Page 28 of Red, White, and Ewe

Cinnamon's hand found his chest, his heart beating against her palm. Mayson's breath warmed her face. Within seconds, his soft lips found hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. His mouth tasted of coffee and chocolate.

Mayson explored her mouth a moment longer, slowing their kiss, until he pulled away. She opened her eyes and found him studying her. Running her tongue over her lips, Cinnamon shoved her hands in her pockets.

"That was, uh..." Mayson stumbled over his words.

"Yeah, um..." Words escaped her. From the way he built up the kiss, Cinnamon expected some type of sentence to form to express how she felt.

"It felt like I was, well, kissing my sister." Mayson grimaced.

Cinnamon burst out laughing. "Oh, thankGodyou said it. I felt the same way."

Mayson slid her arm through his and started walking. She rested her head against his arm. "So, friends?"

Mayson chuckled. "Friends."

Cinnamon grinned as they made their way back to the car. At least she didn't have to worry about breaking Mayson's heart.

Chapter Eleven

Kaleb hurried to his truck before Cinnamon and Mayson caught sight of him. He hadn't meant to stumble upon their embrace, but once he did, flames of jealousy smothered him like a forest fire. He forced himself not to yank Cinnamon out of Mayson's embrace.

Instead, he turned on his heel and hightailed it out of the park before they saw him. Kaleb's heart sank as he drove back to the farm. He wasn't ready to face his siblings, but he had no other choice.

Going to the park had been a monumental mistake. Kaleb had grabbed a bite to eat after church with Scarlet, Shane, Harper, and Noel. Being the fifth wheel never sat well with him, but he suffered through it just to have people to spend time with.

After lunch, they'd gathered at the Inn and played games. Poppy and Edison, two more of Scarlet's friends, arrived and joined in on the fun. The couples didn't exclude him or make him feel out of the loop, which he appreciated. But still, he wanted what they had. And with only one person.

Unfortunately, that longing took him to the park to get out some of his pent-up energy. Which led him to the path and the last people he expected to see wrapped in each other's arms.

Kaleb smacked the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. Why didn't he tell Cinnamon he wanted to date her again? He had the perfect opportunity when they went to town together. On the way home, he completely ignored their conversation about him and Jewel Johansen. He chose to talk about superficial topics. And he regretted it every day since.

By the time Kaleb arrived at home, his mood hadn't gotten any better. Cinnamon wasn't due back to the farm until Tuesday night. He still had two days without having to see her glowing from her newfound love. For that, he was grateful.

"Hey," Grady lifted his chin in a hello. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Kaleb growled, slumping into his recliner.

"If that's nothing, I'd hate to see when something's really bothering you."

Kaleb glared at Grady, not in the mood for jokes. Telling his brother what he saw wouldn't do him any good, and he'd only open himself to unwarranted advice. He flattened his lips, hoping Grady would catch the hint to leave him alone.

"Talk to me, Kaleb."

His brother obviously didn't know how to read body language. "I don't want to."

"Too bad." Grady clicked off the television and leaned his elbows on his knees. "I'm not letting this go until you tell me what's got you all riled up."

Kaleb rubbed his hands over his face. He didn't need to see the look of pity on Grady's face when he told him what he'd seen. He didn't even want to talk about it, but if he didn't, he just might explode. Kaleb hated sharing his feelings with anyone. He saw no way around it, though.

"I saw Cinnamon on her date with Mayson." Kaleb raised his eyes to Grady's. "They were kissing."

Grady gave a low whistle. "Man, I'm sorry."

"Me, too."

"What're you going to do now?" Grady sat back on the sofa.

"Nothing. There's not a thing I can do."

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