Page 4 of Coming Up Roses

“Cute? Nothing you just described is ‘cute’.”

“I’ll take you to see the calves one day and change your mind. You know, Olivia’s parents met and fell in love because of a Hereford bull.”

“How did a bull play matchmaker?” she asks, leaning back into my hands. Her body is close enough to brush against mine and I’m going to have to end this contact before I really get myself in trouble.

“He was on the road when Violet came around the corner. She ended up in the fence, Henry came to her rescue. She never left.”

“That’s quite a story.”

“Yep. They’ve always said they fell in love that day, right there in the middle of the road.”

“If only it were that easy for the rest of us,” she says.

She’s been slowly relaxing as we’ve been talking, her body softening under my hands, her breathing returning to a normal rhythm. As she says those last words though, she stiffens again.

“Sorry,” she says, stepping out from under my touch. I let her go and she takes several steps into the room—away from me—and smooths down her dress. Her mouth curves into a bright, and entirely fake, smile. “I’m Abigail.” She holds out her hand.

I wrap my fingers around hers and let her shake my hand.

“Flynn,” I say. “Farmhand, general dogsbody, here if you need help with anything.”

“Oh, um, yes.” Abigail rakes her fingers through her hair in an attempt to smooth the waves. “Olivia mentioned you. Nice to meet you.”

“Are you okay?” I can’t handle the false pleasantries. I just walked in on her having a panic attack and she’s going to pretend like everything is fine.

“I’m fine,” she says, giving me another fake smile.

“Do they happen often?”

She winces and looks away, the smile dropping from her full, red mouth.

I soften my voice. “I’m not asking to be an asshat. I’m asking so I can help you.”

“I’m fine,” she says, meeting my gaze again. There’s determination blazing in her eyes. “I have to go. Did you need something?”

I shake my head. “No. I was just coming to introduce myself. Did Olivia give you my number?”

“Yeah, I think she gave me everyone’s numbers. There’s a massive list.”

“She likes to cover her bases,” I say with a smile. She returns it, but hers is tight. “I’ll let you get back to it then. Just let me know if you need anything. Here to help. Best to call if there’s a time crunch, though I’m not always in cell service. But I’ll get here as soon as I can, so just let me know what you need.” Wow, Flynn. Shut the hell up. “Right, okay. See ya.”

I turn tail before she has the chance to reply. I don’t need to see the look on her face as she dismisses me and my rambling.

I shove my feet back into my boots and swing my leg over my bike, stomping on the kickstart. I rev the engine and release the clutch, sending the bike shooting forward.

I need to not think about Abigail as an incredibly hot woman with an ass to dream about. I also need to not think about her having that panic attack, because it tugs at my heart in ways it definitely shouldn’t. She also clearly wishes I wasn’t there to witness it, so the sooner I can forget about it, the better.

I don’t want to mess up our working relationship. I know why she’s in town and I’ll do everything in my power not to ruin that for her, or for one of my favourite people—her daughter.

3

ABI

Dallas’s cottage is gorgeous.Situated across the paddock from the main Wildflower Ridge farmhouse, the cottage is surrounded by trees, mostly hiding it from view of the main driveway.

The house is small, smaller than the one I’ve rented in town, but it’s well-maintained and charming. A couple of big wooden planters sit on the front porch and I wonder if Dallas has taken up gardening or if those are Katie’s influence.

I haven’t met Katie yet. I’ve seen her once in passing but she’s kept herself scarce while I caught up with Dallas, and while I interviewed for the job. I’m not sure if it’s because she doesn’t want to meet me, or if she’s simply giving me the space to settle in first. Either way I appreciate the chance to find my bearings without Dallas’s new girlfriend watching my every move. Based on her relationship with him, and Olivia being her best friend, I’d say Katie’s a lovely person, but her simply existing adds another layer of stress to this whole situation.Because I abandoned Dallas and Sadie, and now he’s found someone that can give them both the kind of love they deserve.

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