Page 45 of That One Night
Trying to ignore the relief rushing through her, Emery lifted her ankle and Sabrina leaned closer, letting out an ‘ooh.’
“Did it hurt?” she asked Emery.
“Like hell.”
Sabrina laughed. “I thought it might. This is why I can never get a tattoo. I don’t like pain.”
“I’m not the biggest fan either,” Emery told her. She could feel the warmth of Hendrix’s gaze as he watched them talking.
“It’s pretty though,” Sabrina said, standing up and stretching her arms. “Well, it’s lovely to meet you,” she told Emery.
“Right back at you.” It was strange how happy she felt now that she knew Sabrina was another Hartson. But she didn’t want to think about that too deeply right now. She was too tired after her fitful night of sleep for that. She nodded at Hendrix, who was looking at her with a strange expression. “I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, you will.” His gaze didn’t falter.
Her heart did, though. It did a little leap as she turned around and walked to the chicken coop, still feeling the heat of his stare on her back.
“Wow, she’s sweet,” Sabrina said to him, as he walked her back to his car. “And cute. You didn’t tell me that.”
“I didn’t tell you anything about her,” he pointed out. Because the last person he’d choose to confide in would be his cousin. He loved her, but she had a loose tongue. Sabrina and secrets didn’t go together.
“You told me she was lonely,” Sabrina pointed out. Because yeah, he might have asked his cousin to find a way to be friends with Emery. He still remembered that night on the porch when she’d admitted to having no friends here.
“I did. Thank you for being nice to her.” He opened her car door for her, but Sabrina didn’t climb in. Instead, she gave him an interested look.
“She has the hots for you,” she told him.
“Shut the hell up.”
“She does,” Sabrina insisted. “Did you see how weird she was until I told her we’re cousins? She was jealous. And then suddenly she was all sweetness and light.” Sabrina grinned. “Oh, I love a good neighbor love story.”
“Can you keep it down?” Hendrix said, frustrated. Sabrina always talked too loud. And too damn much. “She’s taken, remember?”
Because he did. Even if he wished she wasn’t.
“When has that ever stopped you before?” his cousin teased.
But he didn’t smile. It wasn’t funny, not really. “I’m reformed,” he said, keeping his voice even. “Now go home. Before your parents send out a search party.”
“You were more fun when you were trouble,” Sabrina told him.
“You could try being good, too.”
She started to laugh. “Don’t be silly. There’s no fun in that.” She rolled onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for letting me stay.”
“Try not to do it again.”
“You know I will.” She winked at him. “Laters, taters.”
She climbed into her car and he closed the door, waiting patiently until she started the engine and drove away. When he looked over at Emery’s house, there was no sign of her.
Good. That was good. After last night’s lesson, the last thing he needed was to spend more time with her.
Even if she was all he could think about right now.
“So all we need is for the lien to be removed then we can go full steam ahead,” the realtor told Emery, as she walked him back to his car. It was Monday afternoon and he’d spent most of the day with them, measuring the rooms in the house, taking photographs, then doing the same with the farm as Jed took him around.
He’d stopped for lunch – her mom made a quiche and a potato salad that had made his eyes bulge, and then during the afternoon he’d gone through all the paperwork with them, and given his valuation. It was less than she’d hoped for, but more than enough for her mom to buy a little house in town and get settled.
