Page 64 of No Going Back

And it couldn’t be more appropriate.

CHAPTER 22

No Going Back

Sean didn’t have a clue what Branna had been doing with the women of the town, but whatever it was, it made her happy. And it was damn good to see her happy.

He hoped his secret project would make her even happier. With the help of his friends, he’d finished it earlier than expected. He only needed to do some final staining, and it would be ready.

If he could sneak away for an hour or two, it could be ready to show her later that day.

Branna finished wiping down the table at the same time he put away the final dish from breakfast. He loved the way they worked together. Everything from laundry to dishes to cleaning was better because they shared the load. Although she’d told him Tansy Cheveyo from out at Midnight Lake had offered to build them some CleanySaurs. Apparently the woman invented everything from solar panel parts to prosthetic devices like the one Marcus used, to robots that cleaned and washed dishes.

He couldn’t wait to show Branna his surprise. Well, both of them. Today seemed like the perfect day. The sun was shining, the snow was melting. Spring didn’t seem an impossibility anymore.

Life was damned good, and he wanted to make it even better. Today was definitely the day.

Branna dried her hands and smiled up at him. “Can I borrow you for a while this morning? I have something I want to show you.”

He grinned at her and took her hands to dance her around the kitchen. “You can borrow me any time you like. I’d be happy to see whatever you want to show me. Always will.” He deliberately added a lecherous leer to his voice and face, making her laugh.

“I like the sound of that, but this is something different. Something I’ve been working on with my friends.” Her face brightened further. “I have friends. Good ones. Great ones. I’m so glad we came to Phail.”

Sean laughed. “The name of the town still makes that sound ridiculous, but I agree. This town is perfect for us. What have you and your friends been working on?”

She shook her head. “I’m not going to tell you, but I am going to show you in a few minutes. You’ll have to trust me.”

“That’s easy. I always do and always will.”

“Even if I want to blindfold you?”

A bolt of lust shot through him, but her eyes showed her nerves at that question, so he leaned down and kissed her nose. “As long as I can return the favor later on. I have some really interesting ideas of what we can do with a blindfold.”

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened as she thought through the implications of that. Then her expression changed, and fun sparkled from her. “Absolutely. But this isn’t that kind of surprise. I hope you’ll like it, anyway.”

“I’m betting I will.” And he would because it was something she’d done for him or with him in mind.

“I hope so. Okay, we have to go outside for this, but out the back door.”

What was she up to?

Soon, they’d bundled up in their outdoor clothing and Jabba was bounding into the snow. Branna had covered Sean’s eyes with a scarf she’d found somewhere, and she’d navigated him down the stairs and out into the field.

She probably expected him to not know where they were going, but he knew they were heading to the barn. Not only did he have training in working in the dark, he had a map of the property in his brain and there weren’t many other places they could get walking.

What had she done in the barn?

He and his buddies planned to use it to start a brewery once they got Levi on board with growing the hops. Hopefully, he’d agree to come before the planting season.

But Branna wouldn’t be this excited about the brewery. The barn was plenty big enough for other things as well. It was a huge old space that housed both machinery and animals once upon a time.

“You okay? Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.” She had her arm looped through his, guiding him through the field.

He patted her hand. “I’m fine. Curious as hell, but fine.”

“I hope you like it. Maybe I’m overstepping. Maybe I shouldn’t have done this.”

He frowned. “Okay, now I’m more than curious.” Her sigh was more nerves and less excited. “Branna, it’s fine.”

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