by Dylann Crush
She’d gone to the farmers’ market his mom had mentioned and picked up some fall vegetables. He never seemed to lock his front door so she let herself in and got to work in the kitchen.
“Hey, Buster.” The dog didn’t even bark when she entered. He probably remembered that the last time she was there she’d fed him bits of pancake straight from the griddle.
As she chopped peppers and peeled carrots, feeling more and more comfortable in Jasper’s house, making herself right at home in his kitchen, she let herself imagine what it might be like if they ended up together.
A lightness filled her chest, and she danced around the kitchen as she searched for a can opener for the beans she wanted to add to her vegetarian chili. Finally, with it simmering on the stove, the smell of cumin and chili powder lingering in the air, she sat down at the kitchen table.
“You know what would really surprise Jasper?”
Buster laid his head on her lap and she scratched behind his ear.
“I wonder if he still has that bag of my lingerie somewhere.” The dog tilted his head to the side and swiped his tongue across her hand.
“Let’s go check.” She got up, wondering where exactly she’d left the plastic bag of underwear Jasper had accidentally grabbed the first night they spent together. He’d been so embarrassed that the tips of his ears had turned pink.
Wanting to make the night extra, extra, extra special, she located a pair of pink lacy panties and one of her matching flimsy nighties. When Jasper came home, she’d be waiting with dinner and dessert.
As she secured the ties on her hips into tiny pink bows, her phone rang. Maybe Jasper was calling to tell her he was on his way home and wanted to see her tonight.
“Hi there,” she answered, not even trying to contain her giddiness knowing she’d be seeing him soon.
“Hey, how’s your day been going?” Hearing his voice sent goose bumps racing down her arms.
“Good. But it’s better now that I’m talking to you. Are you still working out in the orchard?”
“Actually, I’m headed home now.”
Heat simmered in her belly. “Oh? Do you have plans tonight or are we going to get to spend some time together?”
“That depends.” His voice dropped, so low she had to strain to hear him. “There’s nothing I’d like better than to have you to myself.”
“Mmm. That would be nice.” She stood up and thrust out her chest.
“But . . .”
But? She hadn’t counted on a but.
“I forgot it’s my turn to host poker night. Some of the guys are coming over and if you want to join us, you’re more than welcome to. I’d beg off but Bodie called and said he was already on his way over.”
The door creaked. Delilah turned toward the noise as Buster trotted over to investigate.
“Delilah?” Jasper asked.
At the same time a male voice called out from the door. “Jasper? You home?”
“What was that?” Jasper asked.
Delilah glanced toward the pot bubbling on the stove. She reached out and flipped the dial to simmer.
“Delilah? Where are you?” Jasper asked again.
Footsteps sounded on the wooden floorboards by the door. They were coming closer. Any second whoever it was would enter the kitchen and find her standing by the stove in a pink baby doll nightie and a matching pair of panties.
So she did the only rational thing she could when faced with an impossible situation. She turned toward the door leading from the kitchen to the backyard, and fled.
sixteen
Jasper dialed Lacey’s number as he paced along his parents’ front porch. He’d had it. After being thwarted multiple times over the past two weeks in his attempts to spend some private time with Delilah, he was ready to resign as hospitality host.
He’d been biding his time, assuming he’d figure out how to balance his duty to the town with his attraction to the contest judge, but when he came across Delilah the other night, sprinting back to her trailer in see-through lingerie, he’d lost it. Something had to change.
By the time he got past Lacey’s assistant, he’d almost worn a path in the floorboards from the tense pacing. He didn’t want to quit on her, but he also didn’t want to give up seeing Delilah. It had become obvious he couldn’t do both.
“Lacey Cherish speaking.”
“Mayor Cherish, it’s Jasper Taylor.”
“Hi, Jasper. How’s our resident contest judge on this fine Monday morning? I heard you took her to the movie at the Hampton barn last weekend. Nice touch. I remember going out there with Bodie a few times before baby P was born.”
“Yeah, about the contest.”
“Don’t tell me you ran her off. I’ve got enough going on today, I can’t take any more bad news.”
He tried to spill it out, just dump a whole breath full of words about how he couldn’t be her hospitality host anymore. But instead, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m in a heap of trouble and I need help.”
“What now?”
“I swear someone’s out to get us. The butterfly wedding is this weekend.”
“That’s right.” Hopefully Delilah’s black eye would be gone by then or at least faded enough that she could hide it with makeup.
Lacey let out a groan. “We don’t have butterflies. Someone let them all loose last night. That bride is going to show up and all we’re going to have to release is a few giant moths. I need help.”
Jasper ran a hand through his hair. “What happened? I thought you had them tucked away in a tent in the warehouse or something.”
“I did. But someone snuck in and unzipped it. There are a few in the warehouse but most of them have flown away. They’re probably halfway to Mexico by now. Are your brothers around?”
Jasper clenched his jaw. He didn’t know what a cutthroat business weddings could be before he took on the role of hospitality host. “A few of them. What can we do to help?”
