATV.
Both Dylan and Dayne always had a love for the outdoors.
In fact, he was a lot tanner now than when she ran into him in town all those months ago. Being out in the sun on the ranch, instead of locked up in an office all day, agreed with him.
The closely trimmed beard covering his face was new, too. It was as short as Ford’s but much lighter in color, fitting his complexion.
She continued comparing the two men.
Ford was thirty-seven with dark hair and beard, deep brown eyes and darker skin tone from years of working construction.
Dylan, only two years younger, had dirty blond hair and beard, along with hazel eyes.
Their height was similar, with Dylan maybe being shorter by an inch, if that.
Both were ridiculously handsome. Fit. And downright sexy.
Dylan had looked good standing outside of the butcher shop. He looked even better now. Coming home seemed to agree with him, despite the hard work and stress from building a business from the ground up.
Her heart ached when she realized where they might’ve been if he had stayed. Possibly married with kids. Maybe even living on the dairy farm, surrounded by the mountains and cows.
Instead, she was a childless widow. And he was… She had no idea. “Did you ever get married?” she asked again since he never answered the last time. Just because he seemed to be single now, didn’t mean he was always that way.
“No.”
Her head snapped back. “Really?”
He nodded.
Now she had so many questions, even though the answers were none of her business. “No children, either?”
“No children. Apparently, I fail at picking partners on the same page as me.”
Shots fired. “I never said I would leave,” she reminded him.
“I never said I would stay,” he countered.
“And that’s why we are where we are right now.”
“True.” He exhaled loudly. “Let me show you around before someone sends out a search party for me.”
“Please. I’d love to see the rest.”
“It’s pretty basic.” He waved an arm around. “We’re standing in the living room, of course.”
“I was wondering. Thanks for clarifying that,” she teased, hoping he still had a sense of humor.
Unfortunately, he didn’t even crack a smile.
His wing of the house was decked out in rustic furniture with a “ranch” type of feel to it. Two large sepia-toned photos of cattle hung on the walls. Using the reddish-brown coloring gave the photos a more artistic and country feel than the typical black and white. “Were those photos taken here on the farm?” The landscape behind the herd of Holsteins looked familiar.
Again, he moved to stand directly behind her. So close, it would only take a slight shift for them to be touching. “They were. My father took them. I had them blown up and framed so I’d never forget the resort’s humble beginnings.”
“I doubt you could ever forget since you were raised here.” She looked closer. “He had a great eye.”
“I didn’t know that about him until I found a few of his photos going through his stuff after he died. It was actually difficult to pick which ones I wanted for myself. I had some others of the amazing photos he took around the area, including town, hung in the lodge and cabins. A few I had framed for my mother’s new place.”
“Our parents always end up being more complex people than we expect. Why are we so surprised when we find out these sorts of things about them?”
His hands landed on her shoulders, and he gave them a gentle squeeze. “We see them solely as our parents and not as others see them? I don’t know. On that note, how are yours?”
She turned, dislodging his touch, since it was increasing her heart rate. For a reason she didn’t want to admit. She just had sex with Ford, another man shouldn’t be getting her worked up, even if it was Dylan. “Great. They are loving the warmer weather in Georgia.”
“So, they left Fisher Falls,” he murmured.
She was surprised he didn’t know that, either, especially with the town being as small as it was. However, he’d been busy building the resort ever since he returned. And if he didn’t know Kyle died, or that her parents moved, then her best guess was he’d been avoiding any news or gossip from town. “They did. Not long after Dad retired. They didn’t want to deal with the snow and freezing temps anymore.”
“Good for them.”
“It turns out the move was good for them.” Though, she dearly missed them. Especially around the holidays. To see her parents, she either needed to fly south or they needed to travel north. It would’ve been the same for Dylan, since he had moved south, as well, after college. “Didn’t you come back for visits?”
“I stayed out of town when I did.”
Him not leaving the farm during his visits home would also explain why she hadn’t seen him in the last seventeen years. Otherwise, it would’ve been difficult to not run into each other.
“To avoid me?” she asked.
Him evading her question was her answer. Even so, they were supposed to be moving forward, so maybe it was for the best he didn’t answer.
The spacious living room included a big, comfortable-looking couch, an overstuffed recliner, an enormous TV hanging on the wall with a gas fireplace under it and a “live edge” wood coffee table. “That table is gorgeous. Did Callum make it?”
Callum was a woodworker and artist that lived right outside of town and made stunning custom furniture and decor from local trees. His stuff was pricy but worth every cent since each piece took him weeks, some even months, to handcraft. Anything he made would last forever and could be handed down through generations.
“He did. He also made my bedroom furniture. I bought some of his pieces for the lodge, too.”
“That had to set you back.”
Dylan nodded. “It did, but the man is a true artist and craftsman. He was happy I bought almost everything he had stored in his barn, and I was happy to support another local business. With the amount I purchased, he won’t have any problem paying his bills for a while.”
