“K.”

“Love you,” she says.

“You, too,” I reply. It’s all I ever say.

I stick my phone back in my pocket and turn toward the door of the barn. I stop in my tracks when I see Laney standing there. She’s backlit by the sun, making it seem as though she’s surrounded by a golden halo. She looks every bit the angel I’m sure she is. That only makes me want to corrupt her that much more.

“Please tell me you came looking for a little afternoon delight,” I tease, walking slowly toward her.

Laney squares her shoulders, clears her throat, and ignores my comment, which makes me smile. “I’m sorry to interrupt. I was just coming to tell you I’m driving into town for lunch.”

Her head is held high and her expression is as unaffected as she can make it, but still, she can’t hide from me what she’s feeling. She’s attracted to me, and disconcerted by me, whether she’ll admit it or not. I can see her nervousness in the way her fingers are fidgeting with the hem of her blouse.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay here? I’m sure I could come up with something to . . . satisfy you.”

Her cheeks turn bright red and her eyes round ever-so-slightly, making me want to pull her into my arms and kiss her senseless. But I won’t. I promised I wouldn’t until she asked me to. And I have no doubt she will. I’ll just have to make sure it’s sooner rather than later. She’s giving me an itch that I don’t want to wait to scratch.

“Thank you, but no. I’ve got some errands to run as well.” I say nothing, just shake my head as I study her. Her eyes dart away and I know she’s looking for some way to ease the tension. “So, I couldn’t help but overhear part of your conversation. If neither you nor your sister wants to stay here in Greenfield with the orchard, why not just let your aunt have it?”

I feel like sighing. Every time I think of my aunt Ellie, I get angry. And right now, in Laney’s presence, there are several other emotions I’d much rather be focusing on.

Another day . . .

“My parents wanted it with either me or Jenna. They’d roll over in their graves if we let Ellie take it.”

Mom especially. She always dreamed of her grandchildren playing in the orchard. She’s the reason I’m so determined to keep it with us, just like Dad is the reason Jenna wants to.

“Why? She’s family.”

“Not all family is the good kind.”

“And you think your aunt falls into that category?”

“Yes. She’s nothing like my mother. My mother was a kind and caring woman, and she loved this place. When my grandparents retired and moved to Florida, they left the house and the orchard to her as the oldest. We only found out after Dad died that Ellie was given a portion of the income. And now, true to the selfish person that she is, she wants it all.”

“Why now?”

“Ellie never liked the orchard to begin with. She and her husband had big plans to get out of this place and make a shitload of money. I guess she always thought the orchard money would just be extra. But things didn’t work out the way she had planned. She could never do anything about it while Dad was alive, though. But with him gone, and just me and Jenna left . . .”

“She’s contesting that she should have the right of survivorship, rather than you two,” Laney finishes.

I nod. “And that’s why you’re here, inventorying everything my family has ever owned.”

It’s Laney’s turn to nod. She casts her eyes down, like she’s afraid to meet mine. Finally she speaks. “I’m sorry, Jake. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to go through something like this right after you buried your father.”

She’s sweet. And sincere. I can feel compassion rolling off her in waves.

And it makes me distinctly uncomfortable.

So, I do what I do best, and I deflect.

I step closer to Laney, close enough to smell her perfume. It’s light and sweet. Sexy. Like sunshine and sin.

I take her chin between my fingers and wait until her eyes meet mine. “Don’t feel sorry for me. Unless you plan to do something to make me feel better.”

Her cheeks turn pink again. “You really are a bad boy, aren’t you?” she whispers, almost like she’s thinking aloud.

“I can be as good or as bad as you want me to be.”

“I’ve always wanted the good guys,” she muses. I’m not a bit surprised. I’d be willing to bet she’s never broken a rule in her entire life.

“Maybe it’s time for a change.”

“Maybe it is,” she says softly, her blue eyes flickering down to my mouth and back again.

“Tell me to kiss you,” I say quietly as I lean slowly toward her.