“I don’t want to alert the bride yet, not if we can figure out a way to replace the butterflies that were set loose. Do you think you and your brothers might be able to rustle some up for me?”
His heart stopped. For a long moment, he waited for it to start up again. Finally, he thumped the middle of his chest. “You want us to do what?”
“I’ve got some nets I picked up from Coop down at the feed store. I need as many people as possible to catch butterflies. I don’t care what kind. Just as many as you can. Bring them to the warehouse.”
“You got it. I’ll call Suzy and see if she can get her club to pitch in as well.”
“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.”
“We’ll do what we can.”
“I’ve got a few more calls to make. I’ll be at the warehouse after four this afternoon if you want to bring me whatever you can find.”
“See you then.” Jasper stood there for a second, letting her crazy request sink in. Butterflies. What was his world coming to?
He wandered back into the kitchen. His mom had finished making breakfast and his dad sat at the head of the table, about to dig into his scrambled eggs.
“Hey, Mayor Cherish just called. She’s got a favor to ask if any of you have some time today.” Jasper’s stomach growled at the smell of a homemade breakfast. He’d been working for a few hours already and had burned through the protein bar and cup of coffee he’d fixed himself when he woke up. But no time for that now, not with a mission from the mayor.
“What’s up?” Lucas diced up a banana and slid it onto the tray of Maggie’s high chair.
“Lacey’s got that butterfly wedding this weekend and someone let all the butterflies loose.” Jasper reached for his mug of coffee that had cooled on the counter.
“You sure you want to get wrapped up in that?” Dad held a piece of bacon in his hands. “
Butterflies? That’s asinine.”
“She’s hoping we can catch enough to replace the ones that got away.” Jasper let his gaze linger on Trent, Mitchell, and Lucas. Davis was probably still in bed, and Abby had already left for choir practice, then school.
“I can’t help, I’ve got to open the store,” Trent said.
Lucas shook his head. “My shift starts at nine and Mom’s watching Mags.”
Jasper took in a slow breath through his nose as he eyed Mitchell.
“Dad needs me to take a look at some equipment if we want to be able to harvest the pecans we’ve got left.” Mitchell lifted a shoulder. “Sorry.”
“I’ll help.” Delilah peered up at him, her eyes shining bright, the bruise on her cheek faded to a lighter shade of purple.
“Are you sure you’re up for it?” He winced as his gaze drifted over her.
“Of course. I don’t have anything going on today. What else am I going to do?”
With a sinking feeling in his gut, he wrapped a hand around his coffee and lifted it to his lips. “All right then. Let’s go hunt some butterflies.”
* * *
* * *
Three hours later Jasper slipped another huge monarch butterfly into the netted hamper his mother had given him. They’d been hunting butterflies all morning and had collected only a fraction of the number Lacey started with.
“How many does that make?” he asked Delilah. She was in charge of keeping the hamper closed so they didn’t lose any.
“Around thirty maybe?” Delilah guessed. “I lost count when Buster knocked the hamper over and we had to recapture some of the ones that got away.”
“That’s it?”
Delilah had on a bright yellow sweater. She looked like a sunflower standing against the backdrop of some fields that had been left to compost. The butterflies seemed to flock to her, probably drawn in by the color of her sweater.
“Hold still.” Jasper gently plucked a few more butterflies from her sleeve and slipped them into the hamper. “At this rate we won’t have enough to make much of an impact.”
“What are butterflies attracted to?” Delilah asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried to find them on purpose before.”
She pulled out her phone and typed on the screen. “Looks like they love milkweed. Is there any of that growing around here?”
“Hey, Aunt Suzy,” Jasper called to his aunt, who’d joined them with a few of her biker friends. “Isn’t there some nursery around here that specializes in local plants?”
“There sure is.” Suzy nodded. “That place out east of town. I think it’s called Milkweed Gardens, or something like that.”
“Perfect. Delilah, why don’t you and I head over and see if it’s worth pursuing. Suzy and Helmut, you stay here and if we think you need to come over, I’ll give you call.” Delilah had already started to move toward his truck when Jasper caught up. “Thanks for pitching in with this.”
“Of course. What else was I going to do today? Sit around while the rest of you went on a mad dash to try to collect butterflies? Besides, this is fun. It’s not every day I get to learn how to track down monarchs.”
“But your eye.” Finally, far enough away for the others to notice, Jasper cupped her cheek with his palm.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me. Right now I’m only thinking about butterflies.”
He nodded. “Hopefully we’ll find enough to make it work. I hate to think about that poor bride.”
“You put on quite a front, don’t you?”
He turned to find her studying him. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing, really. I’m just surprised that a guy like you cares so much about how a stranger might feel.” She tucked a leg underneath her while a teasing smile played across her lips.
Jasper shifted his gaze to the road ahead. “I don’t want Lacey to have to deal with the fallout.”
“Right.”
“What? Is it that strange that a guy would be concerned about a friend?”
“Nope. Not strange at all.”
