Page 14 of Cherished Lands
Then, I walked. It was a familiar path, one I had taken on many sleepless nights. It always led to the same place—the cozy little chicken coop on the Henderson's farm.
I peeked in on the girls before sitting down to collect my thoughts. They were all huddled together for warmth.
It wasn't what I'd expected when I'd gone to Natalie. But I couldn't ignore the fact that partnering with the Evertons on a cidery wasperfect.For starters, Jasper was right—my connections would make this go a lot smoother for them. As a bonus, my parents would be furious. And despite the feud between our families, I knew the Evertons to be extremely good and hardworking people. My investment would be safe with them.
Off in the distance, a few lights flicked on. A few minutes later, the most delectable smell wafted through the trees to my perch by the coop.
My stomach and my feet conspired to drag me toward the scent.
When I found myself in front of Elliot's tiny home on Ever Eden Orchard, I wondered what other parts of my body were in on this conspiracy.
He was standing on his porch with his back to me, working at a small grill. He looked gigantic next to his tiny house with its tiny windows and tiny door.
Okay, so they weren'tactuallytiny, but he made them look dainty. It wasn't only that he was unreasonably tall. His presence was so larger than life—it always had been. When Elliot Everton was in a room, everyone's eyes found him. Well, mine did.
"Whatcha cookin'?" I asked.
He jumped and whirled on me, spatula reared back like he was ready to fend off a bear or an axe murder. Or me. "Tessa? The fuck are you doin' here? You scared the shit outta me."
"I was hungry. What's for dinner?"
I wouldn't normally describe Elliot as adorable, but thatlook of confusion that crossed his face? Utterly adorable. He was gaping at me like I had sprouted a second head.
So, just to throw him off kilter a little more, I climbed the steps to the porch and let myself into his house. He followed me so closely that when I stopped abruptly in the small space, he ran right into the back of me.
"Shit, sorry." He'd ditched the spatula, and he was gripping me by the shoulders to prevent me from soaring across his living room—if you could even call it that. "I'm not used to other people being in here."
I peered at him over my shoulder. He hadn't moved his hands yet, and I was more than a little worried they'd singe holes right through my coat.
"Speaking of which," he said, "tell me again why you're here?"
I shrugged. "I was walking and smelled something good."
He dropped his hands to his sides and took a big step back. Well, as big as possible. The full length of his stride would have taken him back out to the porch.
I missed the heat of him instantly.
My nose felt frozen and a little runny. I was sure my cheeks were bright red and my eyes glossy from the cold.
I warmed up a bit when I turned to face him, and his eyes skimmed me from head to toe and back up again.
I gave him a sunny smile. "Can I help?" He stared at me, a deep crease between his brows. "With dinner?" I clarified.
His broad shoulders were tense, and those blue eyes of his blazed with... something. Annoyance? Frustration? Maybe a hint of amusement?
"Tessa, not once in thirty-one years have we had dinner together."
I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest. His eyes tracked the movement. "Well, that's just not true at all. We had dinner at the church just last week."
"That was a community fundraiser!"
"The week before that, we had dinner at Rosie's," I shot back, unfazed.
"Mr. Henderson's retirement." He said flatly. But the irritation in his tone had vanished, giving way to resignation.
I just grinned up at him while he stared at me for five whole seconds. I knew because I counted. Elliot took a deep breath in and released it, his breath minty sweet.
"Keep an eye on the potatoes," he said, pointing to the oven before turning to head back out toward the grill.