Like I poked her with a cattle prod, I see her eyes widen and a startled look come over her face. She steps back, as though she’s stepping away from danger. “I need to go. I’ll be back after lunch.”

And with that, she turns and walks quickly to where her car is parked, slides behind the wheel, and drives away. I step out of the barn to watch her go. And I see her watching me through her rearview mirror.

I grin at her and wink. Whether she can see it or not, it doesn’t matter.

It’s just a matter of time.

SEVEN: Laney

Sunday morning, and I’ve never been happier to hear the pianist start the first hymn. Here I thought I’d have to worry about sinful thoughts of Jake during church. Little did I know today’s torture would be about Shane instead.

I’m already tired of all the good-natured, well-meaning questions about his absence. I can’t remember the last time I came home and went to church and Shane wasn’t with me. Evidently everyone else noticed that, too. One of the major downsides of small-town life is everyone knowing your business. It hasn’t yet hit the gossip mill that we aren’t together anymore, but it’s sure to spread like wildfire now.

I exhale in relief when Mom slides into the pew beside me. The grilling is over. For the moment, anyway.

As the choir fills, the banging of the door at the back of the church turns nearly every head in the building. My blood boils when I see Tori, my ex best friend, duck and walk quickly down the aisle toward the front. Toward me.

Surely to God she doesn’t have the audacity to come sit with me!

And yet, she does. My mother shifts her legs to the side to allow Tori to pass. I do not. I keep my back straight, my feet planted, and my eyes trained straight ahead.

When she sits down beside me, I scoot a fraction of an inch toward my mother. I hear Tori’s sigh, and I grit my teeth.

“Really? This is how you’re going to act? In church?” Tori whispers.

As much as I’d like to say to her, as much as I’d like to blister her ears, I keep my mouth shut and ignore her.

“Nice. Real Christian of you, Laney.”

I turn my blazing eyes on her. “You are telling me what’s Christian?” My laugh, though soft, is discernibly bitter. “Oh, okay.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You won’t even give me a chance to explain. You’re judging me without knowing all the facts.”

I whip my head back around to look at her. “I don’t need an explanation, Tori. I found you in bed with my fiancé. Unless you have a twin that I don’t know about, I’m not interested in your explanation.”

“It’s not what you think, Laney,” Tori says, her eyes pleading with me.

“I might be the preacher’s daughter and I might be tame by some people’s standards, but I’m not an idiot. I know what I walked in on.”

“You think you know what you walked in on,” Tori replies.

Suddenly, I’m tired. Tired of feeling hurt. Tired of feeling betrayed. Tired of trying to figure out the why of it all. Tired of feeling . . . less. Shane wanted a wild girl. He found one. End of story.

It just sucks that it was my very best friend in the whole world.

“It’s done, Tori. I’m over it. Over Shane. Over you.” I turn my attention back to the choir. I school my features to look politely interested, something I learned to do years ago so my father wouldn’t fuss at me for misbehaving in church. But inside, there’s a hole in my heart. I don’t know if she can hear me, and I don’t really care when I add, “It’s time to fill my life with different people. People who don’t lie.”

Despite the fact that I’m still aching over what my best friend and my fiancé did to me, the first person to pop into my head is Jake Theopolis. He doesn’t lie about who or what he is. What you see is what you get. Plain and simple. He’s a bad boy, yes. But he’s also a breath of fresh air. And my stagnant life feels very much in need of just that.

* * *

I’m glad I drove to church. This way, I can escape just after Daddy closes the service. I can get away before anyone else asks me about Shane, and before Tori can catch me.

I drive through town, not really thinking of where I’m going. I only know two things: I don’t want to be at church and I don’t want to go home. But what does that leave? As I drive aimlessly up and down the streets, through a town full of people I’ve known most of my life, I feel completely and utterly alone.

After half an hour of wasting gas, I hear the ding of the low-gas alarm, signaling that I have five miles left before I’m empty. I pull into the parking lot of Big A Grocery and turn around, heading back down route sixty, the way I’d come.

