fine,” she replied in clipped tones.
He stood only a few feet from her, but it was dark enough that she couldn’t see his face.
Then: “Are you sure? Do you want me to help you back home?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t need your help, and I don’t need men constantly thinking I need them to hold my hand like I’m some delicate flower.” She knew she was ranting like a loon, but she didn’t care. He thought she was crazy, anyway.
She swiped her hands down her shorts, hissing in a breath at the pain. She couldn’t see, but she could bet she’d done a number on her hands.
Adam stepped closer, and before she realized it, he’d taken her hands in his. He’d placed his lit-up phone in his front pocket, and it provided just enough illumination now for her to see his face. “You’re bleeding,” he said.
“I fell.”
“Clearly.”
And then he looked at her face, and she hoped against hope he couldn’t see that she’d been crying. Although he’d probably heard her sobbing like a toddler.
He didn’t let go of her hands, holding them gently in his much larger ones. Joy felt the calluses on his fingertips and how warm his hands were. The moment expanded, like it had outside of Mike’s store only a few days prior. That electricity sparked between them, and she shivered despite herself.
“Miss McGuire,” Adam said in a low voice. And then to her surprise, “Joy.”
Her heart pounded. She wanted him to kiss her, with a sudden desperation that shocked her. She wanted him to pull her close and kiss her until she forgot everything about this day.
As if sensing her need, he let go of one of her hands and cupped her cheek. His thumb stroked her face, and her eyelashes fluttered, her eyes closing.
When he finally kissed her, she wondered if there could be a moment as pure, as crystalline, as fantastical as this one. With the fireflies around them, the cicadas humming, the breeze twirling the leaves in the trees overhead. But all of that dissipated like a breath in a storm when his mouth touched hers. His lips were soft, warm, and he kissed her with soft-lipped kisses that made her melt.
The kisses were like a question—is this what you want? he seemed to be asking.
She twined her arms around his neck, answering him.
Yes, this is what I want, she thought.
They kissed until time stopped, mouths moving against one another in exploration. Joy’s heart pounded so hard she felt dizzy, and she was glad she had his solid form to hang onto. Pressing against him, she kissed him harder, and he soon took the lead. His tongue tangled with hers, and the kisses became deeper and deeper. She felt like he was subsuming her entire being. It was heady, glorious.
Terrifying.
When they parted, neither said anything. Eventually, he pulled away and said, “Let’s get you home.”
She nodded, letting him lead her home without once doubting he’d get her there safely.
Chapter Six
Adam had hoped that the sunshine of the past few weeks would hold up until the harvest. But on a Monday morning in early July, he awoke to claps of thunder. Getting out of bed, he opened the blinds to see torrential rain falling like bullets from the sky. Hail pinged the roof, and a bolt of lightning burst across the sky.
The rain continued all day. It stopped for a bit in the evening, but started up again by Tuesday morning. By Wednesday, it had rained so hard that flash flood warnings had been issued across the state, and the river was about to flood from its banks. There was so much water that the unpaved roads around Heron’s Landing—and there were plenty of them—turned to mud, and many of its citizens had to stay home or walk to their destination, as any vehicle would get stuck the moment it was put in drive.
By Wednesday afternoon, the sun had come out, but Adam knew it was too late. Going into the fields with Jaime and a few others of his staff, they all saw how the rain had decimated the remaining buds. The
He stood only a few feet from her, but it was dark enough that she couldn’t see his face.
Then: “Are you sure? Do you want me to help you back home?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t need your help, and I don’t need men constantly thinking I need them to hold my hand like I’m some delicate flower.” She knew she was ranting like a loon, but she didn’t care. He thought she was crazy, anyway.
She swiped her hands down her shorts, hissing in a breath at the pain. She couldn’t see, but she could bet she’d done a number on her hands.
Adam stepped closer, and before she realized it, he’d taken her hands in his. He’d placed his lit-up phone in his front pocket, and it provided just enough illumination now for her to see his face. “You’re bleeding,” he said.
“I fell.”
“Clearly.”
And then he looked at her face, and she hoped against hope he couldn’t see that she’d been crying. Although he’d probably heard her sobbing like a toddler.
He didn’t let go of her hands, holding them gently in his much larger ones. Joy felt the calluses on his fingertips and how warm his hands were. The moment expanded, like it had outside of Mike’s store only a few days prior. That electricity sparked between them, and she shivered despite herself.
“Miss McGuire,” Adam said in a low voice. And then to her surprise, “Joy.”
Her heart pounded. She wanted him to kiss her, with a sudden desperation that shocked her. She wanted him to pull her close and kiss her until she forgot everything about this day.
As if sensing her need, he let go of one of her hands and cupped her cheek. His thumb stroked her face, and her eyelashes fluttered, her eyes closing.
When he finally kissed her, she wondered if there could be a moment as pure, as crystalline, as fantastical as this one. With the fireflies around them, the cicadas humming, the breeze twirling the leaves in the trees overhead. But all of that dissipated like a breath in a storm when his mouth touched hers. His lips were soft, warm, and he kissed her with soft-lipped kisses that made her melt.
The kisses were like a question—is this what you want? he seemed to be asking.
She twined her arms around his neck, answering him.
Yes, this is what I want, she thought.
They kissed until time stopped, mouths moving against one another in exploration. Joy’s heart pounded so hard she felt dizzy, and she was glad she had his solid form to hang onto. Pressing against him, she kissed him harder, and he soon took the lead. His tongue tangled with hers, and the kisses became deeper and deeper. She felt like he was subsuming her entire being. It was heady, glorious.
Terrifying.
When they parted, neither said anything. Eventually, he pulled away and said, “Let’s get you home.”
She nodded, letting him lead her home without once doubting he’d get her there safely.
Chapter Six
Adam had hoped that the sunshine of the past few weeks would hold up until the harvest. But on a Monday morning in early July, he awoke to claps of thunder. Getting out of bed, he opened the blinds to see torrential rain falling like bullets from the sky. Hail pinged the roof, and a bolt of lightning burst across the sky.
The rain continued all day. It stopped for a bit in the evening, but started up again by Tuesday morning. By Wednesday, it had rained so hard that flash flood warnings had been issued across the state, and the river was about to flood from its banks. There was so much water that the unpaved roads around Heron’s Landing—and there were plenty of them—turned to mud, and many of its citizens had to stay home or walk to their destination, as any vehicle would get stuck the moment it was put in drive.
By Wednesday afternoon, the sun had come out, but Adam knew it was too late. Going into the fields with Jaime and a few others of his staff, they all saw how the rain had decimated the remaining buds. The
Similar Books
