by Piper Rayne
Pleasure flushed my cheeks and I crouched so I could get a good look at the little guy’s face.
“Peter,” I said after a few minutes of internal deliberation.
“Peter?” he asked.
“Yes, is that okay?”
“Of course, newbie’s choice. Peter it is.”
By sunrise, Paul and Mary joined Peter on Cherry Springs Farm.
Chapter Nine
I was exhausted, yet exhilarated, and smelled pretty terrible, and it was the longest, yet most fulfilling first day of work I’d ever had.
I’d seen three baby calves come into the world and had even gotten to help deliver the third one. I was riding on fumes but utterly jazzed over the last twenty-four hours.
“You want to come in and grab a shower?” Mason said as we watched Dr. Garcia drive away. “I’ll make you something to eat while you get cleaned up.”
“That’s the best offer I’ve had in my whole life,” I said with a laugh.
I may have been feeling slightly delirious.
“Come on. I’ll bet you a hundred bucks my ma has laid out some clean clothes for you and probably has biscuits and gravy warming in the oven.”
“Wow, really?” I asked, thinking how nice it must feel to be taken care of like that.
“Yeah, but I’ll hold up my end and scramble you some eggs to go along with them.”
My stomach growled in response and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since our picnic at lunch the day before. Neither of us had.
Mason opened the door and led me inside through the rustic, country-themed rooms. It was obvious from the mix of antique furniture and family photos that the house was the center of the McClintock family.
“Your house is lovely,” I said as we stepped into a room with a pretty canopy bed covered in throw pillows, and yes, there was a sweet floral sundress laid out across it.
“Thanks, it’s mostly still the same as it’s been since I was born. Except the bottom floor, that’s mine. I’ll show you once we’ve gotten you clean and fed,” Mason said as he gestured toward the open door of the bathroom. “Everything you need will be in there.”
I blocked out the vision his words put in my head, of him stepping into the shower with me and scrubbing my back, and simply said, “Thanks.”
Once I was alone, I stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the glorious steam of the shower. The hot water hit my aching muscles and I realized I’d been more tired than I thought. The longer I stood under the spray, the more my tension eased.
It was wonderful.
Once I was fresh and smelled of lavender and orange blossoms, I put on the dress, which was about one size too big, and went off in search of Mason. I hadn’t been able to stomach putting my soiled underwear back on, so I was going commando. Luckily, the dress covered everything that needed to be covered, so I figured I’d be safe and no one would be the wiser.
My hair was still wet, and my face scrubbed clean, but I didn’t think he’d mind.
When I stepped into the kitchen, I let out a gasp of disbelief, and Mason turned at the sound.
“This kitchen is ridiculous,” I murmured, my head swiveling as I took it all in.
Mason chuckled and said, “My mom had it redone about five years ago. This is her dream kitchen.”
“I bet. I don’t even cook and it’s my dream kitchen,” I joked.
“Coffee?” he asked.
I took the cup he offered and took a sip as I continued to look around.
The walls were lined with open cabinets and shelves, baskets filled with fresh produce and a large island as the focal point of the space. Warm woods with white accents made the kitchen feel warm and welcoming. The flooring was wood, but rather than looking brand new, it looked weathered and well lived in.
All the dishes, serving ware, and cookery were exposed, so it had to be pretty and lend to the décor, which of course it did.
The whole concept and execution was amazing, and I had no idea how someone could be creative enough to come up with it. I had to give his mom her due, her vision come to life was stunning.
“Mmmm, this is really good,” I said after a couple sips.
“We buy local beans from the farmer’s market.”
“Of course you do,” I retorted, smiling at him over my cup so he’d know I was teasing.
“Hungry?” he asked, his eyes lingering on my chest for a few beats.
Oh God, can he tell I don’t have a bra on?
“Starved, actually,” I replied, my eyes widening as he held out a plate filled with biscuits and gravy, bacon, and eggs so fresh there was steam rising off of them. “Wow, thanks.”
