Jim nodded and rubbed his eyes with his finger and thumb.
“I know what the right thing to do is, Ross, but I need another day with her.” Jim turned pleading eyes to Ross.
“I understand.” Ross hadn’t become a vet to judge the way animal owners said goodbye to their pets. Some needed it over quickly, while others eked out every moment they could.
Ross and Elisabeth drove away in silence, and when they reached the center of town, Ross reached for her hand. He wanted the connection, and somehow it felt right.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I was just thinking about how lucky Gracie is. Jim loves her so much. She must have had a great life with him.” She looked down at their hands. “How about you? Are you okay?”
“Sure, of course. I feel bad for Gracie and Jim, but it’s all part of life, right?” He squeezed her hand.
“Thanks for letting me go with you.”
“Thanks for coming along. I liked having you there with me, and I think Gracie liked having you there, too.”
Elisabeth gazed out the window. He could feel her sadness from across the bench seat and wished he knew how to comfort her. He was better with animals than sad women. He turned the conversation away from Gracie with hopes of taking her thoughts to a better place.
“I just remembered that my brother Luke has fencing at his place. Why don’t I take you home, and then I’ll head over and pick it up. The stores are closed now anyway. I’ll swing by in the morning to fix the fence.”
“Are you sure? I feel like such a burden.”
“You’re not, and yes, I’m sure.” Damn sure. Chet Daily wasn’t coming anywhere near her if he could help it.
“Elisabeth, are you going to be okay tonight?” he asked.
She smiled, but it never reached her eyes. “Yeah, but do you mind if I move closer? It’s one of those times when a hug would help.”
He patted the seat beside him and she unhooked her seat belt, then belted herself in beside him and settled in beneath his arm. Ross didn’t think, or hesitate, when he pressed his lips to the side of her head, and it felt natural when she rested her head on his shoulder. They drove like that the rest of the way to her house, and when Ross pulled into the driveway, he did so reluctantly. He’d much rather keep driving, keep holding her.
Elisabeth’s house was pitch-dark. She must have forgotten to turn on the porch light when they left. Ross parked in the driveway and helped her out of the truck. He kept a hand on her arm as they walked to the porch.
“You don’t have a motion-sensor light?” he asked as he scanned the property. There wasn’t much crime in Trusty other than the occasional cow tipping. Trusty crimes cut deeper, like slanderous gossip and sideways glances. Neither of which he wanted to imagine Elisabeth having to endure.
“I guess not.” She had her back to him as she tried key after key. “I can’t see well enough to find the right one.”
Ross stepped behind her and covered her hands with his. His lips grazed her ear and he felt her body shudder. “Let me help you.”
“Okay.” A whisper.
She turned her head, moving her body a fraction of an inch. Her ass grazed his zipper. Their lips were an inch apart. Desire flooded Ross’s body. He couldn’t take the wanting any longer. He needed to at least feel her against him, if only for a minute or two. He leaned forward and pressed his thighs to the back of hers, wanting to turn her in his arms and feel the pillows of her breasts brush against his chest.
“It…” She licked her lips.
Jesus, she was sexier than hell.
“It’s got a square top.”
“What?” His thoughts were tangled, conflicted. He bit back his hunger and tried to focus on the goddamn keys, but her ass was brushing against his hard-on, and her lips were slick where she’d licked them. Holy hell, if he wanted her this much when she wasn’t trying to get his attention, he could only imagine what he’d be like if she ever tried.
“The key.” She touched his hand again. “It has a square top.”
“Right. I’ve got it.” The hell with it. He rocked his hips against her ass and unlocked the door. He wanted her to know what she was doing to him. She had to sense his desire, and if she didn’t, then at least now she’d feel it, hard as steel, against her. Putting them both in this position was either the stupidest or the smartest thing he’d ever done, and since they’d both stopped breathing, he didn’t dare make the call.
He. Had. To. Leave.
He turned her gently toward him and leaned one hand on the door beside her head. He felt her hot breath on his chin and ached to taste her, to breathe in the air from her lungs.
“Ross,” she whispered.
