words painted in her head.
"She was once in Hannah's position, so she feels pretty strongly about the whole thing. Worse, she had a bad experience with a good looking man, and when I say bad I mean as bad as it gets." Emma gave Noah her most apologetic smile, her nose crinkling and drawing his intense gaze from her mouth. "She tends to be abrasive with men, especially when they’re good looking." Emma looked him over pointedly. Feeling her humor at the situation bubble up, and could not resist teasing him. "With the way you look, you’re probably lucky she didn't try to stab you in the face with her ink pen."
His eyes sharpened. "The way I look?"
Emma felt a tingle up her spine at the low timber of his words. "Um, well yes," she said blinking up at him, her mind closing down momentarily. "Well, the way you look." She motioned her hand up and down to indicate all that was him. "You know, hot army ranger?"
When he raised a brow and just looked amused she cleared her throat and turned to lead him further into the lavender and herb scented space. "Moving on."
This time when he chuckled she couldn’t stop herself from looking over her shoulder to catch it.
She caught it alright and then promptly ran into an herb bedecked table before she could get her head to look away.
She caught the table and steadied it before anything could fall off, at the same time thinking she was an idiot. Not helping matters much. Noah chuckled again.
Just shoot me now.
***
Noah watched Emma steady the table with a look of horror on her face that made him want to chuckle again. So he did. The look of consternation she shot at him over her shoulder had him wanting to do other things, like lay her down over one of the tables with free space and fuck her brains out. What he did was step closer, his hand going to her arm to steady her.
"You hurt?"
"Only my pride," she mumbled almost too low for him to hear.
Shit, she was cute.
"You sure? You hit the table pretty hard."
She glared at him over her shoulder, knowing he was laughing at her. "I'm fine."
He didn't say anything more, just watched as she extricated herself from the table and stepped back, trying not to let it shake any more than necessary when she did.
"Moving on," she said again. Firmly. "This is where I'm working today. I have seeds that have grown enough to be transferred to pots, that will later be transferred to bigger pots to sell." She turned and looked him over. "Any gardening experience?"
Noah gave her blank face and said not a word.
She scrunched her nose up adoringly, reading his answer. Then she brightened. "Horses?"
Noah shook his head. He was raised in the city, and farming was not something they taught in the rangers.
"Drat," she muttered. Then met his eyes to explain her reaction. "I had to send my horses to stay with my neighbors once what happened with Hannah, happened. I had the baby in the morning, and it was too much trying to take care of her, and work, without trying to figure out how to do my chores and take care of the animals too. But eventually I need to get them. Mr. Norris is a nice old man and they like him, but he is like 102 and has three of his own horses he is already taking care of without adding mine to the mix."
Noah snorted. "102?"
"That's only a slight exaggeration," she assured him. "I need to bring my animals home."
"Then do it," he answered immediately. "You can show me what I need to know. I catch on quick."
Emma flashed him a sudden smile. "That could work. Or hey, if not, you can watch the baby while I take care of the farm chores and slave in the fields."
Since she looked a little too tickled with the thought Noah assumed she was teasing him again. At least, he hoped she was. He still growled at her on principle. "No fuckin' way."
This time it was Emma who laughed. At him. "Don't sell yourself short," she said humor coating her words. "I
"She was once in Hannah's position, so she feels pretty strongly about the whole thing. Worse, she had a bad experience with a good looking man, and when I say bad I mean as bad as it gets." Emma gave Noah her most apologetic smile, her nose crinkling and drawing his intense gaze from her mouth. "She tends to be abrasive with men, especially when they’re good looking." Emma looked him over pointedly. Feeling her humor at the situation bubble up, and could not resist teasing him. "With the way you look, you’re probably lucky she didn't try to stab you in the face with her ink pen."
His eyes sharpened. "The way I look?"
Emma felt a tingle up her spine at the low timber of his words. "Um, well yes," she said blinking up at him, her mind closing down momentarily. "Well, the way you look." She motioned her hand up and down to indicate all that was him. "You know, hot army ranger?"
When he raised a brow and just looked amused she cleared her throat and turned to lead him further into the lavender and herb scented space. "Moving on."
This time when he chuckled she couldn’t stop herself from looking over her shoulder to catch it.
She caught it alright and then promptly ran into an herb bedecked table before she could get her head to look away.
She caught the table and steadied it before anything could fall off, at the same time thinking she was an idiot. Not helping matters much. Noah chuckled again.
Just shoot me now.
***
Noah watched Emma steady the table with a look of horror on her face that made him want to chuckle again. So he did. The look of consternation she shot at him over her shoulder had him wanting to do other things, like lay her down over one of the tables with free space and fuck her brains out. What he did was step closer, his hand going to her arm to steady her.
"You hurt?"
"Only my pride," she mumbled almost too low for him to hear.
Shit, she was cute.
"You sure? You hit the table pretty hard."
She glared at him over her shoulder, knowing he was laughing at her. "I'm fine."
He didn't say anything more, just watched as she extricated herself from the table and stepped back, trying not to let it shake any more than necessary when she did.
"Moving on," she said again. Firmly. "This is where I'm working today. I have seeds that have grown enough to be transferred to pots, that will later be transferred to bigger pots to sell." She turned and looked him over. "Any gardening experience?"
Noah gave her blank face and said not a word.
She scrunched her nose up adoringly, reading his answer. Then she brightened. "Horses?"
Noah shook his head. He was raised in the city, and farming was not something they taught in the rangers.
"Drat," she muttered. Then met his eyes to explain her reaction. "I had to send my horses to stay with my neighbors once what happened with Hannah, happened. I had the baby in the morning, and it was too much trying to take care of her, and work, without trying to figure out how to do my chores and take care of the animals too. But eventually I need to get them. Mr. Norris is a nice old man and they like him, but he is like 102 and has three of his own horses he is already taking care of without adding mine to the mix."
Noah snorted. "102?"
"That's only a slight exaggeration," she assured him. "I need to bring my animals home."
"Then do it," he answered immediately. "You can show me what I need to know. I catch on quick."
Emma flashed him a sudden smile. "That could work. Or hey, if not, you can watch the baby while I take care of the farm chores and slave in the fields."
Since she looked a little too tickled with the thought Noah assumed she was teasing him again. At least, he hoped she was. He still growled at her on principle. "No fuckin' way."
This time it was Emma who laughed. At him. "Don't sell yourself short," she said humor coating her words. "I
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