Chapter 5
Darcy looked at the kitchen table and adjusted the candlesticks. Was it too much? Not enough?
Ah!
She needed to stop fussing.
But she couldn’t help herself. She wanted the dinner with Ford to go well.
They’d texted throughout the day, starting with a good morning text from him that had made her smile so hard her cheeks hurt. She was pretty sure she’d dreamed about him too, because she’d woken up smiling and looking forward to the night ahead.
She smoothed her hands down the front of her dark green slacks and took a step away from the table to look at it. Glancing at her watch, she saw that Ford was due in just ten minutes, so she lit the candles and blew out the match.
Perfect.
Turning from the table, she walked out into the family room to give it a once-over. She had tucked Cruz’s things away as much as she could, and although the one corner looked cluttered, at least they could use the couch and TV if they wanted.
The scent of garlic bread filled the space, mingling with the sauce that simmered on the stove. She was making spaghetti because it was her favorite meal and an easy one to put together.
A door closed and Cruz strode out from the bathroom, adjusting the belt to his uniform.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “You’ve asked me three times.”
“You’ve invited a stranger over when no one else is going to be home. You hardly know him. Why didn’t you suggest a restaurant for a first date?”
She hummed.
Cruz was right. She didn’t know Ford. Heck, they’d only spent a little while together in the park before he’d left to get back to his friends because the shower was about to start. But despite that, she felt like she did know him.
“I feel like I’ve known him long enough to make the choice to bring him here. Rhomi’s husband, Mercer, knows him and said he’s a good guy.”
Cruz made a face. “I don’t like it. I can call off, stick around.”
“Absolutely not, you loon.”
“I just don’t want to see you get hurt. You’re all I’ve got.”
She sighed. Even before their parents died, Cruz had been overprotective of her. He’d taken on a lot after their deaths too. It was Cruz and Darcy against the world. And she loved him for it. But tonight she just wanted space from all that smothering, brotherly love.
“I promise I’ll be fine. Now get to work before you’re late.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Just keep your phone close and call me if anything seems off.”
“I will. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
He tugged the door open with a disgruntled sound in his throat. And there, on the other side, was Ford in a button-down and dark jeans, looking even better than she remembered.
All broad shoulders and muscles for days, and the best smile on the planet.
He held flowers in one hand, roses and wildflowers mixed together, and her heart caught in her throat.
So freaking sweet.
“Evening,” he said, his voice a low rumble that made her stomach flip.
“Hi, Ford, come on in.”
Before she could introduce her brother, Cruz subtly stepped between them. “So you’re the guy.”
“Cruz,” she hissed his name.
“Yes,” Ford said, his gaze moving from Darcy to her brother. “I’m Ford. You’re Cruz?”
Cruz nodded sharply. “I expect you to treat my sister like a queen.”
Ford’s gaze darted to Darcy for a heartbeat and she felt seared from the inside out by the heat in his green eyes.
“I have every intention of doing just that.”
Cruz was just a hair shorter than Ford, but her brother looked like he was ready to throw down in her honor. But for what?
She gave Cruz a gentle push on his shoulder. “Have a good night at work.”
He looked at her and said, “I’ll have my phone on me if you need me.”
Nodding once at Ford, he strode down the hall and took the stairs to the ground level.
When she turned her attention to Ford, his mouth was quirked up on one side like he was fighting a smile.
“He’s a little overprotective.”
“Brothers should be,” Ford said. “He loves you and wants you to be taken care of. I respect that.”
Something uncurled in her chest, and she wasn’t sure what it was. Relief that Ford wasn’t put off by Cruz’s behavior, perhaps.
Or, maybe more likely, gratefulness that Cruz had actually left instead of inserting himself between them on their date like a chaperone. She would be thankful for small miracles.
“Sorry about that,” she said, stepping aside so Ford could come in.
Ford smiled down at her and handed her the flowers. “It’s no problem. I’d be more concerned if he wasn’t looking out for you.”
“Thank you for the flowers,” she said, closing the door. “Come on in, dinner’s almost ready.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “Nice place. Have you lived here long?”
“A few years,” she said. He followed her to the kitchen, where she located a vase from the small collection in an upper cabinet. She put the flowers in the vase and filled it with water, and then set it on the table. It was the perfect complement to the candles in the delicate silver holders.
“It smells amazing in here,” he said.
“It’s spaghetti.”
“Sounds great.”
There he went again, being all sweet.
