Page 40 of Matthew
Too late.
“Matthew,” she said, softer now.
He didn’t push, he waited.
Finally, she exhaled and glanced toward the greenhouse again. “We should check the east perimeter. There’s a weird patch by the creek that’s been bothering me. Might be nothing, but—”
“But we’re not assuming that anymore,” he finished for her.
Their eyes met again. This time, something in hers softened.
She gave a small nod and started walking, her boots crunching lightly on the gravel. He followed, his pace steady beside her, keeping to her rhythm.
No more pretending. No more brushing it off.
Whatever had sparked between them yesterday wasn’t going away.
And neither was he.
They’d only gone a few yards down the path when the click of nails on stone made Matthew glance back.
Sammy trotted after them from the shade of the greenhouse, tongue lolling, tail wagging in his usual jovial manner. He fell into step at Callie’s other side, brushing her hip with an affectionate bump that made her exhale a half-laugh.
“Traitor,” she muttered, giving the dog a fond look. “You bailed the second it got too hot.”
“Smart dog,” Matthew said. “Knows when to conserve energy.”
“Wish I could say the same.”
They moved into the wooded section along the creek, where the plants grew more wild, less curated. Matthew kept his gaze scanning—old habit—but part of him was focused on her again. The way she brushed an overhanging branch aside. The way her fingers absently threaded through Sammy’s fur when they paused.
“Anything in particular bothering you about this spot?” he asked, slowing as the trees thinned near a split rail fence.
She crouched by a patch of disturbed soil, Sammy sitting loyally beside her. “It’s probably nothing, but it appears something heavy was dragged through here. Could be from the last mulch delivery, although, the timing’s off.”
Matthew crouched too, his fingers brushing over a faint impression in the dirt. He’d noted it yesterday but hadn’t asked her about it. “You take deliveries out here?”
“Sometimes,” she said. “Depends on the supplier. We try to limit traffic near the creek, of course, not everyone listens.”
He took a few steps back, eyeing the fence line and the trees beyond. “You ever have trespassers out here?”
“Not since last spring. A couple of kids cutting through on their way to the road. Nate caught them and gave them a stern talking to, so that ended fast.”
His gaze narrowed on a faint scuff mark near one of the fence posts. “This isn’t from kids.”
“No,” she agreed. “It’s not.”
They stood there a beat longer, Sammy sniffing the air, alert but not alarmed. Matthew straightened and dusted off his palms. “We’ll log it and mark the coordinates. Carter might want to run a drone over the tree line if this spot keeps showing up.”
“Great,” Callie said dryly. “Nothing screams peaceful nursery like drone surveillance.”
Matthew gave her a sidelong glance. “Could be worse.”
“Yeah?”
“We could’ve had our first kiss by the compost bins.”
That earned him a short, startled laugh. “I can’t believe you said that.”
