11. Sonya
Sonya
W hat am I doing? No, seriously, what in the actual hell am I doing? I asked myself that question no less than three dozen times in the time it took me to leave my place until the Blaze Farm sign came into view. Doing this was the exact opposite of what I should’ve been doing.
I blame the moonlight kisses in the back of that damn pickup.
That was the only explanation for why I drove my rental car down the long, winding country road that slowly bled into a dirt path flanked my fields with golden grain that shot up towards the sky.
Those kisses were the reason I was at the farm instead of keeping my distance.
Instead of resetting and refocusing after we’d kissed each other senseless and then dry humped ourselves to completion.
We’d behaved like horny teenagers and I wasn’t even ashamed.
It was the most fun I’d had with a man since the last time I had that kind of fun. With Nick.
“It’s all his fault,” I said the words out loud as if that would make them more believable. It was better to blame Nick and the moonlight and those panty-scorching kisses, than admit that he was absolutely irresistible. No man had ever made burgers and fries so romantic.
And now here I was, barreling full speed ahead to Blaze Farms. Where Nick was.
Nick and his perfect, mind-melting kisses.
Nick and his perfectly thick, perfect-for-pulling black hair.
Nick and his lazy, cowboy smile.
“It’s for work,” I shouted over the sound of the pop music that floated from speakers. Those three words allowed me to relax a little, mostly because they were true. Mostly true, anyway. I was here for work. In a strictly professional capacity. Nothing more.
Yeah.
It wasn’t a complete lie, the purpose of my trip was work, specifically populating the social media accounts I’d set up for him and a few of the other guys who didn’t have them because apparently that was a thing.
I’d spent the past two days immersed in Nick from finding the right social media handles for me, branding the look and voice of his pages so they were authentically him, while also maintaining an image true to the Thunderhawks organization.
I was here to help Nick get started, which was because it was my job.
See? Totally professional.
The house came into view and it was adorable.
A large farm style home with an enormous porch that looked as though it wrapped all the way around but it stopped where a mudroom started.
There were cheerful blue shutters, overstuffed flowerboxes and flowerpots of all sizes dotted the porch.
I killed the engine underneath a large tree that provided tons of shade, and enough distance from the house that I could get myself together before I reached the front door.
Too late. The door swung open and a petite woman with long black hair streaked with silver shot out the door and jogged down the steps.
She wore a black apron dusted with flour, but it was her wide smile and those familiar blue eyes that told me who she was.
Nick’s mom. “Well you’re even prettier than I knew you’d be. ”
I felt my cheeks flush at her words and shook my head. “And with those playful eyes you must be Mrs. Blaze.” I offered my hand but she waved it off and wrapped her surprisingly strong arms around me.
“Call me Tessa. You’re Sonya. Nicky has told me next to nothing about you.” She laughed to herself as she pulled back, hooking her arm through mine as she tugged me towards the house.
I laughed with her, already charmed by the woman. “Well he told me that you were an amazing cook, and though I’ve only tasted the meatballs in sauce, I have to agree. They were the best I ever had,” I admitted.
Surprise flickered in her blue eyes as she waved me into the house. “You tried my meatballs and sauce?”
“Twice,” I admitted, realizing too late that maybe I shouldn’t have. I opened my mouth to explain but Tessa laughed and shooed me forward.
“You can tell me all about it in my office where I’ve just pulled some cookies from the oven.” Her smile was wide and contagious and I saw clearly how much Nick took after Tessa.
“Nothing to tell except the meatballs were flavorful and juicy and I really loved how they were crispy on all sides.”
Tessa narrowed her gaze at me, waving a long wooden spoon in my direction. “Nice, deflect with compliments.” She laughed and plated half a dozen cookies. “Milk? Tea? Soda? Whiskey?”
I froze at the question. I wasn’t a fan of milk or tea, but soda just seemed wrong with cookies. Whiskey was what I needed, but I couldn’t say that in front of his mom. Could I?
“Whiskey it is,” she answered as if she could read my mind.
I took advantage of her distraction to look around.
The kitchen was massive but it was just open enough that I could see the rustic charm that looked like it was ripped from the pages of a western romance novel.
Scuffed wood cabinets were painted white, a vintage tea kettle sat on the stove with sunflower and rooster themed kitchen towels and oven mitts on nearly every surface.
