He parked the truck in front of her little cottage and turned to her. “I had a lot of fun tonight. Thanks for staying.”
“Me, too,” Karise admitted, feeling like she should go but not quite ready to end the night. Aidan hopped out of the truck and walked around to get her door. They walked down the short path, hands not quite touching. After a polite goodnight, he left. Alone inside, she leaned against her door, wondering why he hadn’t kissed her. Sure, she’d told him repeatedly she wasn’t interested, but maybe she’d been wrong.
A knock at the door interrupted her worried train of thought. She opened it to find Aidan with a preoccupied look on his face.
“I forgot something,” he offered by way of explanation before pulling her into his arms. He kissed her without hesitation. She met his touch eagerly, every hour of unrequited longing driving her need. He kissed her until she was dizzy and then kissed her once more, this time with tender reverence, before bidding her goodnight. This time when she leaned against her door all alone, an entirely different train of thought filled her mind.
CHAPTER SEVEN
KARISE HOPED SHE DIDN’T look like a walking picnic basket. She’d picked the red checked shirt up in a thrift store thinking it was cute. Now she felt like, well, a walking picnic basket. She’d nearly changed her shirt three different times, but something had distracted her each and every time. First it was Kate, calling to get the scoop on the rest of the evening. Then it was a small explosion of coffee, announcing the final demise of the hated coffee maker. The third interruption was the door.
Aidan’s grin was too amused when he greeted her.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.” He held up his hands in a show of innocence. “Why do you assume I did something?”
“Okay, what stupid thing have I done?”
“Nothing.”
“Is it the shirt? Does it look like a picnic basket?”
Aidan guffawed. “If you’re going to make references to your shirt containing edible delicacies, then you really should button it. Otherwise it’s just over the top.”
Karise wanted to die. She told the Creator of all things that if he had an ounce of pity in him, he’d take her then and there. She pulled the shirt together, too flustered to manage actually maneuvering the buttons. “You said I hadn’t done anything stupid.”
“On the contrary, I found it quite delightful.”
Karise was tempted to call him an ass, but she was afraid she’d just sound petulant so she let it go. She was beginning to question the intelligence of even considering working for this man. On the other hand, avoiding him had only made her want him more. Maybe spending more time with him would be just the thing to get over her little infatuation. Or maybe that’s just what she was telling herself because she wanted to spend more time with him.
“Karise?”
“Hmm?”
“Did you blow up the coffee maker?” He nodded toward the mess on the counter.
“I didn’t do it. It just happened.”
His expression said he didn’t believe her. “Hey Karise…”
“Yes?”
“You really need to button that shirt before I unbutton it the rest of the way.”
“Dang it.” Realizing there really was no coming back from this one, she decided to have a little fun with it. When it came to her skill at the art of seduction, it was about the same as juggling – marginal at best. So though she felt ridiculous doing it, Karise buttoned each button slowly and with purpose in the hopes that it caused at least some measure of discomfort. His expression pleased her, as did the fact that she had to remind him to breathe.
Her little victory put a touch of sass in her step as she finished getting ready. The ride back to his house was smattered with small talk, but mostly each took in the morning in silence. This time, when they pulled down his driveway, the fields were dotted with little goats in every imaginable coat and pattern. Tiny babies ran and leapt and played as their mothers ignored them in favor of grazing for breakfast. Before the truck even came in view of the house, it was met by the two mammoth beasts that had been locked up the night before.
The white dog ran gracefully ahead of them, occasionally bouncing back their direction like an oversized puppy. The black one lumbered along beside them, his pace much more in line with his extreme size.
“Let me get out of the truck first,” Aidan warned.
“Will your dogs eat me if I don’t?”
“Possibly.”
Karise nodded, absorbing the information. “They look too sweet to eat anyone.”
“That changes pretty quick if you’re a stranger here uninvited.”
“Don’t you worry they’ll hurt Zoe?”
“If you saw them with her, you’d know the answer. With these dogs, you fall into one of three categories: family to be protected, stranger to keep out, or stranger to be tolerated because your pack leader said so.”
“Where I come from, most of the dogs were mangy strays.”
“I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t have at least one dog.” He put the truck in park and hopped out to be greeted by the pair who’d escorted them down the drive. The animals writhed with such excitement Karise would have thought he’d been gone for more than thirty minutes. Aidan came around the front of the truck to open her door, offering a hand in true gentlemanly fashion.
Karise accepted his hand, not at all unhappy when he didn’t let go. His dogs moved in, curious about the new girl. She instinctively held a hand out to them, which they both sniffed, looking to Aidan for direction. He smiled at them and their tails wagged in response. They were such intrinsically happy creatures Karise couldn’t help smiling in response.
“Karise, meet Bonnie and Clyde.”
“Cute.” Karise knelt to greet each dog. Bonnie looked white from a distance, but closer inspection showed her coloring was actually more butter-cream. There was something distinctly feminine and graceful about her despite the fact that her head was so massive it wouldn’t fit in both of Karise’s hands. Her fur, though short, was thick and soft.
