Page 45 of This Moment

“Yeah, I used to tease my grandfather that he had more money than he knew what to do with.”

I smiled. “All from being a lawyer?”

“God, no. Don’t get me wrong, my parents aren’t suffering with their law firms. But that’s not where all of this came from. It was here before my father was born. My great-grandfather’s brother moved to Texas after deciding farming was not for him. I’m not sure who it was he met when he got there, but apparently, he fell into the right crowd as far as money-making goes. He talked his brother, my great-grandfather, into investing in oil and gas. That is where the money came from.”

“Ahh,” I said with a nod of my head. “That makes sense.”

“This is home,” Kian said as he opened the door, and we stepped inside. The guest house was more of a guest cottage if you ask me. It was a large open concept with the living room and kitchen all in one area. The colors weren’t nearly as dark, but the same knotty pine wood floors in the main house were also here. The walls didn’t have wood on them, though, and instead were painted a soft shade of white.

The galley-style kitchen had white cabinets and a dark black granite countertop. Gone were the stunning chandeliers in the main house and replaced with recessed lighting and simple pendant lights over the kitchen eat-in bar. The whole area had a clean, modern feel to it, yet it wasn’t too modern. The farm sink and other small details gave it a verycottage feel. Unlike the cabin I was going to be moving into. I couldn’t tell if I was jealous Kian got to stay here or not.

“What are you thinking? You have a little furrow between your brows.”

I chuckled. “I can’t tell if I’m going to ask you if you want to trade. I move in here, and you take the cabin.”

Kian looked around and smiled. “It does have a real cottage feel rather than a cabin feel.”

“It does,” I agreed. “There is two bedroom and two full baths. The one bedroom is used as an office as well.”

“You’re right on the lake. Does it ever flood?”

“Not since I can remember.” Kian looked around and then back to me. “Want to see what it feels like out on the deck? The wind off the lake might make it a bit too cold, even with the heater.”

“Are you okay with just eating here?” I asked.

“I’m perfectly fine eating here. Let’s see what Sally packed for us.”

I watched as Kian took off his coat and placed it over the back of the chair at the island. I took mine off and followed his direction. Kian pushed up his shirt sleeves, and I watched his forearms flex while he took the food out of the basket. I had to look away and focus on something else in the room. The first thing my eye caught was a family photo on the fireplace.

Don’t turn around and watch the hot lawyer unpacking a picnic basket.

Drawing a slow breath, I turned back to Kian and instantly regretted it. He had pulled the long-sleeve shirt off and was now wearing a very form-fitting white T-shirt.

Is that his abs I can see? Look anywhere but at his stomach, Cadie. Anywhere else.

When Kian spoke, I jerked my eyes up and exhaled in relief when I saw he was still focusing on the food.

“How much did she pack for just the two of us?” I asked, moving closer to take a look. What I wasn’t expecting was the smell of Kian. The scent was earthy but dark and exotic. I could smell something strong and sweet with hints of sandalwood. Was that…vanilla?

“Vanilla?”

“What?” Kian asked, pausing with a bottle of wine mid-air.

Startled by his question, I repeated it back to him. “What?”

“You said vanilla.”

I was positive that a look of utter horror appeared on my face. “I did?”

He smiled. “You did.”

“It’s, um…well…I didn’t mean to say it out loud. I was thinking it, but I guess I said it.”

The smile grew into a wide grin. “Why were you thinking it?”

“You smell like it.”

My hand slapped over my mouth as I sucked in a breath. “No, what I mean is I smell vanilla or something that I think is vanilla, and I think it’s you.”

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