And the whole place smelled like sugar and spice, almost like God himself wrapped the house in a cozy hug. “Your home is beautiful, Tessa.”
“Thanks. Raised five generations of Blaze children in here. Got the scars to prove it,” she said with a laugh. “Sit.”
I dropped down onto the cushioned wooden bench that faced the mudroom and the backyard beyond, an endless sea of grass and grain that I found calming.
I bit into one of the cookies and the wildest, most unladylike sound left my mouth.
“Holy hell Tessa, these are amazing,” I moaned around a second bite before the first bite was finished. “Is that cinnamon chocolate chip?”
She beamed proudly. “It is. It’s also Nicky’s favorite.”
“Well they’re mine too, now.” They were soft and buttery and who knew cinnamon and chocolate chips were such soulmates?
Tessa wore a satisfied smile as she sat across from me, sliding a glass of whiskey to me.
She watched me carefully, not as if she was sizing me up, but like she wanted to ask questions Nicky wouldn’t want her to.
Instead of doing the mom thing, she launched into the history of the farm, telling me all about how it started with animals and vegetables, changing over the years as the climate and the market shifted.
“Now we’re mostly a grain operation but we have fruits and vegetables, and during the fall months an apple wine. ”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
“Of course it is, now since I’m being so good by not asking all the questions I want, let’s see if we can’t embarrass Nicky a little.
” Before I could ask what she meant, she darted out of the kitchen, returning less than a minute later with photo albums of Nick and Max as kids.
She opened the book wide and pointed to a photo of Nick in a tiny pair of shorts, a cowboy hat and boots.
“He loved running around naked with the goats when he was little.”
I threw my head back and laughed because the photo was adorable and so totally Nick, even as a boy. And that was exactly how Nick found us when he entered the kitchen wearing a totally unintimidating scowl.
He wiped his boots and kissed Tessa’s cheek before he turned and pressed a kiss to my cheek too. “I thought you were going to call me when Sonya arrived, Mom.”
Tessa waved him off. “I was going to. Eventually. Sonya needed cookies first. And girl time.” She laughed, clearly unbothered by his annoyance.
Nick rolled his eyes but his lips curled with an affectionate smile. “Ready to see the farm properly?”
My body heated at the memory of the last time I was here. “Lead the way Farmer Blaze.” I turned over my shoulder. “Nice to meet you Tessa.”
“Have fun, kids.”
Nick showed me around the property, pointing out the barn where the hay was kept, the facility where the grains were held before processing, the new calves inside the fence and the large equipment barn.
I followed him through golden fields, over a hill that led to a seemingly endless orchard and the lake in daytime that sparkled under the sun.
I stopped often to take photos, earmarked for page engagement.
“And this ugly mug right here is my brother Max.”
Aside from slightly shorter brown hair, Nick and Max could be twins, though it was clear that Max was the more serious of the two brothers. “He’s told me nothing but good things about you, and it’s nice to put a face to the name.”
Max’s brows shot up. “Singing my praises little brother?”
“Do you guys mind if I get photos of you together?” They made a gorgeous pair of man candy and I knew it would make the female hockey fans drool all over their devices.
Nick grinned. “Only if you promise to get my good side.”
I rolled my eyes. “Lucky for you, they’re all good.”
He rolled his eyes and flung an arm around his brother, so much like the dozen or so photos Tessa had shown me. “How’s this?” He grinned at me and then Max, who wore a matching grin.
“Perfect.” I looked at the photos with a smile. “You boys are absolutely adorable.”
“On that note, I need to get back to it. Nice to meet you, Sonya.”
“You too, Max.” I turned to Nick with a hopeful expression. “What’s next?”
“I have the perfect place.” He took my hand and we made our way to a small area with a few horses and Nick went to a beautiful white draft horse who seemed to greet him with words.
“Hey Popcorn,” he cooed, rubbing his nose with the horse’s.
It looked like they’d done this particular dance a million times, smiling at each other, hugging and even laughing together.
He leaned against the wooden slats of the fence and Popcorn rested his head over Nick’s shoulder.
It was cute. It was hot. It was overload.
And the way his t-shirt stretched across his chest and biceps? Mouthwatering. “You’re going to go viral,” I teased.