“Bonnie is an Anatolian Shepherd. That’s a Livestock Guardian breed from Turkey. Most Anatolians live entirely with their herd or flock, but Bonnie is more of an all-around farm dog here.”
Karise nodded with interest. The entire concept was foreign to her. “What about Clyde?”
“He’s a Newfoundland. If it wasn’t for Bonnie keeping him on his toes, he’d be quite content to live his life imitating a bear skin rug.”
Karise thought Clyde looked like a mountain of shiny black fur with a pink tongue that didn’t fit in his mouth. There was something about him that made her itch to hug him, though. “I bet he’s a good snuggler. A girl could get herself a dog like that and never need a man.”
Clyde responded by kissing her hand.
“Clyde, buddy, not cool moving in on my girl.”Aidan ruffled the dog’s fur.
Karise tried not to fixate on the fact that he’d called her his girl.
“Have you had breakfast?” He led her to the house, the dogs following happily behind.
“You saw my failed attempt at coffee. That was as close as I got.”
“I can fix that.” He set about pouring her a cup of coffee as soon as they were inside. It wasn’t long before he had a spread of fresh fruit set out to go with their coffee. He offered her something more substantial, but she was still fairly stuffed from the night before.
“Not to talk myself out of a job,” Karise started, looking around the little kitchen, “but I can’t believe you want to add on to this place. It has an amazing feel to it. I’m hesitant to disrupt that.”
“You are a terrible salesperson,” he informed her.
“Probably not the best trait for someone who wants to be their own boss, huh?”
“Probably not.” He followed her gaze around the room. “I do love this place, but I also really do need room to entertain. And if it’s ever more than just me and Zo
e, there’s no way we’d fit. Not without moving Bonnie and Clyde outside, that is.”
Karise allowed herself a moment to imagine what it would be like to be part of the “more than me and Zoe” he’d mentioned. She shoved the pretty picture aside and focused on the job at hand. “Okay, so add space without losing the vibe. Gotcha. What time frame are you looking at?”
“Whatever works for you. Well, I mean, sometime within the next year or so.”
Karise laughed. “I think I can pencil you in. My schedule’s pretty packed, but you’re worth moving a few things around.”
“I’m honored.”
“You totally should be.”
After breakfast, he took her on the grand tour. As charming as she found the place, it was apparent why he wanted to expand. In her home village, this would have been a mansion. By American standards, it was cozy at best. She took notes about what he liked and what he didn’t, snapping pictures as they went along to jog her memory when she would go over her scribbles later.
After they’d finished looking over the house, they moved on to the barn. Karise had no idea so much went into milking goats.
“When we first started, the girls all had to be milked by hand. Now that we have 20 or more in milk at any given time, we use the machine,” he explained.
“Somehow, I can’t picture you milking a goat.”
“I can’t either. That’s Grandpa Joe’s job – I just fill in as needed.”
“Grandpa Joe?”
“He manages the farm side of things. Since Zoe was still a baby when I hired him, she just kind of grew up calling him Grandpa Joe. He and his wife live in a cabin at the east end of the property. Laura oversees the kitchen. Everything I know about cheese, I learned from her.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what it is about the whole thing, but I’m completely fascinated. What made you decide to give up being an artist in a band to raise goats and make cheese?”
Aidan shrugged self-consciously as he sat on one of the goat milking stands. “I found myself all alone with a baby to raise and no clue what I was going to do about that. I’d never even babysat before. I didn’t know how to change a diaper. I had no clue what kids liked. I was totally and completely lost.”
Karise sat beside him on the stand, listening quietly and still unsure that she followed the logic.
“Kate and Gavin took us in, gave me a place to be while I thought about what was next. I had some savings thanks to a few fluke painting sales, but I didn’t want to trust Zoe’s future to something so… intermittent.”
“Kate and Gavin really are good people, aren’t they?”
“The best.” Aidan smiled. “Spending all that time hanging out at their winery, I began to realize there was a niche market out there for specialty cheeses. I liked the idea of raising Zoe on a farm with animals, too. So I did some research and put together a business plan. When this place went up for auction, I was able to get a loan to cover what my savings wouldn’t. Things just fell together from there. I found Joe and Laura—they go to church with Elsie, whom I met at Kate’s. They lost their farm when the mortgage bubble burst. It worked out for all of us for them to move onto the place to help me run it. They were willing to accept a roof and a percent of profits in lieu of a paycheck, which was good, because getting the place up and running pretty well wiped me out.”
“And you did all of this with an infant?” Karise was incredulous.
“I had help. I definitely couldn’t have done it without my friends. And Zoe, well, you’ve met Zoe. She’s amazing, and she loves this life. It suits her to a T. She even pitches in and helps milk goats when the machines are down.”
“So, it’s going well? Business is good?”
Aidan nodded slowly, considering his answer. “Pretty good, yeah. We have to be careful, but we pay the bills. We’ve built a fairly solid customer base here in California, but if we want to do more than pay the bills, we’re going to have to expand our territory. I was in Boston to chase down a lead with a grocery chain out there.”
