Chapter 4
ANSEL
Crouching down, I angle my phone to catch a sliver of morning light across a cluster of what I now know is Queen Anne's Lace.
Footsteps come up behind me. "Shooting a cover for your diary? Or a book of poetry?"
I turn around to see Braden smirking. I stand up, pretending to lunge for him. He doesn't even flinch.
"Since two of my useless little brothers have suddenly somehow gotten girlfriends, I thought I should show them how it's done properly. "
I expect Braden to say something flippant. Instead his face lights up. "Are you serious? That's awesome! Who is she?"
"Lynn. You know the girl with the long, auburn hair who works at Acorns? Her."
Braden is grinning so widely that it makes me excited all over again.
"She's cute." He looks over my shoulder. "So you're sending her a photo of wildflowers instead of actually bringing her some?"
"I thought a photo might be more eco-friendly," I shrug. "I dunno. I'm making it up as I go along."
While I text the photo of the flowers to Lynn, Braden looks at his phone and frowns. "Dash says he just saw Lloyd and a couple of other guys driving around the west corner, by the highway. So much for them mainly lurking around his land."
"Shit," I mutter.
"Yeah. One of the farmers mentioned to Corbin that they thought they saw a survey team last week, but they were in and out lightning fast."
"Well, we'll figure out what he's up to somehow. For now, let's go help Corbin take down that cluster of pines. "
Working in the forest is always exhilarating. Even when I was the head of my own company, making millions of dollars and coordinating huge teams of people, it all seemed theoretical. Everything was ones and zeros in a computer. The forest is real.
By the end of the day, I'm feeling the difference between working in the woods and at a desk. My shoulders point out how this is no timed and calculated gym workout.
Maybe it's a jerk move to take off just after four and leave the cleanup to the others, but I've covered their asses many times. Racing home, I take a quick shower and put on a clean shirt and jeans before driving to Acorns.
Lynn and I had sent a few texts during the day, and I'd told her that I was coming to pick her up. Even though she was only able to check her phone on breaks, she was chattier than I expected when she did respond. That gave me hope.
Pulling into the Acorns parking lot, I realize that I've had a few serious missions in my life. The first is to keep the family and our land together. Another relates to my company's growth and my decision to leave it essentially on auto-pilot when I returned to Oakton.
My new mission is Lynn. To encourage her to be a bit more open – not to change her, but so that she'll be comfortable with me. And to encourage her to fall for me as much as I am for her.
She comes out of the café with a big smile on her face and a small paper bag in her hands. "Here. You have to try this."
Taking the bag, I snuggle in for a quick hug. "Amazing, thanks."
"You don't even know what it is yet."
"If it's from you, I know I'll like it." Inside is a dark, chunky muffin. Tearing off a piece, I toss it into my mouth, then try not to groan in sheer bliss.
"Right?" Lynn giggles. "Marco heard me announce that when I was Queen of the World I'd take all of the best muffin flavors and put them together. He had me make a list the other day, then we tweaked it together. So that's pecan pumpkin dark chocolate chunk. I saved you the last one."
I can barely stop chewing long enough to mumble, "It's almost like fudge."
"Yeah. They're pretty dense. But if you eat them slowly, with coffee – oh! I should have brought you a coffee!"
Breaking off another piece, I slip it into her mouth, brushing her bottom lip with my thumb. "Just this is perfect. Thank you."
Helping her into the truck, we split the rest of the muffin, then we start to drive out of the lot. Waiting for a car to pass, Lynn's eyes narrow. "See those guys?"
Peering into the slow-moving car, I clock the two men in gray suits. "Yeah?"
"They head toward the end of town near your forest once or twice a week, usually around five-thirty. They're early today."
I turn to look at Lynn. "You notice the pattern of cars?"
"My car is nearly the same as theirs, but blue. Maybe that's why I spotted it the first time. I just kind of notice patterns when they're regular, but not too regular." She shrugs. "I know, that's weird. Sorry."
"Your brain is not weird." I reach out to squeeze her hand for a second before we turn onto the road. "Well, no. All brains are weird. Yours is no weirder than anyone else's, is what I meant."
She laughs for a second. "Okay, I'll accept that."
I don't tell her that I'm pretty sure those men are working with my uncle Lloyd on his hell-bent plan to strip our land for housing.
Legally, he could do that with his own portion of the land, but it's much smaller, with some uneven terrain.
Maybe it's too expensive to build on, and that's why he's got his eye on ours.
We've mostly been trying to ignore him, but he pops up incessantly, like the world's most obnoxious Whac-a-Mole.
Driving out to a different section of the forest, I take Lynn on a walk toward a small pond. "Around fifteen years ago there were ducks here." I lift her by the waist, carrying her over a muddy patch on the trail. "We keep hoping that they'll come back."
"I'm glad you're not flattening this entire forest." She squeezes my hand. "You're just thinning it out or something, right?"
