Page 15 of Red, White, and Ewe

He shook his head. "Not yet."

She frowned but didn't say a word. Kaleb brought the ax down harder than he intended, the handle sending shockwaves through his arms. The slight pain didn't matter. He needed something to take his mind off of the fact that the only gal he’d ever loved was going on a date. And it wasn't with him.

Chapter Six

Cinnamon sank onto the pew, grateful Sunday finally arrived. Her first week working at Linden Farms proved more difficult than she imagined.

Oh, not the work. Cinnamon could cook and bake blindfolded. Coming up with recipes and ideas excited her. No, it definitely wasn't the actual work that tightened the muscles in her neck.

Every time she entered a room with Scarlet or Kaleb in it, tension surrounded her. She had in inklingwhywith Kaleb. Her confession of going out on a date took her by surprise. She only imagined what it did to him.

Scarlet, though, confused Cinnamon. She wracked her brain, trying to figure out what she'd done to upset her friend. Nothing came to mind. When Cinnamon asked her about her behavior, Scarlet offered some excuse about being distracted by wedding planning as well as building their new home.

Cinnamon didn't quite believe her. Planning weddings and building homes were exciting. Right? Sure, they probably caused some stress, but enough to give Cinnamon the cold shoulder? That didn’t make sense.

Nibbling her lip between her teeth, Cinnamon closed the door on her thoughts. No sense dwelling on it when she couldn't fix the past. She had control of today and her own actions. Not those of other people.

Mayson slid into the seat next to her and smiled. "Mind if I join you?"

Warmth spread to her cheeks as she shook her head. She hadn't had a man seek her out at church in a long time. "I thought you were open on Sundays."

Mayson's dark eyes sparkled. "Keeping tabs on me, are you?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "The employees who don’t attend church work on Sundays, not the ones who do."

"Makes sense. Have you found your employees bothered by that?"

Mayson shook his head. "No. Most don't mind since they want to make money for school or vacations. How was your week?"

"Long." Cinnamon forced a small smile. "I'm glad I have the next two days off."

"I hope one of the reasons is because of our date." Uncertainty tainted Mayson's voice.

"Absolutely." Cinnamon nudged him with her shoulder. "Dinner with a handsome guy? Who wouldn't be excited about that?"

Mayson exhaled and made an exaggerated movement, wiping his brow. "Whew. Had me scared for a moment."

Cinnamon shook her head, her lips lifting into a full grin. The man beside her made her laugh, that's for sure. But did he send her heart racing? She didn't know. She'd never looked at him that way before. Now that she had an opportunity to do so, she expected some form of attraction to ignite between them.

Giving herself a mental shake, Cinnamon rolled her shoulders. Tension still built between her shoulder blades. What she needed was a good, long massage. Or a soak in her large bathtub at home.

"Youokay?" Concern flashed in Mayson's eyes.

"A little tense is all." Cinnamon stretched her neck side to side.

"How about if, after church, I give you a little massage?" He leaned closer and whispered, "I'd do it now, but I don't want tongues wagging."

Noises all around her made Cinnamon suddenly aware of the church filling up. She must've been focused on her conversation with Mayson and didn’t notice.

Cinnamon's eyes widened. "I think that's a good idea, not to do it here."

"I know we have our date tonight, but I can grab some lunch from the diner and bring it to your place. We can eat really quick, and then I'll give you a half-hour massage."

Was he offering as a friend or in hopes of having more with Cinnamon? She closed the door on that thought. Even if they didn't have a date scheduled, he'd offer to help her release her tension. That was just the kind of man Mayson was. Always giving of himself.

"That sounds great. I could use a little relaxation time."

Mayson beamed at her before turning his attention to the front, as the pastor strolled onto the stage. "Good. Glad I can help."

The pastor began speaking, but his words didn't register in her brain. Movement from across the aisle drew her attention. Scarlet scooted into the empty pew, followed by Shane, Grady, then Kaleb. Cinnamon's heart pounded in her chest. Whether from the beat of the drums or her handsome ex-boyfriend across from her, she didn't know.

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