Page 22 of Close to My Heart

That was all that mattered. I wanted Wes to be my friend. He might have been the barometer for every other guy I dated, but that didn’t mean that I should date him. Despite the pesky feelings I got whenever he touched me.

For the second time, we decorated a tree together. Except my ornaments were new. They were probably highlighted in some design magazine, but I preferred the handmade ones that Wes had created when he was a preschooler.

When we were finished, I sat on the edge of my bed to take it in. “It’s gorgeous. Thank you for helping me.”

“Maybe I should put one in my bedroom,” Wes said as he dropped down on the bed next to me.

I laughed. “Two trees? That’s excessive; don’t you think?”

“How many are in the big house?” Wes teased.

He’d always called it the big house even though that usually referred to a prison. Maybe Wes saw the house as keeping me tied to this place, caging me into a life I didn’t want. But I saw it as so much more. It was opening me up to possibilities.

“Several on every floor, and one in each bedroom.”

“Even though your grandmother doesn’t get many overnight guests?” Wes asked.

I smiled. “A Rosesmith is always prepared for any possibility.”

Wes’s face was pinched. “A Calloway is too. Just in a different way.”

“Like cutting down trees and fixing truck engines?” I asked lightly.

His chest puffed out. “That’s right. I’m a man’s man.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You’re not still upset about Ashton, are you?” Wes asked.

“Not really. He might be the one I choose in the end. Because it’s not about him, not really. I just need a body for a few months.”

Wes made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat.

“You don’t think I should ask someone I like, do you? I was going in the other direction. Maybe it’s best if I have nothing in common with him. No chance of catching feelings or getting hurt.”

“What’s the fun in that?” Wes asked, but his smile was tight.

I sensed he didn’t like me dating. But it was going to happen at some point, and at least this was fake. It wasn’t a forever kind of thing.

Wes stood. “I should get going.”

Usually, he stuck around to raid my fridge or would suggest a movie night on my couch, so I was a little surprised. But didn’t feel like I could question him. I’d brought a date to his farm. That couldn’t have been easy. I wouldn’t have liked seeing him go out with another woman.

Just the thought had my heart clenching painfully. I followed him down the stairs and out the front door.

The main house was lit with Christmas decor, and the pool illuminated with underwater lights. It was magical, but it didn’t mean the people inside believed in love or warmth. It was expected.

“The place looks beautiful as always.”

“Soon it will be mine.” I could preserve it, do as many tours as I wanted, host events. The thought never failed to get my body humming with excitement.

“I hope it’s worth it.”

I smiled at him. “It will be.”

“Sutton Rosesmith always gets what she wants,” Wes teased as he pulled me in for a tight hug.

We usually avoided shows of affection, but I’d noticed he’d done more of them since this whole fiasco was set into motion. Maybe he was worried about me.

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