She was going to fall freaking fast and hard for him if they kept seeing each other. Which she hoped they did. Because already she couldn’t stop thinking about him and wanting to spend time with him.
The oven timer went off for the garlic bread, and she grabbed a hot pad and pulled the tray out, then finished tossing the spaghetti with sauce.
For a moment, the silence stretched between them, humming with possibility. His gaze dropped to her mouth, then back to her eyes, and it made her breath catch.
The timer beeped again, and she nearly had a heart attack.
With a light laugh, she turned it off and said, “Dinner’s ready.”
His answering chuckle was low and sent a shiver down her spine. “I guess so.”
* * *
After getting drinks, she and Ford sat down at the table to eat.
She twirled the spaghetti onto her fork, wondering if what she’d made was too simple.
He was a big guy, maybe he liked eating steak and potatoes.
She was kicking herself for not asking for his favorite meal when they’d been texting throughout the day.
But then he took a bite and his eyes closed with a hum, and her cheeks went hot.
“This is the best thing I’ve eaten all week,” he said, pointing at his plate.
“I’m so glad you like it.”
“Very much so. Do you like to cook?”
“I do, but mostly I cook for myself. Cruz works nights, and because he lifts and boxes, he eats a pretty specific diet to help with his calorie intake, and I do not like to eat the same thing over and over.” He never seemed to mind the constant ground beef and rice or chicken and pasta.
She liked a little variety every now and then.
“He looks like he takes care of himself. Does he box in matches?”
“He used to, now he just does it to let off steam.”
They ate in silence for a little while, and then she asked him about the farm in Little River and his friends that he shared a big farmhouse with. He showed her pictures on his phone, and she was enchanted by the whole thing.
A farmhouse and a working farm? It sounded so very different from the tiny apartment and office job she had.
She’d never dreamed about living on a farm, but it sure seemed incredible.
She told him more about her job, the loss of her parents, and Cruz’s relationship blowing up, which landed him on her couch with no end in sight.
“I love him,” she said. “But this place is really not big enough for the two of us. Unfortunately, rent is super high around here, and I’d never kick him out.”
“Family’s important,” Ford said. He took a second helping of spaghetti and tore off a corner of garlic bread and popped it into his mouth.
“I’m not close with my family. My dad insisted I follow in his footsteps, but I wanted to make my own way.
He told me it was his way or the highway, and I walked.
I found a construction company in Little River and I joined them.
Dexter is the owner. He, his wife, and their two kids became a second family to me, as well as Avi, Crew, and Grey.
We moved into the farmhouse a few years ago and took over the farm. ”
“I’m sorry you’re not close to your family anymore, but it sounds like you won in the end with your friends.”
She learned he was a finish carpenter and a mechanic, handling the farm equipment and working on various projects for Dexter’s construction company.
After they’d eaten their fill, Ford took over the cleanup. She teased him about trying to impress her by doing the dishes.
“I’m definitely trying to impress you,” he said with a wink. “But I also think it’s fair to help out, and you cooked a great meal for me.”
They talked while he cleaned, and she found herself hanging on every word. He had an amazing life and a close-knit group of friends who were like family to him. She could relate, because she considered Rhomi and Reagan to be her sisters.
She didn’t want the evening to end, but when it eventually grew late and they’d been sitting on the couch for over an hour chatting, they got up and she walked him to the door.
“Thank you for dinner,” he said. “I had a really great time.”
“Me too. And thanks for not running the other direction when Cruz glared at you.”
“I’ve faced worse, but I’d do it again for the chance to spend the evening with you.”
“Maybe…next time I can cook something fancier?”
“Or…” he said, opening the door and stepping into the hallway. He turned and faced her, just inches separating them. “I could take you out.”
“I’d love that,” she said.
“Can I pick you up tomorrow? Say, six?”
“Yes.”
His gaze landed on her lips and then he smiled softly, his eyes darkening. He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, and her whole body tingled.
When the kiss was over—far too soon—he brushed his knuckles along her jaw and said, “Goodnight, Darcy.”
“Goodnight, Ford.”
He walked down the hall, waving at her before he took the stairs. She stared at the empty hallway for a few minutes, her pulse racing and her lips still tingling from the kiss, and then she closed the door and leaned against it.
She hadn’t felt like this before. Like she was just breathing, just experiencing life and all it had to offer with fresh eyes.
And for the first time in her life, she let herself believe that something amazing was about to happen between her and Ford.
Because she was pretty sure, even after just knowing him for a day, that he was her Mr. Right.