20. Delilah #2
He glanced down at me, his eyes taking on a hint of hurt.
“No. But my dream is making sure my family’s legacy carries on.
The pecan orchard has been in my family since my great-great-great-grandfather came over from England and settled on that piece of land.
I can’t stand to see my dad lose it. Hell, if we lost the pecan orchard, it would put most of us out of a job.
Trent runs the retail store. Mitchell spends most of his time fixing the equipment.
Lucas only took a part-time job in town to make ends meet since that tornado came through.
If I can give us a chance to rebuild, it would save everything. ”
I couldn’t bear to hold his gaze. “We’re not so different then, you and me.”
“How’s that?”
“Your dream is to keep the orchard going for your family. Mine’s to save my own.”
“It shouldn’t be your job to make your mother happy, Delilah.”
“Did you want some punch? I’m going to go grab a beverage.
” I didn’t want to have this conversation with him.
Not now, not ever. The relationship between me and Stella had been set in stone from the time I’d won my first sash.
Jasper couldn’t understand that. How could I expect him to when I barely understood it myself?
He shook his head. “No thanks. I’m going to go check on Lacey and see if she needs help with anything.”
“All right then. I’ll see you later.”
I walked away first, heading toward the bar in the opposite corner of the tent. And as much as I wanted to, I didn’t allow myself to look back.
Jasper
I stayed to the edge of the crowd. The wedding party was from Arkansas, so the only local folk were the people busing tables, manning the bar, and making sure everyone had a good time.
Lacey had outdone herself. Again. By tomorrow there’d be talk of the great butterfly hunt, and another heartwarming story about how the town had joined forces to save another bride’s happy day.
As I looked around the tent, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was making a mistake by strong-arming my parents into following my idea of a wedding barn.
What did my brothers and I know about weddings?
Hell, what did we know about love? I’d struck out the one and only time I’d tried to commit to a woman for more than a few dates.
None of my brothers had settled down yet.
Lucas was the one who’d come closest, and even then, he’d skipped the whole romance part and found himself raising a daughter as a single dad.
Maybe the Taylor brothers were destined to stay single.
We’d all live together in the big farmhouse while we worked to create happily-ever-afters for strangers.
I shook my head. Damn, I was turning into a sap.
I might be hopeless but at least my younger brothers still had a shot.
And God only knew what Colin was up to. I didn’t want to think about my older brother tonight.
No one else had mentioned seeing him around town.
Maybe he’d decided to clear out. The last thing my family needed was to have him show up again.
As I stood at the edge of the crowd, taking it all in, Delilah caught my eye.
She was spinning around the dance floor in the arms of a stranger .
. . a tall guy decked out in a tailored suit.
I didn’t like the way the guy’s eyes roamed over her bare shoulders.
Didn’t like the way his hand rested a little too low at the small of her back.
My stomach clenched as the music shifted into a slow song and the asshole pulled her in close.
Before I realized what I was doing, I made my way to the center of the dance floor, tapped the jerk on the shoulder, and asked to cut in. Delilah nodded her agreement and the stranger released his grip and slunk away.
“Was he bothering you?” I asked, my pulse slowing now that I had her in my arms.
“No, he was a nice guy. His cousin got married and he came all the way from Nashville to be here.” Her fingers pressed into my shoulder, and I shifted to pull her even tighter against my chest.
“Looked like he might be holding you a little too tight.” The suit jacket stretched and a few threads might have snapped as I swayed to the music with her in my arms.
She bit down on her bottom lip. Almost like she was trying to prevent herself from smiling.
“What?” I angled my head down. “Was he?”
“Not as tight as you’re holding me now.” She tossed her head back and met my gaze.
My attraction sparked at the sight of her smooth, slender neck. I wanted to run my tongue along it, nip at the spot where her neck gave way to her shoulder, and slip the thin straps of her dress away.
“I want to apologize for earlier.” I smoothed my palm over the small of her back, enjoying the way it made her breath come just a smidge faster.
“No apology necessary.”
“Then I’ll do it for me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you about your mom.”
“It’s fine. I know she has boundary issues. It’s something I’ve been working on for years and will probably spend the rest of my life trying to sort out.”
I slowly spun her around, using the opportunity to slide my foot between hers. “Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t know what that’s like. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable.”
“It’s fine, Jasper.” My name rolled off her tongue in a breathy exhale.
I did a half-assed job of suppressing a groan.
“You okay?”
“Say my name again.”
Her brow furrowed. “Jasper?”
“No. Like you did before.”
The edges of her mouth tipped up into the slightest of grins. “Why?”
I leaned close. Close enough I could breathe in my fill of that damn perfume. “Because it drives me crazy.”