Page 48 of Love Me Fierce

Is Kent behind this?

Everett’s words rattle around in my mind.Maybe it’s something you don’t know you’re hiding.

“I’m going to make some calls today during lunch,” I say. Starting with my divorce lawyer. If anyone can tell me if Kent’s in L.A. quickly, it’s her.

“You’re welcome to stay at the farm,” Ava says. “I can check with Beth.”

Ava’s husband and her sister-in-law Beth inherited Moonbeam Farm last year when Hutch’s mom passed away, including the farmhouse where they were raised and Louisa’s flower-growing business.

“The cabin is working great right now,” I tell her.

“Oh hey, we’ve got a pharmaceutical rep coming on Monday,” Ava says. “He’s bringing us lunch.”

Sepp sends me a quick glance. “Which rep?”

Ava squints, like she’s jogging her memory. “Doug Brown, from Pfizer, I think.”

“Got it,” Sepp says.

Ava’s office phone rings, drawing her away.

“You can bail, I’ll cover for you,” Sepp says.

I glance at Ava’s office door, then back at Sepp. “Thanks. I think I’ll take you up on that.” Doug’s last visit was around Valentine’s Day, and after, he sent me a thank you card. Only it was a Valentine’s Day card, with a cupid on the front and embossed gold lettering inside.

Nothing in what he wrote was outside the norm. But why the cupid card?

It felt silly to bring it up with Ava. Maybe it was some kind of joke, or silliness meant to prove he was a fun-loving guy, and we should start prescribing the meds he reps because of it.

Sepp leans back in his chair, his thoughtful gaze completely focused on me. It used to make me feel self-conscious, but now I know it’s his way of tuning in, of making people feel listened to, important. “How’d it go at the cabin last night? Were you warm enough?”

I put Doug out of my mind. “It’s so cozy. I still can’t believe your brothers built it from scratch.”

A thoughtful expression fills Sepp’s face. “It was Everett’s idea. He talked Linden into studying for his GED while helping Dad with the ranch. The two of them collected the materials to build the cabin, and then Linden built it. I think Mom and Dad expected him to live there permanently.”

“What changed?”

“It started with building that cabin. Helped him release some of his pent-up energy. Gave his hands something to do besides getting into fights left and right. He also didn’t have to talk to people.”

“Sounds like he was able to sort things out in a way that worked for him.” Why does it not surprise me to learn that Everett played a key role? “I’ll be sure to thank Linden.”

“You know you can stay longer.”

Last night, June brought up a dozen of her farm fresh eggs and said the same thing. “I can’t impose on your parents like that.”

He gives me a look. “Of course you can. If you’re comfortable there, stay.”

“The view this morning sure was pretty.” Finn River’s expansive vistas and jagged mountains still take my breath away. Such a contrast to the skyscrapers and crowded streets of L.A. Every now and then I miss the ocean, but then a soft breeze rich with pine will brush my cheek, or a cloud shadow will dance across the pale, rolling foothills, and my heart squeezes inside my chest. I always felt out of place in the city. Was it because I was destined to fall in love with these open spaces? The quiet? The sound of aspen leaves quaking in the afternoon breeze?

“Mateo like sleeping in the loft?” Sepp asks.

I remove my lid and blow across the top of my tea, the rich scent comforting. “Until it got too hot, and he ended up in my bed.”

“Didn’t Everett show you how to use the damper?”

“He did.” But I was a little distracted by his peppery scent and that charged energy zipping between us.

Is it possible to feel so turned on by someone one minute, and the next, he makes you want to scream?

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