After that, Dylan might. But Erin was sure Callum was ecstatic to have spare cash in his pocket. “That’s great. Can I see it?”
“Sure. I was planning on giving you the whole tour, anyway. This way…” He headed toward a closed door off the living room.
She thought it would be his bedroom. Instead, they entered a huge bathroom.
She blinked as she took it all in.
It was a bathroom she could only dream about. The huge glass shower stall had multiple shower heads. She wondered why he had two metal handrails attached to the walls since she was damn sure Dylan didn’t need help keeping his balance while showering. It also was equipped with a built-in bench he could use if, for some reason, he had a difficult time standing while sudsing up.
Dylan was fit and healthy. He wasn’t an eighty-year-old needing assistance in the shower. That meant those extra features had other purposes.
“Do you plan on having a party in there?”
“You never know.”
She glanced over her shoulder to find him staring at her with his expression locked down.
It hit her then…
Dylan was the architect that designed the whole ranch. He designed the playrooms on the second floor of the event hall. He designed this space.
“Dylan…” she started.
“Whatever you’re about to ask, I’d prefer you didn’t.”
She would respect that. “I guess I’ll make my own conclusions.”
“You would, whether I answered or not. It’s human nature.”
“It’s also human nature to be curious.”
In front of the only window in the room was a simply designed but beautiful free-standing tub large enough for two adults. As she inspected it, she trailed her fingers along the curved porcelain edge. When she noticed the jets, she realized it was more than a typical soaking tub. “I would kill for this tub. The shower. Actually, the whole bathroom.”
“No reason for murder. I could design one for you. You only need to ask.”
Again, zero humor in his tone. “While that’s very generous of you, I couldn’t afford to build it, even if you designed one for me for free.”
“I’m sure Ford could help.”
She mmm ’d. She didn’t want to get dragged back into a conversation about her relationship with Ford. Instead, she drifted toward a partially opened door. This one most likely led into his bedroom. She pointed at it. “This way next?”
“Yes.”
As she walked in that direction, she asked, “You only have one bathroom?”
“It’s all I need. If I need to entertain a bunch of guests, I have the whole resort at my fingertips.”
“True.” After pushing the door open wider, she stepped through, and her feet stuttered to a stop.
If she thought the bathroom was impressive, the bedroom...
Holy smokes. It was clearly meant for more than only sleeping.
She recognized the tantric chaise occupying one corner. Ford had a similar one in his bedroom, and they had used it often.
The enormous wood-framed bed, wider than a king, had thick, sturdy hand-crafted posts and headboard. Nothing looked delicate about it. Not only was it masculine and fit the updated look of the farmhouse, but…
Immediately, Erin saw it for what it was. A bed that could be turned into a sexual playground. She scanned it for hooks or eyebolts, but if the bed had any, they were hidden well.
The room also had a whole wall of built-in cabinets. Cabinets that could be used for storing clothes, shoes or other objects. Or for hiding secrets. Like toys.
“I love the built-ins.”
“They’re convenient,” was all he said.
She bet they were. To the average eye, Dylan’s bedroom looked very masculine and very bachelor-ish, since even an ounce of feminine touch was missing from the decor.
When she turned, he was once again close. And once again, her heart began to beat rapidly. Not due to fear, but the opposite.
She lost her train of thought as he stepped even closer. She had space to escape, if needed, but was surprised to find she didn’t want to. Truthfully, she was thrown off by how her body was reacting to his being only inches away.
“You look good, Erin,” he murmured, with his serious face tipped down to hers.
“You already said that.”
“Worth repeating.” He fingered one of the straps on her sundress. Doing so caused him to make contact with her skin, in turn, causing goosebumps. “The sundress fits you perfectly. At first glance you look wholesome, but I have a feeling that could be the farthest from the truth.”
What did that mean? What did he know? Ford said there weren’t any cameras in the playrooms. Was that false and some were hidden? Had Dylan watched them? And if he did, why didn’t it bother her?
He skimmed the back of his knuckles down her cheek. “Your nipples are hard.”
There was no denying that fact. They ached and it was no longer from Ford twisting them less than a half hour ago.
This wasn’t good. Her attraction to Dylan was fighting its way back from where she buried it so long ago. After he left, she tried to forget him.
Clearly, she failed.
She shouldn’t desire two different men, should she? Did that make her a bad person?
Why was society so determined to shove people into boxes? And if someone didn’t fit neatly into their perceived box, they were judged. Sometimes harshly.
That fear was why she and Ford weren’t open about their relationship. They pretended to be friends, not lovers. If anyone in town knew their true relationship, they’d be constantly pressured to get engaged, married and have children.
Because that was what was expected in Fisher Falls.
She tried to force herself into a box when she married Kyle. The universe had different ideas.