Page 20 of No One But You

He hit the brakes hard, and I braced myself on the front.

“Sorry about that, but a little more warning would be nice,” Kai said.

“Well, here’s a warning. Slow down. The road is windy and bumpy, as you should remember.” I gestured as we passed a stretch of road. Was it just last week I met him? Doesn’t matter.

“The place we met.” He slowed down a bit. “I guess I need to watch out for tire-eating potholes.”

“Yeah, you do.” I smiled at him without meaning to.

“You should do that more often.”

I scrunched my face. What was he talking about? “What should I do more often?”

“Smile.”

“I smile a lot.” I sat up straight and scrunched my face up again. How could he say that? I always smile.

“Nope. You don’t. Not for me at least. That scowl.” He gestured with his head. “That’s what I usually see.”

I narrowed my eyes as he focused back on the road. I’ve never been told that before. Maybe it’s the company. I really wanted to say that to him, but instead I faced forward and crossed my arms. “My house will be on the right about a mile up.” I shot a quick glance in his direction. He focused hard on the road and had a concentrated squint going on which caused that scar under his eye to crease. “Answer something for me.”

“I’ll try.” His concentration was still on the road.

“How’d you get that scar?”

He glanced quickly at me, and the corner of his mouth turned up. “Why, you think it’s sexy?”

My eyes popped and I chuckled. “Have you been told it’s sexy? Turn here. My driveway.”

He slammed on the brakes—again—and caused my face to almost meet the dash. “Careful!”

“Sorry. Again, your directions,” he answered as he turned the truck into the driveway and the gravel crunched under his tires. “It doesn’t matter what I’ve been told. It matters what you think.”

Why are all cute men egotistical idiots? Don’t they know it takes away from their cuteness? “We just met. It matters not what I think.”

“Now you sound like Yoda.”

“I was trying for Shakespeare.”

He glanced at me with a slight chuckle, then parked in front of the garage. He climbed out, and his gaze took in his surroundings. “How much of this is yours? It’s awesome.”

I tried to see my land from his eyes, or what I could make out in the glow of his headlights. My house was small. Just nine hundred square feet, yet cute. So cute—at least I thought so. It was an older brick ranch with a concrete patio. The patio was surrounded with bushes and pots which would be filled with flowers soon. Even though I couldn’t see it well, the goat house and chicken coop were out in the pasture. I love my place. It’s mine, and it’s home.

“The house, right here”—I pointed to the left—“is mine. It’s small but perfect. It used to be Tonya’s guest house. Her house is over there.” I pointed toward a tree line. “You can barely make out the outline of her house through the tree line during the day. She had twenty acres, but when my father moved to Florida last year and sold our house, she sold me this five acres and the guest house. I added that small barn and the fence. I have three goats and ten chickens, and a small garden. The shed we passed up by the road is my roadside stand where I sell eggs when I can, and extra veggies in the summer. It’s not a lot, but it’s mine and I love it.”

I led him to the pasture. “She promised the boys land, but Bryson declined. He and Darlene enjoy being closer to town, and Jamison is building on the other side of her. Who knows what Rowan will decide.”

I unlocked the gate, and a black and white goat came running up to us—Baby Goat. I laughed when Kai took a step back.

“He’s not going to hurt you. This is Baby Goat.” I crouched down and Baby Goat bleated and rubbed his head against me. “He’s as friendly as a dog and about the same size.”

Kai put out his hand and rubbed the goat’s head. “He must be a baby. He’s so tiny.”

“Nope. He’s a Nigerian Dwarf. That’s the biggest he’ll get. Come on. He’ll follow.”

I stopped at the chicken coop, and Kai leaned on the top rail. Two more goats, both white with black and brown spots came over to us. “Meet Percy and Jackson.”

Kai chuckled. “Percy Jackson. Cute.”

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