Chapter 13
chapter
thirteen
Nothing existed when Darren kissed Farrah. The sky could fall, the sun could burn to dust, everything could disappear from existence.
He marveled at the way she kissed him, like she really enjoyed herself and couldn’t get enough of him.
Which was perfect, because he absolutely couldn’t kiss her for long enough.
He laid her down on the blanket and kissed her again and again, almost like he’d been starving without her touch these past few months.
He finally remembered his manners and pulled away. She tucked herself against his chest and they watched the sun sink lower and lower in the sky.
He couldn’t believe he’d confessed that he loved her. But he wanted to tell her, wanted her to know the depth of his feelings now, so she wouldn’t run away later.
And she hadn’t run. She’d stayed. Stayed and kissed him.
His heart beat erratically in his chest, rejoicing to be here with her, playing out one of his fantasies. The gentle rise in the landscape finally swallowed the sun, and he said, “Well, we should go.”
She groaned and held onto him as he tried to stand. “One more kiss.”
He chuckled and planted his lips against her forehead.
“No,” she complained. “That wasn’t a good kiss.”
“You’re saying I’m not a good kisser?”
She gazed up at him with those blue eyes, so full of trust and hope and…love? “Better prove it,” she whispered in the semi-darkness.
He touched his lips to hers for just a beat, barely there then gone. A tingle started against his tongue, and he kissed her again, holding on longer and really exploring her mouth. She responded in kind, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would never be satisfied kissing anyone else.
“All right,” he said a bit breathlessly. “We really do have to get back.” They got up and he folded the blanket and stowed it back in the saddlebag. They arrived back at Steeple Ridge with only a hint of light left in the sky.
Working beside her to brush down the horses was almost as exciting as kissing her, and Darren couldn’t help glancing over at her every few seconds.
She seemed to be watching him just as much, because as soon as they put away the animals, she grabbed onto his shirt collar and pressed him into the stall door for another kiss.
He wanted to kiss her everywhere. Here. In the other barn. Giggling as they ducked around the corner of the shed to steal a kiss. In the house. Next to her car. He simply couldn’t get enough of her.
“Lunch tomorrow?” she said against his lips. “The forest is only a few steps from the boutique.”
He nipped her bottom lip and claimed her mouth again. “I’ll be there.”
She ducked her head and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Darren, I’m sorry about—”
“Not tonight, Farrah.” He placed one finger on her lips and stroked it across them. “We’re fine. Nothing to be sorry about.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn’t.
Darren went with her to her car and he got that kiss next to it before she climbed in and drove down the lane back to the highway.
He watched her headlights until they disappeared, his hands stuck low in his pockets.
He gazed up into the dark sky, where the stars had just started to wink into existence.
“Thank you, Lord,” he said. “For bringing her home to Steeple Ridge.” For bringing her home to him.
Darren snuck away for lunch when he should’ve been prepping a field for mowing. He reasoned that he wouldn’t be on the tractor until tomorrow, and he could check the fences after dinner. But he absolutely couldn’t miss lunch.
He arrived at the Bybee’s farm and parked next to Farrah’s car near the house. The botanical boutique sat down a dirt path and into the hillside as it dipped toward the forest. The fish tank had been partially built underground, which made it easier to maintain the temperature.
Farrah pushed out of the greenhouse just as he was about to reach for the door handle. “Oh.” She startled, recognized him, and giggled all in a second’s time. In the next moment, she jerked her head toward the trees to the right of the building. “I usually eat out here.”
With his heart pounding, he held up his paper bag, which contained a hastily put together peanut butter sandwich and a half a bag of potato chips that belonged to Wade. Darren would need to replace them before the other cowboy discovered they were gone or face dire consequences.
Farrah spoke about her work in the greenhouse, and how much better it was than the bowling alley. Darren nodded and smiled, glad she liked her job more now than she had only a few weeks ago.
“You’re quiet today,” she said.
He swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. “I like listening to you talk.”
She ducked her head, causing her hair to fall between them like a glorious blonde curtain. He resisted the urge to brush it back, curl his fingers around the back of her neck, and draw her mouth to his.
He didn’t want to come on too strong, didn’t want to make the first move this time. She inched toward him, snuggling in close to his side. “Tell me something about Steeple Ridge.”
“You know all about that place.” He didn’t want to talk about the farm she could barely tolerate. Although, she had seemed perfectly at ease with him at the farm the previous day. She’d laughed during dinner, made pleasant conversation, and the horseback ride had been easy and carefree.
“I know about it from twelve years ago. It’s changed.”
Darren gazed through the trees, the blue sky peeking through the leaves. “I love Steeple Ridge.” He sighed. “It’s the first farm that has ever felt like home.”
“You’ve worked at a lot of farms?”
“Yes.” Darren hadn’t told her much of his history before Steeple Ridge, mostly because he couldn’t get her to talk about the farm at all.
He’d told her about his parents’ farm in Coral Canyon, where Sam had gone, and about their deaths.
But not much of what had happened in between then and now. “Vermont is my favorite state.”
