Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Rylee picked up a pineapple and smelled the bottom. She put it back on the display and picked up a different one. It had been so long since she’d been able to go to a small market. Displays of fruit, vegetables, and fresh flowers surrounded her, adding a splash of color to an already bright day.
Since she’d moved back here she’d had her electricity fixed, her sink unclogged, and the dishwasher repaired.
She was proud to say she’d been capable of doing one of the three all on her own without any help.
She’d finally caved and let her aunt send someone to replace the dishwasher.
Apparently, it wasn’t just the seal that had been a problem. The whole thing wasn’t in good shape.
Her thoughts often drifted to Tate while she’d been slowly going from room to room in her house to make repairs or to change out old furniture for new. She wondered if he’d end up coming out to see her—at least to check on her—after that stormy night.
Apparently, disappointment was something she’d have to add to her future.
Nightmare turned out to be in good health.
She needed to be spayed and to get a round of shots, but taking into account she’d been living on her own for who knew how long, she was perfect.
Nightmare liked to cuddle on her terms which meant she preferred to sneak out at different times of the day.
She still seemed intent on eating the field mice instead of the cat food Rylee had purchased.
It was just as well. Rylee could remember how hard it was keeping the mice at bay when her father was caring for the animals on their farm.
The third pineapple she plucked from the pile smelled divine and she placed it in her bag before handing her payment to the vendor. When she received her card back, she turned and ran straight into someone tall and solid.
His brown eyes were shaded by a cowboy hat that made him seem even more rugged than usual. There wasn’t a lick of surprise in his gaze as he stared down at her which meant he might have intended the collision. She couldn’t decide if she was thrilled by the notion or annoyed.
Probably the former.
Rylee held in her gasp of surprise and flashed Tate Dennison her most charming smile. “Hello, Mr. Dennison. How are you this fine morning?”
He cocked a brow, his head tipping in that adorable way of his. “Mr. Dennison is my father.”
She snickered. “And how is your father? We never really got that far in our conversation a few weeks ago.”
“He’s good. My parents are taking some time for themselves to travel.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“You travel much?” His eyes swept over her in an almost caress and this time she held her breath, letting the heat from that stare alone fade before speaking.
“I’ve been to a few places.”
“Do you have a favorite?”
She tapped her finger to her chin. “You know? There’s this quaint little town in the middle of Montana…”
His grin was everything. Right here it was like no time had passed. They were just two kids who liked hanging out together. No awkward moments in the rain. No arguments about whether or not she could take care of herself. They were just Ry-Ry and Tate.
He nodded toward her canvas bag. “Mind if I join you?”
Maybe she should have been surprised. This wasn’t the same Tate who’d walked away all scratched up from his altercation with her new cat. This Tate was different. It was like he’d come to terms with something, and he wasn’t willing to hold back anymore.
She had to admit, she liked this version of him much more. It was really too bad she had a knack for putting her foot in her mouth. “You okay?”
He stilled, his smile fading. “Yeah, why?”
Rylee poked his chest, then poked it again. “You’re just acting… different. Less guarded.”
The contemplative look on his face made her wish she could jump into his head and find out what he was thinking about. Especially when he simply shrugged. “Can’t a guy want to catch up with his childhood friend?”
Her eyes narrowed. “He can…” she drawled.
“Good. Then that’s what we’ll do.” He said it so quickly, she didn’t have a chance to prod him further.
It was fine. She knew enough about Tate to understand there were certain things he kept close to his chest. They barely knew each other anymore.
And now she was living next door. He probably just wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to become a problem like that annoying developer.
They wandered through the farmers’ market, side by side.
She couldn’t help but steal glances of him.
He seemed at home in it. And perhaps he was.
That thought was proven when he nudged her and pointed toward a booth filled with vegetables her father prioritized when she was a kid.
“Remember when we used to come to these markets to help your dad?”
She bit on the inside of her cheek as if doing so would help keep her smile at bay. “I recall that I was required to come help, but you and Jason tagged along.”
He shook his head. “Hardly. Your dad dropped hints about it all month long. Jason and I had just as much of a choice as you did. Just ask my folks.”
Rylee snickered. “It wasn’t like we did much to help. Do you remember how many times we’d sneak away so we could look at the other booths? And when my dad finally managed to get us to stick around—”
“We were terrible at selling. I’m pretty sure he lost money when I was in charge of the till.”
They paused in front of the booth filled with potatoes, peppers, corn, and tomatoes. Tate picked up a tomato and examined it. Then his gaze slid to hers and he winked.
Her heart stuttered.
“Do you still eat these with mayo, salt, and pepper?” he asked.
Rylee’s mouth dropped open and a soft gasp broke the silence between them. “I can’t believe you remember that.”
Tate reached for a bag and placed the tomato inside. Then he picked two more and a couple ears of corn. “That’s because it was disgusting.”
She gasped again, then shoved him with her hip. “Don’t you dare deny that you liked it. I saw you eating tomatoes—”
“Not with mayo,” he insisted, making a face. “I definitely didn’t like them with that. You know mayo has raw eggs in it, right?”
“So does royal icing. And meringue.”
Tate looked like a fish, his mouth opening and closing. He couldn’t decide whether to argue or put the conversation on hold long enough to look it up.
She giggled. Then she picked a few pieces of produce for herself. When they passed a vendor selling seasonings, she wasn’t surprised when Tate was drawn in. He smelled each one and tasted a few samples. In the end, he’d purchased the starter pack and when he caught her staring, huffed at her.
