Page 9 of Knot in Bloom
Caleb’s back permanently. He’s fixing my roof for maybe a third of what it would normally cost and labor is free. Heasked about my love life like the answer mattered. My body responded to his scent like it hasn’t responded to anyone in years. Immediate. Interested. Completely beyond my control.
Ten-year-old me is doing victory laps.
Twenty-nine-year-old me is terrified.
I read Levi’s poem again.”Coffee’s just my sweet excuse to see the joy you never lose.”The words make my chest warm all over again. About how he’s been coming by twice a week not for routine, but because he wanted to see me. About how I’m apparently developing feelings for two different men at the same time, and maybe that’s not as impossible as I always thought it would be.
Outside my window, fall is settling over Honeyridge Falls like a promise. Earlier I noticed a sleek black car parked near the town square. Expensive-looking, nothing like the trucks and older sedans most locals drive. Someone new in town, probably. With the Harvest Festival coming up in a few weeks, we always get visitors looking to scout locations or plan events.
Something about that expensive car makes me wonder what else might be heading my way.
Chapter 4
Caleb
Saturday morning, six AM. I’m standing outside Sadie’s shop with a truck full of supplies and coffee Aunt Maeve insisted I bring “for both of you” with meaningful looks.
The mountains around our valley catch the sunrise. Purple and gold like someone spilled paint across the sky.
I’ve been looking forward to this since Wednesday afternoon. One week of civilian life, and fixing a roof leak for a woman who still makes me feel seventeen is the most exciting thing on my calendar.
Pathetic? Probably.
The light in her apartment window tells me she’s already awake. When she comes downstairs, she’s wearing jeans that fit perfectly and a sweater the color of fall leaves. Honey-blonde hair pulled back in a practical ponytail that makes me want to wrap it around my fist.
But it’s her scent that nearly kills me.
Gone is the sharp distress from Wednesday morning. Now she’s all warmth and welcome with an undertone that makes every alpha instinct I have snap to attention. That sweet floralwarmth. Inviting and fresh. With just enough heat underneath to let me know she’s happy to see me.
My cock stirs in my jeans just from breathing her in.
“Morning.” She steps aside to let me in. Worries her lower lip between her teeth. I want to replace her teeth with mine. “You sure about this? It’s going to be loud and messy. You could probably find better ways to spend your weekend.”
“Positive.” I set the thermos on her counter. Let my fingers brush hers when she reaches for it. The brief contact sends heat up my arm. Color rises in her cheeks like she felt it too. “These look really good, Sadie.”
I gesture at the arrangements ready for today’s Kerr wedding. Chrysanthemums and branches and tiny orange berries arranged like they were always meant to grow together. The same rustic style that saved the rehearsal dinner and turned into something even more beautiful.
“Really?” Genuine uncertainty in her voice. Like she still can’t believe the rehearsal dinner turned out as well as it did. “They’re not what I originally planned. I was trying to recreate what worked so well for Sarah’s rehearsal dinner, but now they just look like I’m copying myself.”
“They look like you found your signature style. They look like home.”
Her expression when I say that makes my chest tight.
“I should get these loaded for today’s deliveries,” she says, breaking the moment. “The bridal bouquet and personal flowers need to go to Sarah’s place in a few hours, and I have a funeral arrangement for Lawson’s that needs to go out this morning.”
“I’ll help.”
“Caleb, you’re already doing more than enough?—”
“Sadie.” I move closer. Near enough to breathe in her full scent. Near enough to see her hazel eyes widen when she catches my sandalwood and leather in return. “Let me help you.”
For a moment we just look at each other. Surrounded by fresh arrangements and the promise of a day that could go very well or very badly. I can see her struggling with it. The same way she used to struggle when we were kids and she wanted to ask for help but didn’t want to seem weak.
But there’s something else now. Something adult and aware in the air between us. Her breathing quickens. The rapid flutter of her pulse at her throat is visible.
The urge to step closer, back her against the counter and find out if she tastes as sweet as she smells, is almost overwhelming. To see if I can make her scent spike with want that matches what I’m feeling.
“Okay. Thank you.”
