Page 12 of Daddy's Little Farmer

Rafael sputtered out a laugh. “Tiny?”

Mara grinned. “Yeah. He didn’t like the bigger names I tried to give him.”

“He understood you?”

“Of course. Let me get him fed and start our dinner. We’ll have to go to the store later.”

He wanted to help her, but he’d never touched a pan or worked on a stove before in his life. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the kitchen in any of his homes.

He realized he didn’t know much about real life and would starve without his servants if he had no money to survive on his own. He watched her take a chunk of something wrapped in white paper from the freezer and pop it into the microwave. While it defrosted, she started a pan of water on the stove.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

She smiled and shook her head. “No. It won’t take long. I hope you like spaghetti?”

He had no idea if he did or not because he didn’t think he’d ever had it before. “Sure.” There were going to be a lot of firsts for him.

She handed the dog the bone that was the size of her thigh. When his white teeth clamped down on it, a shiver of unease raced through him. This thing could kill him in a second if he wanted to.

He sat down and spread his attention between her at the stove, the dog, and the room. This whole situation was something he never thought he’d have, but he was getting more excited about it by the minute. She put a plate of what he thought was hamburger in front of the dog before she sat a plate before him and one on the opposite side of the table.

“Would you like a glass of milk?” she asked.

He couldn’t bring himself to be that adventurous. “No, thank you. May I have water?”

She came back with two glasses of water and sat down. He watched her take the first bite before him to see if she ate it a special way.

The first bite took him by surprise. The tangy taste of the sauce was a burst of flavor he hadn’t expected. “This is very good,” he said.

She glanced up. “It’s not homemade. I no longer have time for that, so it’s just from a bottle.”

“Wherever it came from, it’s delicious.”

“Thank you.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes. When she finished, she stood and set her plate in the sink.

“Do you still want to go to the grocery store?” she asked.

“If you feel up for it.”

“All right. I’m going to change, and then I’ll be right down. Just set your plate in the sink, and I’ll wash them later.”

“Okay.” He listened to her footsteps climb the stairs. He finished the spaghetti and stood, coming to an instant stop when the dog lifted its head and looked at him. The thing didn’t growl, so he walked to the sink and set the plate on top of hers. He looked around the sink and sighed. Fortunately, she hadn’t asked him to wash because he had no clue how to do it. He walked back to the table and sat to finish his water.

Rafael turned when she came back through the kitchen doorway, and he almost swallowed his tongue. She was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. She brushed out her long blonde hair and changed into a flowery skirt and pink top.

Jesus, it floored him how his feelings for her rose exponentially at that moment. He was afraid if it didn’t work out between them, it would damage his heart for the rest of his life.

Chapter Six

Mara couldn’t help glancing at him. Every move he made consumed her nervous system, and his voice made her girly parts tingle.

They pulled up to the grocery store and got out. It was the first deep breath she’d been able to take since they had left the farm. Every time she breathed in, his scent made her nervous system spark.

“Hey, honey, are you okay?” Rafael asked in concern.

She nodded and smiled. “Yes. Let’s get this done.”

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