Page 13 of Prairie Sky

Ever turned her head to the side to catch his gaze with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. “How sexy?”

He growled, his soft scruff tickling her face, making her shiver as his tongue darted out to lick the icing lingering on her top lip. Ever giggled and turned in his arms to face him. With her cinnamon bun still in hand, she scooped icing into her finger, smeared it on his lips, then reached up to take it off in a sticky sweet passionate kiss, making a growl rumble from his throat.

Breathless, she broke their embrace, and she wiped the remaining icing from his lips, then sucked it off her finger, giving him a flirtatious look.

“Ever.”, he scolded, his voice deep and growly. “As much as I could kiss you all day, we need to get the chores done. Besides Ms. Wolton, I promised you a date tonight.”

She appraised him with an excited and curious look on her face. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“You’ll find out,” he answered with a twinkle in his eye.

“Well, what do I wear?” she asked, putting her hands up on the air in question. “A girl needs to know these things.”

He reached out and cupped her cheek, caressing it gently, making her soften to his touch. “Sweetheart, wear whatever you want. You are always the most beautiful woman in the room.”

She met his blue gaze with a glint of mischief in her eyes. “If you keep complimenting me like that, you may just get lucky tonight!” she winked.

Ben laughed, his deep voice croaking slightly as his face heated with a blush. Ever reached up and planted a chaste kiss on his lips and gestured him to follow her. “Let’s get these chores done and then you can romance me, cowboy.”

* * *

“What happened last night?” Bea asked curiously as she browsed through a rack of blouses at a boutique in St. Augustine. She picked one off the rack and held it up herself in the store mirror, analyzed her reflection, then put it back on the rack.

“A lot of kissing.” Ever answered simply as she perused a rack of dresses.

“I could see that!” Bea laughed. “You two were like a moth to a flame last night. I was wondering if you were going to undress each other right there on the dance floor. It was kind of intense!”

Ever’s face heated as she flashed back to their passionate encounter on the porch. “Intense is accurate.” She agreed, giving her friend a wink. “Seriously Bea, I don’t think I have ever been so attracted to a man before. I feel this powerful pull towards him. Butterflies, fireworks, the whole nine yards.” Ever shook her head and laughed as she continued to comb the rack in front of her. “Seriously, listen to me going on and on about him. I am 30, for goodness sake!”

Bea surveyed Ever taking in her excitement. “But have you ever been in love?” she asked pointedly.

“Honestly, no,” she replied, shaking her head. “I mean, I have dated my share but never anything super serious or very long term. No one has ever interested me that much.”

Bea acknowledged her words and replied. “But with Ben?”

Ever paused and looked up, thinking about her question. Reflecting on Ben’s handsome smile and mesmerizing blue eyes, she thought about how he made her feel. He made her feel so beautiful and seen. Truly seen. Like he knew exactly who she was, faults and all, and still wanted her. Around him she felt protected, like he would never do anything to break her heart or hurt her. “With Ben, I could see it getting serious.” She replied simply. “He makes me feel safe, and I am not sure anyone, but my dad made me feel that way. Before our fall out, of course.” She added with a frown.

“That’s saying a lot!” Bea exclaimed. “Ben reminds me of your dad in many ways. A strong, quiet type. He is almost kind to a fault and honestly, I think he would do anything to protect the people he loves. Seriously, Ever, Ben is one of the good ones.”

Ever smiled, liking Bea’s comments.

“After the past couple of months, you’ve had, you deserve some happiness.” Bea declared as she continued her search of the racks. Suddenly, Bea squealed and held up a dress to show Ever. “This is it! It so you, Ever! It’s simply perfect!”

Ever took the hanger from her friend, holding the dress up to her body in the mirror, and smiled in approval. “It really is!” she agreed, her face beaming with delight.

“Ben is going to flip his lid when he sees you tonight!”

CHAPTER 6

Ben walked up to the front door of the Prairie Sky farmhouse with a large bouquet of daisies in hand. His heart was pounding in his chest and his palms felt sweaty at the thought of spending the night romancing Ever. He chided himself with a chuckle. Get yourself together, man. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door and it flew open. Ever greeting him with her gorgeous smile, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped to the floor as he took her in. She was stunning. Ever stood before him in a cheerful yellow dress that hugged her curves in all the right ways. The cap sleeves showed off her toned arms and the sweetheart neckline skimmed the tops of her breasts. Cinched at the waist, the beautiful dress flared out to just below the knee, making it look flirty and a little retro. Delicate daisies embroidered on the neckline and hem made the dress as unique as the woman wearing it. Strappy high heel sandals finished her outfit. Her hair was pulled back in a twist, with mahogany waves kissing the sides of her face and neck. Her face glowed naturally with simple, glossed lips. She looked like a dream. He tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Pleased, and a little amused by his reaction, she asked. “Do you like it?” as she twirled around, making the skirt lift playfully above her knees.

“Yes, yes, I do.” He stammered, his voice coming out deep and raspy.

Handing her the bouquet of daisies, her eyes danced with delight as she accepted them. “Thank you. Daisies are my favorite.”

He smiled and cleared his throat, trying to tamp down his nervousness.

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