Page 18 of Fire in My Heart

Ididn’t want to work with Charlotte, but it was the best way to keep an eye on her. If she was out to scam my father or us, I’d know it. That’s what I told myself anyway.

I approached Wes, who was watching the high school kids put the trees through the wrapping machine, and then passing them off to the team that handled securing them to the roofs of cars.

“Charlotte’s working today,” Wes said unnecessarily.

My jaw tightened. “I’m aware.”

“And you’re showing her around,” he continued, his gaze never wavering from the operation.

I nodded tightly. “Dad wanted me to.”

Wes raised a brow. “Since when do you do things because Dad wants you to?”

Dad had been insisting on making more decisions around the farm, and it was his right. I just didn’t like it. “It’s his farm.”

“Here she comes.” Wes tipped his head in Charlotte’s direction. She was walking toward us, but her gaze was on the fields in the distance, a look of intense admiration on her face.

“She’s going to help out here next,” I said to cover the fact I was checking out the way her legs moved in those tight leggings. She wore a flannel over a white tank. Nothing about the outfit was sexy, but I couldn’t look away.

“You’re going to go along with whatever marketing things she comes up with?” Wes asked.

I shook my head. “I still don’t think we need an outsider’s advice.”

“You don’t want advice, or you don’t wantCharlotte’sadvice?” His voice was tinged with amusement.

My face screwed up as I considered Wes’s question. “Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Not at all,” he said cryptically as Charlotte stopped in front of us.

“Happy Saturday! It’s a beautiful day,” Charlotte sang, radiating sunshine.

Wes grinned, clearly pleased with her. “You enjoying your day on the farm?”

I had the urge to punch him in the face. He was married. There was no way he was interested in this woman.

Charlotte nodded eagerly. “It’s been so enlightening.”

Wes shot an amused look in my direction. “Enlightening, huh?”

“I have so many ideas I want to implement.”

I held up my hands as if to ward her off. “Let’s slow down a bit. Any ideas need to be run past me and Dad.”

Charlotte frowned. “Al gave me leave to implement whatever I thought was necessary.”

Irritation shot through me, even though I was aware that Wes was watching me closely. “No matter what it costs?”

Charlotte fumbled over her words. “Well, no. I’d discuss that with Al.”

“And me.”

Charlotte’s smile flattened. “We can discuss this later.”

Wes pushed me with a hand on my shoulder. “Yeah, Teddy, we can discuss this later.”

“Are you two done now?” Wes’s behavior reminded me of when we were teenagers and he’d mock me for trying to be the man of the house. His words. Not mine.

There was no trying about it. When Mom died, someone had to step up. Dad was a mess, and someone had to run the farm, encourage the kids to eat and get to school. Someone had to do it, and it was obvious that someone was me.

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