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"Shame."

She tilts her head.

"Did you miss calling me that?"

"Maybe."

Her expression changes. Apparently that isn't the answer she expected. Honestly, neither did I.

She starts past me. Her shoulder brushes my chest. And stops. So do I.

The storage room suddenly feels much smaller.

Hart looks up. Her smile fades. Not because she's upset. Because something else has taken its place. Something that has been following us around this farm all day.

Her eyes hold mine. Then they drop. To my mouth. My breath catches. Her gaze returns to my eyes. I look at her mouth. Then back at her. She's still watching me. Waiting.

I could step away. So could she. Neither of us does.

The sounds from outside begin to fade. The tractor near the east field. Voices from the packing barn. A dog barking somewhere across the yard. All of it feels farther away.

I lower my head slightly. Her chin lifts. Slowly, carefully, the space between us begins to disappear. Her eyes flick to my mouth again. Mine do the same. Then our eyes meet. A question. An answer. No words.

I move closer. So does she. I can feel her breath now. Warm against my mouth. Another inch. Maybe less.

A violent crash sounds outside. Metal hits concrete.

Hart jumps. I straighten. For one disorienting second, neither of us seems to remember where we are. Then someone calls from outside.

"We're good!"

Reality comes rushing back. I don't want it. Judging by Hart's expression, neither does she.

She takes a small step away. I let her. I don't want to do that either.

She glances toward the doorway.

"We should probably..."

"Yeah."

Neither of us moves. Another clatter comes from outside. Hart lets out a breath.

"Right."

"Right."

She walks out first. I follow.

Nothing happened. Technically. Except that's a lie. Because something did. And we both know it.

The rest of the afternoon is quieter between us. Not uncomfortable. That would be easier. We go back to work. She helps Emma with the dogs. I finish checking the irrigation lines. Cole returns from the delivery. The farm keeps moving around us as though nothing has changed.

But something has.

Every now and then, I find Hart across the yard. Every time, she's already looking at me. Before the storage room, one of us would have smiled. Now we simply hold each other's gaze. We know. Neither of us can unknow it.

Late in the afternoon, Helen pulls into the parking area with Noah. He's out of the truck almost before she finishes parking.