“So you’re going to stay here?”
He glanced down at her, but he couldn’t meet her eyes. “Yeah.” Was she not going to stay here? What kind of question was that? “Are you?”
She exhaled and leaned her weight into him, causing him to fall back slightly.
He gave in to gravity and laid back into the soft grass, taking Farrah with him.
She laid her head against his chest, nearly over his heart.
“I’m going to stay here, especially now that I have this job.
” She twitched against his side. “I have thought about going back to school and finishing my agribusiness degree.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I could go to the University of Vermont in Burlington. It’s only a half-hour drive.”
“And your parents live there.”
“Right.” But she didn’t seem overly enthused about stopping by to visit her parents after her college classes.
“You should do that, if you want,” he said. “I was never much for college.”
“No?”
“Not much of a reader.”
“You could do ranch management or something.”
“Pretty sure a farm and a ranch are two different things.”
Farrah pushed up on her elbow and supported her head with her hand as she gazed down at him. “Did you want to go to college, and you just couldn’t—because of your parents?” She trailed her free fingers across his chest, stirring something deep inside him.
He shook his head without looking away from her. “No. I wouldn’t have gone. Logan wanted to though.”
“And now he is.”
Darren couldn’t help reaching up and tucking those errant curls. “You seem like you’d be a good fit for college.”
“Meagan told me she wants to quit when she has her baby.” Farrah lifted her shoulder in a sexy shrug. “I think the Bybees would hire me full-time, with benefits, in her place.”
“I’m sure they would.” A slip of joy pulled through him at the thought of her becoming permanent at this farm. At her having a life she wanted.
“Darren, I have to tell you something.” She leaned over and skated her lips along his jaw.
His eyes drifted closed but his senses remained on high alert.
Instead of telling him anything with words, she touched her lips to his.
That was all the encouragement Darren needed, and he tangled his legs with hers as he kissed her and kissed her.
After several minutes, she said, “Darren.” She giggled and tried to pull away.
He kept her right where he wanted her easily. “Mm.”
“Your hip is vibrating.”
“They’ll call back.”
“They’ve called twice.”
Reluctantly, Darren turned onto his back. His mouth felt bruised and his head too hot. Still, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw Logan’s name on the screen. “It’s Logan.” He swiped on the call. “Do you mind?”
Farrah sat up and ran her hands through her hair. “Of course not.”
“Logan, hey.” Darren exhaled as he sat up too. “What’s goin’ on? How’s California?”
Farrah got up and strolled away, casting a flirty follow-me-if-you-dare look at Darren. He wanted to hang up with his brother and go wherever she did.
“I heard a rumor,” his brother said in a playful, teasing voice. “That you got back together with Farrah Irvine.”
Darren rolled his eyes and kept his sigh contained. “Who called you? Tucker? Missy?”
“Ben.”
Of course. Ben, who just wanted everyone to be as happy as he was. The youngest brother who never caused any problems. The perpetual peacemaker. “Did he tell you about Rae’s accident?”
“Yes. Said she’s doing a lot better now.”
“She is.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Logan said, chuckling. “I thought Farrah wouldn’t talk to you after you submitted her name for the parade.”
Darren really needed to call his brother more often. The thought of starting at the beginning of the story made his stomach tighten. “I’m with Farrah right now,” he said. “Can I call you later?”
“Ooh, did I interrupt you?” Logan laughed now. “You’re kissing her again, aren’t you?”
“Logan.” Darren tried to put on his best big-brother warning voice, though he was only older by a few minutes.
“Do you think that’s wise?”
“What?”
“Darren.”
“Logan.”
“I’m worried you’ll get your heart broken again.”
Darren was worried about that too, though when he kissed Farrah and felt the passion and adoration in her touch, those fears disappeared. “Better than what I was doin’, Logan.” Darren spoke very low, but very clear.
Logan sighed, and his brotherly concern traveled all the way across the country.
“I’m sorry, Darren.” He meant he was sorry for leaving Vermont, though he was coming back.
He meant he was sorry all the other brothers had started dating before Darren.
He meant a lot more than just that Darren had suffered for a few months without Farrah at his side.
Darren got to his feet and tried to find Farrah, who’d slunk deeper into the woods. He said the same thing to Logan as he’d said to Farrah. “Nothing to be sorry about, Logan. I have to go.”
“You better call me every other day!” Logan called as if Darren would hang up on him. “I want details of this relationship.”
“Me too!” a woman called, and it had to be Layla, Logan’s wife.
“Layla does too, and she also says she’s really excited for you and Farrah.”
Darren chuckled, though he didn’t quite understand why Layla was excited for him. “Tell her hello,” he said just as Farrah turned and lifted her eyebrows as if to say Well? Are you coming?
“I really need to go.” He hung up without saying good-bye to his twin. He tossed the phone onto the brown paper bag he’d brought his lunch in and strode after Farrah. Her giggles reached his ears, and he hurried to find her in the maze of pines and basswoods.
When he did, she kissed him so completely that he didn’t worry any longer about his heart staying whole.
Because she kissed him like she loved him.