I point to a cluster of trees that are very close together.
Two of them have small neon green markers tied to them.
"Yep. We've been surveying the land, figuring out how to take out dead trees, ones that have grown too crowded together like these, and ones that are incredibly valuable.
" Lynn nods, and I'm glad she's genuinely interested.
"We've been color-coding everything by section. I spoke to some wildlife experts, and they explained that it's better to disturb a habitat for a solid week and be done with it rather than disrupt things for one day every year. We'll work on one section a year, only bugging some of the animals."
Lynn's smile is pure joy. "I love that you would think of something like that. Like the way you sent me a photo instead of picking the wildflowers."
"I almost did pick them, actually. But I went with my gut." Gently pulling her closer, I drop my hand to her stomach. "What about your gut? Do we have flaming squirrels?"
Her beautiful lips press together as she stifles a laugh. "They're not running away from the fire right now. Just walking at a brisk pace."
"Like when you're slightly late for a plane, but don't want to be seen racing through the airport?"
"Exactly."
I love how easily we laugh together as my arms slip around her. "What can I do to put out the fire?"
The dappled light makes her eyes dance. "I'm not sure." She hesitates. "Maybe keep distracting me?"
I lean down, then stop, making Lynn come to me. Our kiss is dreamy and soft, then quickly gains steam.
I'm glad that she presses against me as much as she does as I pull her in. It feels like she wants me. Her lips part, welcoming my tongue as we move slowly, exploring every angle. The sensation of her fingers digging into my shirt makes my cock hard as ironwood, which doesn't even grow around here.
I start to untuck the back of her shirt, then murmur, "I want to touch your back. Do the squirrels approve?"
"Yes," she breathes.
A tremor runs through me from the friction of her silky skin against my rough palms. Slowly caressing up and down her spine, I feel rejuvenated, as her energy ignites mine.
Reluctantly I pull away. There's a question I have to ask. "Lynn, I'm thirty-five. How old are you?"
"I'll be twenty-one in a few months."
Dammit. Maybe it's because her energy is so calm, but I would have guessed she was a bit older.
"Do you care that your new boyfriend is an old man?" Although I say it with a chuckle and a wink, she steps back, blinking too quickly.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? Talk to me."
Her eyes half close as she takes a breath. "You're not old. Older, and that's fine. I think I like it, actually. But, um…the other part."
"That I'm your boyfriend?" My fingertips dance along her lower back. "I was hoping I was. Do you like the idea?"
"Really? You're serious?" As soon as I nod, her smile blossoms across her face, lifting her cheekbones, lighting up her eyes. "Yes. I honestly can't believe it, but yes."
Rocking her gently, it's like we're slow dancing to the music of the rustling leaves and occasional bird calls. "You couldn't possibly have thought that I wasn't serious about us?"
Her adorable little nose crinkles. "I don't know. I guess I was afraid to hope so."
Stepping back, I take her hands, then release one to twirl her slowly before clasping her to me in a waltz position. We begin to dance, as her head tilts back in laughter.
"Well, I am incredibly serious about us, gorgeous. I want everything to be comfortable for you. I want you to be completely open with me."
Her hand slips from my shoulder to the side of my neck, her fingertips caressing under my ear sending little shivers of desire through me.
"Thank you for that," she says softly. "The more we talk about it, the easier it gets.
" Her smile is pure sunshine. "Plus, I think I told you, the girls at Acorns have been working on me for ages to speak up more. "
"I seriously owe each one of them a pecan pumpkin dark chocolate chunk muffin basket." We continue waltzing, allowing our bodies to move together, enjoying the closeness. "Remember, you don't have to be shy around me. Anytime you want to try flipping that shy switch to the off position, go ahead."
Moving gently, our movements gradually become more intimate. She strokes my lower back. My hand drifts to her ribs, and together we explore how much she wants to touch and be touched.
Her chin tips up. "I know you have a lot on the go. Your company, your work here, your family. You should know that I'm not clingy. You'll need to put other things and people first sometimes, and I'm okay with that."
Dropping her hand, I cup her delicate face. "Well, thank you, but where is that coming from, gorgeous?"
Her eyes fall closed for a few seconds. "I can't help but overhear conversations in the café. It sounds like a lot of people break up because the woman wants to know every detail of the guy's life, or wants to be with him every single moment. I think we all need some space sometimes, right?"
"Definitely. And the same goes for you. If I ask you to dinner, and you need a quiet evening alone, that's cool. There will always be other nights." I place my hand on her stomach, rubbing in a slow circle. "Whatever it takes to keep the squirrels calm, and you happy."
It is already crystal clear to me that I'm falling in love with Lynn. Watching her relax in my arms, learning that she can trust me and I will always be here for her, awakens something deep inside me.
I need to care for her. Need her to need me. Not that I want her to be a helpless damsel in distress, but I want to be the one that she turns to.
I need to be the one she loves forever.