Regina moves so she's standing right in front of me, her hands on my upper arms as she looks up at me. "Your track record doesn't determine the rest of your dating life. If it did, I'd be destined to get dumped over and over again. But that's not what happened. I met the right guy, and he didn't care about my size or my past—and let's be honest, the entirety of Cedarwood Valley smells like dung at times—he only cared about me. And if Hayes is the guy for you, the one who completely changes your world for the better, then he won't care about any of that either. You're gorgeous, Kym. You're funny and you're smart, and you have the kindest heart of anyone I've met. If anything, Hayes should be honored he got felt up on the first date. That's a third date thing for most of us."
She grins at me, and I burst out laughing. Miffy takes that as her sign to bark and run around us like she's trying to herd us instead of sheep.
"You're lucky you're adorable," I say, bending down and scruffing her neck when she sits at my feet proudly.
"Still no luck with her in the field?"
"No," I say, standing back up. "So Josh is just going to have to deal with the fact that she's my pet."
"I'm sure we can convince him," she says, giving Miffy a pat. "He's a big softy at heart."
A loud burst of laughter comes from outside, and when I look up from the manure covered floor of the pen, my heart does a somersault because I see Hayes talking to one of the other shearers as they leave the shearing shed.
"Are you going to go talk to him?" Regina asks, and before I can even form a response, Miffy is barking again and running at top speed toward him. He looks up and we lock eyes right away. My tummy flips.
"Oh…" My breath rushes out. "He's headed this way."
"Should I leave?" Regina asks when I grip her arm.
"I don't know," I say in a harsh whisper.
"Don't you want to talk to him alone?"
"What if I hurt him again?"
"You won't. Just breathe. You'll be fine."
I take a deep breath and nod, my eyes fixed on Hayes as he nears. I release my death grip on Regina and clasp my hands nervously in front of me, suddenly self-conscious of my dung-covered jeans and mud-caked boots. He stops just a foot away from me, towering over me with his broad shoulders and chiseled jawline.
My cheeks flush and I can feel my heart racing as I stare up at him. He grins down at me, his dimples deepening and his light blue eyes twinkling mischievously. I can't help but smile back at him, feeling the familiar warmth spreading through my chest.
"Hey there, trouble."
"Hey yourself," I say, trying to keep my cool as he leans down to scratch Miffy behind the ears.
"Have you been causing chaos again?" he asks, his voice low and husky. I feel a shiver run down my spine at the sound of it.
I laugh nervously and shake my head. "No, just cleaning up after the sheep."
"I should go," Regina says quickly. "I've got some writing to do. So... Nice to see you, Hayes."
"Likewise," he calls after her.
I watch as Regina disappears out of sight, leaving just me and Hayes. Suddenly, I feel like I'm back in high school, nervous as hell and tongue-tied around my crush.
"Listen, about last night..." I start, trying to swallow the lump in my throat as he continues to pet Miffy, who's absolutely lapping up the attention.
"Forget it," he says, straightening up.
"I can't. I feel horrible. How's your mouth? And...er..."
He smirks. "My junk is fine, and my mouth is fine too. Just a little swollen." It's then I notice a slight lisp in his voice that wasn't there before.
"You bit your tongue, didn't you?" Without thinking, I reach up and take hold of his jaw like I want him to open up and show me. Hayes smiles and wraps his big hand around my wrist, shifting us so he's holding my hand in between both of his.
"I love that you're concerned, but I'm fine. More than fine, actually." His thumb rubs gentle circles against the inside of my wrist, sending a shiver through me. "In fact, I was hoping we could pick up where we left off."
My heart thuds in my chest and I feel myself blushing furiously. "Where we left off?”Is he talking about how his hand was touching my thigh before I freaked out, or…