“Let’s take these downstairs,” he said, lifting a plate that matched my own.
I nodded and said, “Sounds good,” then followed him to the door at the back of the kitchen and down the stairs into what he’d called his domain.
Chapter Ten
This space definitely felt more like Mason.
Decorated in deep grays and blues, the basement was outfitted like an apartment. Complete with its own small kitchen, a living room, a small office, a bedroom, and a private bath.
“This is nice,” I said as I moved across the kitchenette to the corner booth.
“Thanks. It’s tough, living and working with your parents, especially when you’re in your thirties, so I needed my own space. I’d thought of converting space in the barn, but ultimately this worked out the best. I have to be here, it’s just easier that way, and there’s no way I could kick my ma out of her house.”
“Of course not,” I agreed, settling in and taking my first spoonful of food. “Oh my God. I’d never want to leave here either…”
Mason’s eyes crinkled at the sides when he grinned back at me. “Yeah, the food here doesn’t suck.”
I shook my head and took another bite.
“Your mom has a true gift,” I managed around a mouthful of spicy sausage and creamy gravy. “My mom couldn’t even boil water without burning it. I thought wonder bread with miracle whip was a delicacy growing up.”
Mason’s brow furrowed as he asked, “You mean, just bread? No meat, cheese, or veggies?”
I laughed and shook my head. “The miracle whip was all you needed.”
“If you say so…”
He looked so disgusted, and I was so tired, that my laughter turned a bit manic before I could settle it down.
“Look, about yesterday,” Mason began when I finally caught my breath.
“No, please, let me,” I said, holding up my hand to stop him from apologizing again. “I’m so sorry that I freaked out on you like that. You said you know a little about me, but my track record with men hasn’t been great. I’ve always been a kind of party girl and that’s how guys treated me. I’m the girl you take home for the night, but not the one you have a relationship with.”
When he opened his mouth to speak, I stopped him.
“I’m not saying that to be down on myself. Honestly, I’m not ashamed of my past or anything I’ve done. It was the place I was in in my life, ya know? I was working nights at a bar, going to school full time and only looking to blow off steam and have fun. But since I graduated and found out I got the job with Dr. Garcia, I promised myself that that part of my life was done. I’m older now, and ready to start living a grown-up life. I do eventually want to get married and have kids and the way I used to live was not the way to do that. So I told myself I was moving on and leaving wild Becs from the wrong side of the tracks behind me. Then I met you…”
“Can I?” Mason started. When I nodded, he said, “I don’t care about your past, I only care about your present and your future. I didn’t mean for things to progress so quickly yesterday, but it happened, and I don’t regret it for one second. It was amazing. You are amazing.”
“Thanks, I think you’re pretty amazing, too.”
“Our chemistry was greater than I anticipated, and I gotta say, I’m thrilled about it.”
I co
uldn’t help but laugh over his pleased expression.
“And I love everything you just said … that you’re ready to have a serious relationship, and do eventually want to settle down, because I want those things too. And I know you probably think I’m some kind of crazy stalker farmer who lured you here, but I promise I’m just a normal guy. No, I don’t get out a lot and I haven’t been on a lot of dates, but like I said, I have a plan to free up my time so I can have a real relationship. A partnership. Not like my parents, who both worked so hard and never seemed to have enough time left over for each other.”
Aww, that made me sad for his mom.
“If you’ll give me a chance, I’d love to take you out on a real date. I’ll pick you up, we can go to dinner, maybe a movie or dancing, and I’ll kiss you at your front door at the end of the night. I know we started out a few steps ahead, but I’m willing to slow it down and give us a real shot, if you are.”
I picked up my bacon and took a bite as I watched him thoughtfully.
“Are you real?” I asked finally. “You have to realize you seem too good to be true, especially to a girl like me.”