“Did it pan out?”
“I met you.” His gaze was serious.
“Did it pan out in any way that’s productive?” She tried rephrasing the question.
“I’ll let you know when I find out.”
Karise thought about it for a moment, not sure if she should give voice to the idea that popped into her head. “You know, I could ask Devon to make a few calls. I bet he could set up some meetings that might help.”
“Does McAlister Industries have a grocery store chain I’m not aware of?”
“No. If so, I’m not aware of it, either. But I do know he has a poker buddy who does.”
Aidan shook his head. “I can’t let you do that.”
“What? Make a phone call? Ask Devon to make a phone call? Because neither one is a big deal. I’d be thrilled to do it – besides, it’s kind of self-serving. If you expand your business, I can bilk you for more money on the house expansion.”
“You seem like the type of person to bilk.” Aidan mocked seriousness.
“It’s a character flaw of mine.” She matched his teasing tone.
“I’ll think about the offer,” Aidan conceded. “So does that mean you’ll help with the house?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“You have to see the rest of the place; then decide.”
“There’s more?” Karise asked.
“Not only is there more, I saved the best for last.” Aidan stood and offered his hand to Karise.
She placed her hand in his, allowing him to tuck it into the crook of his arm. “Then consider me intrigued.”
“Just the way I like it. Come on, we need to stop by the house to grab a few things.”
“The plot thickens.”
“I was thinking we could have a picnic,” he told her.
“Is that a crack about my shirt?” Karise dug in her heels, giving him her fiercest scowl.
Aidan laughed. “As much as I wish it was, I really did have a picnic planned for today.”
Karise relented, allowing herself to be tugged along if for no other reason than to satisfy her curiosity. After picking up a picnic basket and blanket, they set out through a field behind the house. When they passed by a pocket of goats, Aidan paused to point out each animal and tell her something about it. When Karise learned the field was called the bachelor pad, where the male goats were kept so their stink wouldn’t impact the cheese, Karise smirked. Several quips came to mind, but she bit them back. It probably wasn’t very nice to tease him when he’d gone to so much trouble.
They passed through another gate. A large hill loomed ahead, making Karise wonder if their picnic site was worth the trouble. Aidan picked up the pace, glancing over at Karise as they neared the top of the hill.
When they reached the peak, Karise knew without asking they had reached their destination. Before them stretched an endless field of red poppies. Individually, the flowers were silken works of art. Collectively, they were breathtaking.
“What do you think?”
“There are no words.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought when I stumbled across this place. I’d owned the farm for two months before I even discovered it.”
Karise stepped forward, holding a hand out to skim the tops of the flowers as she waded into their midst. “Magical,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” he agreed, his voice taking on a huskier tone.
Karise studied the field for a moment longer before turning back to smile at Aidan. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
He took a step toward her. “You’re welcome.”
“You may never get me out of here. I just might decide to live right here, in this field.”
Aidan chuckled. “You might get cold at some point. Besides, the poppies don’t last long. This is the peak of their season. After that, it’s just a field.”
“A field with a promise worth waiting for,” she amended.
“Something like that.
” There was a pause. The expression on his face made Karise wonder what he was thinking. She was pretty sure that whatever it had been, it was more than his suggestion that they pick a spot to eat, which were the next words out of his mouth.
Karise only nibbled at the food he spread out in front of them. Her mind was racing in too many different directions, and her stomach had way too many butterflies for food to be a top priority. She listened as Aidan talked about how this field had inspired many of the designs used in his marketing material. The gentle cadence of his voice was like a caress. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of him – all of the excuses she’d been hiding behind faded away a little more with each syllable that fell from his lips.
Aidan paused mid sentence to eye her warily. “Is everything okay?”
Karise nodded. “Yes, sorry. Go on.”
“Am I boring you?”
“Quite the contrary.”
“You’re killing me, Karise. What is it?”
She hesitated then took a deep breath and threw caution to the wind. It’s possible she leapt at him. She couldn’t be entirely sure. All she really knew was that she was right where she wanted to be now: in his arms. His surprise quickly gave way to eager acceptance as he met her kiss with one of his own. He was salty and sweet at once. The hint of sandpaper on his jaw grazed her soft skin. A low growl of longing rumbled deep in his throat as he pulled her more firmly on his lap.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, arching into him as his mouth pulled away from hers to roam the skin exposed by the V of her shirt. Her fingers sank greedily into his dark hair as he left a trail of fire across her flesh. Karise couldn’t tell if she was flying or falling or something in between.
She kissed his temple, then his cheek, then reclaimed his lips. He leaned into her, deepening the touch. Time melted away. Karise was aware of only two things: She’d never felt anything remotely like this before, and she wanted more of him. She shifted positions, gently pushing him back on the blanket. She ran her hands up his sides, shoving his shirt out of the way as she did. Karise had lost many nights’ sleep thinking about the very muscles she now traced with her fingers. She moved to kiss his jaw, then his throat, then met her hands at his chest. He stopped breathing when she traced a feathery trail of kisses along his abdomen.
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