He glanced over and caught her biting back a grin. “Are you saying men shouldn’t think about other people’s feelings?”
“Not at all.” She faced him, her green eyes shining. “I’m saying it’s refreshing to see someone who’s not afraid to show he cares.”
Jasper blew out a breath. “Great. Now you’re making me out to sound like a softhearted wuss.”
Her fingers brushed his arm. “That’s not what I meant at all. I think it’s nice that you care so much. Not everyone has the ability to put themselves in someone else’s place and consider how they feel. That’s all.”
He wasn’t sure if he should take her observation as a compliment. “How about we focus more on finding butterflies and less on my emotional intelligence?”
Her grin spread wider. “Sounds like a plan.”
Ten minutes later he’d pulled up in front of the milkweed farm. It was a mom-and-pop operation well outside town limits. They focused on cultivating native plants and operated an organic produce market.
Jasper entered the small building, Delilah right behind him. He explained the situation to the owners, and they directed him to a spot along a stretch of a narrow creek where the milkweed flourished. Hundreds of butterflies flitted from one plant to the next. Jasper gathered the nets from the back of the truck and handed one to Delilah.
“Have you ever seen anything like this?”
The look on her face told him she hadn’t. Her good eye sparkled as a butterfly landed on her shoulder. “It’s beautiful.”
Another one came to rest on her nose. Her eyes crossed. He snapped a quick picture with his phone.
“Don’t you dare share that with anyone.” She tried to look stern but with a butterfly on her head, one on her nose, and several more dotting her shirt, he couldn’t take her seriously.
“Pinkie promise.” He held out his hand and she looped her pinkie finger around his.
“You’ve got one on your head.” Her gaze rested above his face. “I think we need a selfie of this. No one’s going to believe it.” She pressed against him, turning her bruised cheek to his chest, and snapped a pic as they both smiled into the camera.
“Let’s get to work.” He gently ushered butterfly after butterfly into the net, then transferred them into another one of the hampers his mom had provided.
Delilah helped, the smile on her face not faltering once. “Look, there are a bunch of them over here.”
Jasper glanced over just in time to see her foot slip on a rock near the creek. “Careful!”
She went down, her ass landing in a deep patch of mud. Her mouth opened in surprise, but nothing came out.
“Are you okay?” He rushed over and held out a hand.
Delilah rubbed at her backside. “That hurt. I think I’m going to have a bruise on my backside for life from that.”
“You need some ice?” He should have warned her earlier. It could be slick by the water. Now she was injured—again—and this time there was no doubt it was all his fault. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you.”
“Warned me about what? That mud can be slippery?” She reached out so he could help her up. “I’m a grown-ass woman. I ought to know better.”
He pulled her to her feet, and she tried to steady herself by grabbing a fistful of his shirt.
“Oh no. I’m sorry. Now I’ve gone and got you all muddy, too.” She stared at the center of his chest where she’d gripped the fabric, leaving a crinkled, muddy spot.
“I’ll survive. You sure you’re okay?” He held her upper arm, trying to make sure she didn’t slip again. “You’ve got some mud on your cheek.”
She swiped a hand across her nose, running it over her cheek. “Better?”
“You actually made it wor
se.” He let go of her arm to wipe the mud away. As he did, she took a step forward.
She went down again, grabbing his arm as she did. Before he had a chance to gain his footing, they both landed. Him on his back, her splayed over his chest, her breasts pressing against him.
She gasped like she’d had the wind knocked out of her. “You okay?”
Like a crab, he scuttled backward, trying to get to a position where he could make sure she wasn’t hurt. She rolled over onto her back, her face smeared with mud. A deep laugh rumbled through her chest.
“You should see your face.” She pushed herself to a seated position and wiped a palm across his cheek. “Oh no, I made it worse.”
Seeing her there, her hair matted with mud, one eye bright with humor, her cheeks flushed underneath the dirt, did something to his insides. It was like the image of perfection she presented to the world had melted away, leaving the real Delilah exposed, for his eyes only.
His arm looped around her shoulders and he lowered his face toward hers. The desire to kiss her consumed him. He fought it, knowing it could make things harder. But the heat inside him turned all of his reservations to ash.
Her smile faded as she realized his intent. A conversation seemed to flow between them even though neither one of them said a word. He lifted a brow. She gave a slight nod. He touched his lips to hers.
Everything faded away, leaving the two of them in a vacuum that seemed to transcend time and space. He stopped trying to fight it and leaned in.
* * *
* * *
Delilah couldn’t believe the storm of emotions swirling around inside her. They were covered in mud. Her hip ached like she’d fallen flat on her ass on a rock the size of Texas. Her cheek still smarted from her run-in with the goat. But butterflies danced around them as Jasper claimed her mouth with his, over and over again.
She didn’t want to stop. She couldn’t. It was like she’d shrivel up and die if they broke the connection. Her body ached for him, like his kiss could make her whole.
Gasping, she pulled back, just enough to fill her lungs with air. “Wow.”