“What?”
Rylee shook her head. “Nothing.”
He wiggled a finger toward her. “No, that wasn’t nothing.”
Her eyes dipped to the spices. “Are you really going to use all of those?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Besides, spices last forever.”
She snorted. “They most certainly do not. The ground spices you just purchased will lose their potency in about two years. A few last longer. Some go bad before that.”
He frowned, glancing down at the bag he held.
“Do you even know how to cook?” It was a silly question, but one she tossed at him just to get under his skin. The spices he’d picked out would be put to use as marinating rubs.
Tate’s eyes flared and she could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. “I’ll have you know I’m a master at barbecue. Just ask Jason. No one else likes to man the grill, and no one is better than me.”
She stepped closer to him, letting the distance between them shrink little by little. When she stood before him, their bodies nearly touching, she finally spoke. “Prove it,” she whispered, and let it come out husky.
There was a twitch at his lips. Those eyes she still had dreams about were so full of desire and heat that her flesh pebbled.
They were surrounded by people in the market.
So many neighbors and friends could be watching them right now, but Rylee didn’t care.
The rest of it fell away, and it was only the two of them.
But then her phone vibrated in her pocket. She nearly pulled it out to forward the call to voicemail but when she got a look at the caller ID, her moment with Tate evaporated into the air.
“Sorry,” she murmured, stepping back a few paces. “I have to take this.”
Rylee turned away from him before swiping across the phone screen. “Alexander…” she said with mock surprise. “How nice to hear from you.” She peeked over her shoulder at Tate, catching him staring at her before he looked up and away in the most obnoxiously obvious way.
She fought a smile. He’d likely heard her say Alexander’s name.
“Rylee? Are you there?”
Startled, Rylee forced herself to focus. “Yeah, sorry. What did you need?”
“What did I need? Rylee, you took off without telling anyone where you went. You’re ignoring my calls. I… I’m worried about you.”
“Worried about me?” She snorted. “You don’t need to be worried about me. And I didn’t tell you where I went because it wasn’t necessary for you to know.”
“What about your friends?”
She nearly told him she didn’t have friends. But she bit her tongue. “I told the people who matter.” Or rather the person who mattered—Aunt Roxy. Rylee blew out a frustrated breath. “I left for a good reason and that doesn’t include you.”
“Rylee,” he murmured, pained. “I care about you. Doesn’t that mean anything?”
She winced. There was no way she’d led this guy on.
If anything, her aunt had put some fantastical thoughts into his head.
From the moment they’d been introduced, he’d been attentive.
Overly so. If she didn’t know he was harmless, she might have felt suffocated by his attention.
Roxy had assured her that his family came from old money and Alexander was a romantic who wanted a love match.
“I want to come visit you,” Alexander continued. He’d still been speaking. Shoot, had she missed anything? “Rylee?”
Clearing her throat, she paced. “Visit? Alexander, you… can’t. That would defeat the purpose of what I’m trying to do.”
“And what exactly is that? You don’t need to escape anything. Your life back in New York was perfect.”
She closed her eyes and focused on breathing. “No, Alexander. It wasn’t. I don’t know how to tell you this, but sometimes a person needs to step away from everything going on in their life so they can see the bigger picture.”
“Bigger picture—Rylee, what is there to see? You’re everything I want.”
A laugh bubbled from her throat. “Do you hear yourself?”
“There’s nothing wrong with knowing what I want,” he said tersely. “And that’s you. Let me prove it—”
“There’s nothing to prove. Look, I have to go. I’m busy. There’s a lot I’m working through right now. So maybe give me some space and let me do my thing.”
“I’m not going to stop calling.”
She sighed. “That’s your prerogative.”
“Will you answer when I do?”
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she muttered, “We’ll see.”
When she finally got him off the phone, Tate was pretending he hadn’t heard every single word.
He shuffled his feet. She took a few steps toward him, ready to continue with their walk when her phone vibrated again.
She growled out in frustration and pulled her phone from her pocket only to see an unknown number.
Rylee held up a finger. “Hello?”
“Is this Rylee Black?” a male voice asked abruptly.
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Black. This is a courtesy call. My name is Billy Holt. I’m with the Rocky Ridge Fire Department.”
“The fire department!” she blurted, and Tate straightened.
“Yes. It looks like there was an electrical problem out in your barn. Something sparked and the barn caught fire. Someone saw the smoke and we got there in time to salvage it, but the back side of the building will need to be rebuilt.”
Her hand came to her mouth, fingers trembling.
She wasn’t even aware of Tate approaching her until he pulled the phone out of her hand and put it to his ear.
“Hello? This is Tate Dennison.” His gaze locked with hers, and he reached for her hand to give it a squeeze.
“Yes, sir. She’ll be fine.” He nodded while the man on the phone continued to speak.
“Yes, sir. I understand. We’ll be there as soon as we can. Thank you, sir.”
Tate hung up the phone and gently placed it in her hand.
She looked up at him, her eyes shining. That barn was for all the animals her father had raised. No, there were no animals currently residing on her property, but that didn’t make the loss any less painful. Rylee closed her eyes and dipped her head, but Tate wasn’t having any of it.
He took her chin and turned her face up. “It’s going to be okay. It’s not a total loss. I’m sure Jason and I can help you rebuild.”
Blinking, tears slipping free, she whispered, “You will?”
“Of course I will, Ry-Ry. What are friends for?”