Page 33 of No Bed Of Roses

That possessiveness turned up a notch, and his body did the same. He’d been completely depleted not five minutes ago, but he was ready for action now.

Her eyes drifted down his body, and she smiled. “I felt weird naked, but I have to say I enjoy seeing you naked.”

“Feeling’s mutual.” And he reached the bed and whipped the shirt over her head. “This time, why don’t we head to the shower? We can wash off the day while I touch every inch of your beautiful body. I want to find the spots that make you gasp, the ones that make you purr, and the ones that make you scream.”

Her eyes widened as he spoke. “I’m not the kind to scream.”

“Challenge accepted.”

CHAPTER 11

Sowing New Seeds

For the first time since arriving in town, Levi turned to the right from his driveway and headed north past Isla’s place. Phail was south of the farmhouse, and he hadn’t ventured much farther than the town since he’d arrived. Even though Isla was perfectly safe, he hated not having her beside him.

Branna and Piper had invited Isla and Hopper to the Saloon to brainstorm for decorating the place and setting the menu. The place would be locked up tightly, and the three dogs should be an extra layer of protection. Sean and Branna’s beast might be timid, but he looked like he could eat a moose. Falcon would also be there to ensure nothing happened to Levi’s girl.

His girl. He liked the sound of that. A lot. It hadn’t been a month, but Levi knew Isla was the woman he wanted. His grandfather had always talked about getting struck by lightning when he’d seen Gramma Lois. Perfect mix of sweet and sassy, with legs to give a man dreams for days.

It had always made Levi smile. He felt the same with his Glass Farmer. A sprite in overalls. A smile that sparkled its way into his heart.

For a second, he almost turned around and headed to the Saloon. But Isla would feel bad about him missing his opportunity to meet with Troy’s Uncle Stan and his friends. She was safe, and he had a mission.

Well, he had several, but this meeting would help him with the hops and the land. Because of the pouring rain, he couldn’t do much outdoors, anyway.

Levi followed the GPS instructions and took the right fork at the top of the road. He knew the left fork led to Midnight Lake, another place that interested him. He and Isla could make a date to visit out there one day.

The memories of their first date had him grinning. Demo Day in Phail had led to one hell of a date night. The woman was pure magic.

He shoved the sexy memories away as he pulled up to a small blue farmhouse near the end of the road. His truck joined two other beaters parked in front.

His cowboy hat kept the rain off his face as he stepped onto the gravel drive. The front door opened immediately. The man had a shock of white hair, but his shoulders were straight and his eyes bright. He looked enough like Troy that Levi knew this was his grandmother’s cousin. “Come on out of the rain.”

Levi hopped onto the porch and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Phail. Thanks for giving me some time today.”

The man laughed. “None of that Mr. Phail nonsense. You’re a friend of Troy’s. I’m Stan.”

“Nice to meet you, Stan. I’m Levi.”

He hung his hat on a peg in the hall, then followed Stan to the kitchen, where he met Maurice LeBlanc and Patrick O’Callahan, better known as Mo and Paddy.

As Levi sat at the ancient chrome kitchen table, he felt a part of him settle. Everything about this was familiar, from the worn furniture from another era to the lemony scent of well-used cleaning products to the camaraderie obvious between the men. He accepted a cup of coffee and thanked the men for meeting him.

“Troy tells us you’re from Kansas.”

Levi nodded. “Grew up growing corn and wheat. My family worked that land for generations. It was a good place to grow up, a good place to live.”

All three men nodded. Mo rapped his knuckles on the table. “Nothing like growing up on a farm to teach you all the important things in life. Work hard, help each other, play hard, raise a family.”

Paddy angled his head. “So, why leave Kansas and head to Vermont?”

Levi blew out a slow breath. Even though it had been a few years, discussing it hurt. “While I was deployed overseas, a tornado wiped out the farm and my remaining family with it.”

There was a solemn silence as the three men nodded, their gazes filled with understanding. He imagined they’d all survived tragedies of their own.

Stan patted Levi’s arm. “That’s hard. We’re sorry to hear you’ve been through that. How can we help?”

Just like Troy. Willing to reach out and ready to help. “Troy wants to start a brewery here with the rest of our military team. He wants me to grow the hops. It’ll be something I’ve never done before, and I do like a challenge. But the guys think growing one thing means you know how to grow all the things.”

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