Natalie laughed, which was the best reaction outside of kissing. As much as he tried to hold himself back, it was no use. Mason liked her. He liked talking with her and making her laugh. She made him feel as though a beam of light flicked on in his chest around her, which had to be as obvious as if there were a lighthouse inside of him. He didn’t care.

“When you’re finished eating, I’ll show you your surprise.”

She paused. “There’s another surprise? I thought this dinner was surprising enough, especially when I’m used to eating food from your pocket.”

“I don’t know if it’s a surprise as much as it’s fulfilling my end of the bargain, which, may I remind you, I shouldn’t have to do since you cheated.”

Her face lit, and she turned her focus to the rest of the barn as if she could get a preview of the surprise now. “I have a coffee meditation stall? Is it weird that I’m excited? I’m not even offended that I’m basically living my day as a farm animal, going from a trailer to a stall.”

She moved to stand but he shook his head. “It’s not going anywhere. You can finish eating. And I don’t want to get your expectations too high, because I didn’t really do very much. It’s still an old cow stall.”

“If it makes you feel better, my expectation is a horse blanket on the ground.” She tilted her head, pressing a finger to her delicate chin in thought. “Yeah, that’s all my imagination is allowing.”

He faked a cringe. “In that case, yeah, I guess it’s not going to be much of a surprise. You pretty much called it.”

“Sorry. I’ve had people surprise me before and I set my expectations accordingly.” She took the last sip from her wine glass before setting her glass down with purpose. “Okay, I’ve finished. Let’s get this over with.”