As I pass the fire station, a familiar Jeep catches my eye.

Jake.

My heart speeds up. How did I miss that before?

Several guys are standing just inside the huge, open bay door, gathered beside a bright red fire truck. I crane my neck to see if one of them is Jake, but I pass too fast to get a good look.

I glance in my rearview mirror, hoping to get a glimpse of him, but I don’t, and within a few seconds, they’re too far away for me to discern much, anyway.

Pressing on the accelerator, I try to put my curious desire to see Jake again out of my mind. But it’s no use. Within a mile or so, I’m hanging a U-turn in front of the Stop-N-Shop convenience store and heading back toward the fire station to make one more pass.

This time when I go by, the guys are dispersing. I slow down a bit and watch two men back toward some cars parked in the right side of the front lot. My stomach does a little flip when I see Jake step around the corner at the mouth of the bay and yell something to one of the guys leaving. They all laugh, and the man nearest Jake jabs him in the ribs with his elbow.

I don’t realize that I’ve slowed almost to a stop to stare at Jake’s gorgeous, laughing face until he turns and his eyes meet mine through the open passenger window of my car. My cheeks go up in flames.

Busted!

Quickly, I turn to stare straight ahead as I punch the gas pedal. The car takes off, but then with a chug-chug-chug, it comes to a stop just a little way past the fire station.

Mortified, bedazzled, and totally confused, I pump the gas and turn the key in the ignition. I glance around helplessly, unable to think of anything else to do. My brain isn’t working right and it only worsens matters when I hear the velvety voice rumble through the quiet interior of my car.

“Car problems?”

Leaning down at the passenger side window, looking inordinately pleased and ridiculously handsome, is Jake.

Of course it’s Jake! He’s ever-present when there’s humiliation to be witnessed.

“Uhhh, car problems?” I repeat, still feeling scatterbrained after seeing Jake laughing with his friends like that. I’ve never been more physically attracted to someone. Ever. “I guess. I mean, I don’t . . .”

Then it hits me. And my embarrassment triples.

I freakin’ drove back to stare at freakin’ Jake Theopolis and let my freakin’ car run out of freakin’ gas!

Dear God, just let me die!

I close my eyes and lean forward to rest my forehead on the steering wheel. For one fleeting moment in time, I think, Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be back in church when I open my eyes, and that none of this is real. That I didn’t just run my car out of gas to gawk at a guy. And then get discovered doing it.

But, alas, I’m not so fortunate. When I crack my lids and look straight ahead at my dash, I see the needle of accusation pointing to the E of humiliation on my gas gauge.

In the absence of any kind of intelligible speech on my part, Jake leans into the car and takes a look at the dials, too. He smells like soap and cinnamon, and I notice that he’s chewing a toothpick again.

He turns his head toward me, catching me looking at him. His amber eyes flash and his lips spread into a grin as he wiggles the toothpick between them.

“I’ve never had a girl run out of gas just to get my attention before.”

My face burns and my mouth works itself open and closed like that of a fish out of water as I try to deny it. But the words won’t come, mainly because they’re only half-truths. It wasn’t purposeful, but still, I let myself run out of gas because of Jake Theopolis. There’s just no getting around it. “That’s ridiculous!” I finally manage.

“Is it now?” Up close, I can count every long, black lash that surrounds his warm eyes, and all coherent thought goes right out the window. “Either way, you’re mine now, so let’s get this car out of the road.” Before I can argue, Jake backs away and puts his shoulder against the frame of the window. “Put it in neutral,” he shouts. I do as he says, not really having much choice.

With a grunt, Jake pushes until the car starts to roll. “Steer it to the curb,” he instructs, which I do. In no time, he has used his admittedly impressive strength to get the car out of the road. He walks around the front of the car and opens my door. “Set your emergency brake and roll up the windows.” When I’ve done both, he reaches into the car and takes my hand. “Now, come with me.”