Page 25 of Rescued Hearts

“You have the earrings you made?” Her focus shifted from his face to his torso, then raked down his body.

He smirked at how she was looking at him but caught himself eyeing her up the same way. Her nose and the crest of her cheeks were spattered with light freckles. The golden skin of her bare arms had a few too. And the way that little white bow on her blouse cinched her waist made his gut clench for reasons unknown.

He patted his front pocket where the tissue-wrapped earrings were. “Right here.”

“Wouldn’t want you to forget the gift for your sister. You spent so much time picking out the best beads.”

“Guess I’ve got a knack for detail.” He searched her eyes, noting they were more than a single color of blue, several swirling together to create so much depth.

Something passed between them—warm. Charged. Honor felt it too and shifted her stance. He figured now was as good a time as any to say what had been on his mind.

“I have a business proposition for you.”

Her soft eyebrows lifted. “Oh?”

“I’d like to talk to you about it over dinner.” He kept his voice even, but damn if his pulse wasn’t picking up. “Interested?”

She pushed away from the van. “Sure, I’ll bite.” The teasing lilt was back in her tone.

“I’ll pick you up. My truck’s over there so you know what to look for.” He pointed across the street, and she turned to see.

When she turned back to him, she nodded. “Give me your number. I’ll put it in my phone and text you my address.”

He recited the number, and she entered it into her contacts. Then she climbed in her van and drove away. He watched her go, phone in his hand, wondering what the hell he just got himself into.

As soon as he reached the Black Heart, he found Willow in the kitchen. His long-legged sister in cutoff denim shorts wasnot what he wanted to see, especially knowing she was working with the horses and there were plenty of men around at all times to see her in those shorts.

He stifled a groan and grabbed a bottled water from the fridge. “Good day?”

“So far.” She sipped her own glass of iced tea with a lemon bobbing among the ice cubes. “You?”

“Yeah.” Surprisingly, what started as a dull day of errands turned into something much…better.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tissue package. “Made you these.”

She blinked at him. “What are they?”

“Take a look.” He wasn’t one for giving gifts. Never had many people to give them to—he and his siblings didn’t operate that way. But seeing the look on Willow’s face as she unwrapped the tissue to reveal the tiny silver-and-bead earrings warmed him.

“Oh my god, Gray.” She brushed her fingertips over the beads. “Youmadethese? How?”

“There was a class at the bookstore.”

Her eyes bulged. “You took a jewelry class at the bookstore?”

“Kind of fell into it.”

Suddenly, she threw her long arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “I love them so much! Thank you, Gray.”

He gave her an awkward squeeze in return and then released her. “Where’s the best place to take someone for dinner?”

She jerked her head up from the earrings in her hand. “Boy someone or girl someone?”

“Girl.”

Willow got the kind of look that women did when they were let in on a secret. “Ooh. Then you want to go to the nicest restaurant in town. Prairie Ember.” She pounced on him,grabbing him by the forearm. “What are you going to wear? I’ll help you pick something out of your closet. Are you nervous?”

He grunted a small laugh. “I wasn’t until now. Isn’t Carson taking Layne to Prairie Ember tonight?” Now he was overthinking everything.

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