“I’m as real as you are,” he said, reaching out to take my hand. “And believe me, you’re a damned fantasy come to life.”
“Sounds like we may be just what the other person needs,” I replied, squeezing his hand back gently.
“Now, I know we said we’d take things slow, but I know you’re exhausted and I’d rather you not drive home if that’s okay with you. What do you say we head to my bedroom and take a nap? I promise to keep my hands to myself even though it’ll take some restraint on my part.”
He totally knows I’m going commando under this dress.
“Actually, that sounds amazing,” I replied, following his lead and standing. “I’m kind of surprised I didn’t just fall asleep right on the table. I’m running on fumes here.”
“Me, too,” Mason said.
We put our dirty dishes in the sink, and when he held out his hand to me, I accepted it and we walked through the living room to his bedroom.
“Under the covers or on top?” Mason asked once we reached his king-sized bed.
“Under,” I replied, moving to the right side of the bed when he went left.
His grin was enticing as we pulled back the covers and slipped underneath. I turned to my side so I could look at him lying on the pillow next to me and immediately felt my body relax into the bed.
“Sweet dreams, Becs,” Mason whispered.
“Sweet dreams, Mason,” I replied.
And we both drifted off to sleep.
Want more Cherry Springs? Start the Lewis Cousins Series with Too Tempting now!
About Bethany Lopez
Bethany Lopez is a USA Today Bestselling author of more than thirty books and has been published since 2011. She's a lover of all things romance, which she incorporates into the books she writes, no matter the genre.
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ISBN- 978-1-989685-29-7
About Finally Yours
They say your forties are the new twenties.
Maybe that would be true if my ex-husband hadn’t turned out to be a lying, cheating, stealing ass who left me with nothing except my pride.
And it’s that pride that should keep me from accepting Phillip Conrad’s sexy, sinful, and way too cocky offer to pay off the debt I owe him.
I should walk away. I should slap him. Hell, I should tell him exactly where he can shove his offer. But I don’t.
Because Phillip and I have unfinished business and its long past time to see if that spark between us has the potential to fan into a full-fledged inferno.
Besides, if forty is the new twenty, then I’m way overdue for some excitement.
The sexier the better.
Chapter One
There was no way.
Absolutely no way.
It didn’t matter how many times I stared at the number, it didn’t get any smaller.
As if that would matter.
Even if it got smaller, I’d still be screwed.
I clicked on my phone one more time in case there’d been some sort of miracle, and scrolled through the email that had come through from the college admissions
office one more time.
Yup. Still screwed.
$11,000 for one semester.
The number still made me sick to my stomach. Where the hell was I going to come up with that kind of money to pay my tuition?
So much for bettering myself.
So much for trying to start a whole new life after my husband of over fifteen years proved to be not only a philandering asshole, but a cheat and a fraudster, too.
All the signs that Daniel was a dishonest swindler siphoning millions of dollars from his client’s investments had been there for most of our marriage. I’d chosen to ignore them. Just as I’d chosen to ignore his string of girlfriends. Fortunately, it didn’t make me complicit in the crime. Just an idiot.
An idiot who at forty-one was trying—and clearly failing—to start her life over.
How could anyone start their life over when the only job you could get without a college degree in the upscale town of Aspen Valley was minimum wage, which barely paid for rent and food, let alone the education it would take to get that degree? It was ridiculous. And because I’d had to declare bankruptcy because of Daniel, there was zero hope of a loan. Hell, I was lucky I even got a job. Apparently being married to a douchebag who’d swindled millions and claiming ignorance about it all didn’t make you seem very credible or smart.
I’d been lucky—if you could call it that—to get the job in the pro shop at the Aspen Valley Country Club I used to be a member at. No. It wasn’t luck.
It was torture to serve the men and women who used to be my friends and let them treat me like a piece of shit on the bottom of their overpriced designer golf shoes all day.
It wasn’t my fault my husband stole their money!