He touched his lips to her forehead and pressed her keys into her palm. “I’ll fix your fence before the sun’s up.” Before he could change his mind and take her in his arms, he brushed his lips over her cheek, because he couldn’t leave without a little touch, and he whispered, “Sleep well.”
Walking away from Elisabeth was the hardest thing he’d done in years.
He watched her go inside and flip the lights on while he started his car.
As he turned the truck around, he amended his thoughts. Driving away from Elisabeth was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
Chapter Four
SUNDAY MORNING ELISABETH got up with Rocky the rooster’s call, hoping to catch Ross while he was fixing the fence. Her aunt had named Rocky the first week she’d had him, because he was cocky as hell, the way he went wherever he wanted and refused to come near her. But she’d told Elisabeth that she couldn’t exactly go around saying that word aloud…and now Elisabeth’s mind was on Ross, who was definitely cocky last night. Oh boy, was he ever. He’d felt so good pressed against her back. She could barely breathe as his lips touched her cheek, but why in the hell hadn’t he kissed her? She wanted a relationship, but she also wanted that kiss so badly she could practically taste it. The cold shower she’d taken before bed last night—and the one that morning—hadn’t helped much. It was impossible to ignore the heat radiating between them, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that heat like that couldn’t lead to a lasting relationship. In truth, she hadn’t tried to convince herself of that since she drove away from the clinic the first time, because maybe, just maybe, the passion igniting between them was impossible to ignore because it was really just the icing on the cake? What if beneath that icing lay something much richer, more substantial, like she’d always dreamed of?
She hurried outside and ran to the shed to get the bike. She pedaled along the dewy grass down to the other end of the pasture and felt the weight of disappointment settle like lead in her belly. True to his word, the fence was already fixed—and she’d missed seeing him. She should have just watched for his truck. I’m so stupid. She went back to the barn and found that not only had he fixed her fence, but he’d taken care of her morning chores. The animals were fed, the stalls were clean, and when she went to let Dolly and the goats into the pasture, she found a note stuck to Dolly’s stall with a nail.
Good morning, sleepyhead. Dolly should be safe now as long as she doesn’t sprout wings. Coffee was hot when I brought it. Your neighbor, aka farmhand, RB
She looked around for the coffee and spotted a to-go cup on the table by the door. It was tepid, but it was from Ross, which made it perfect. She pulled out her phone and texted him.
Coffee is perfect. Thank you! Sorry I missed you and I owe you big-time. Xox, E.
Ross texted back. I like the sound of that.
How was she supposed to concentrate with that tease on the table? She went inside, and by seven o’clock her counters were covered with flour and sugar, chopped fruits, and other ingredients. The radio was on, and she moved her hips to the music as she worked through her aunt’s recipes. These pies would be her debut. Her very first order since her aunt’s death. Tomorrow she’d deliver them, and hopefully, if all went well, her pies would be as good as her aunt’s and customers would be thrilled to continue ordering. She hoped they’d even spread the word to friends and relatives.
She carefully followed her aunt’s recipes, but she had some ideas of her own in store, too. While she was at it, she cooked a batch of doggy cupcakes as a thank-you to Ross for all he’d done for her, but she promised herself she’d wait to deliver them until Monday. She’d already monopolized enough of his time. She wondered again why he hadn’t kissed her. She’d thought she’d given off an I-want-you vibe, but then again, she was better at fending men off than sexing them up.
She’d always been proud of being the opposite of her mother in that respect, although she’d let her mother believe she was far more sexually experienced than she really was. That was easier than explaining to a promiscuous mother why, at twenty-seven, she had slept with only two men. She dated often enough that her mother assumed otherwise. The truth was, as Elisabeth’s friends were sleeping around, Elisabeth was dreaming of a future in a town she hoped one day to return to, and along with that dream came a husband who had the same values she’d learned from her aunt. She knew in her heart that she was too wholesome for her mother’s liking, and that’s why her mother had stopped allowing her to spend time with her aunt each summer. There’s a reason women don’t live like it’s the 1950s, her mother always said.