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Her back was basically still to him, but her body had shifted enough when she’d turned that the back of her shoulder was now in the front crook of his arm. If this were a scene in her book, Duke would cup Sassy’s cheek and draw her to him, slanting his lips across hers in a fevered kiss.
But this wasn’t Duke, and no matter how hard she’d been trying, she wasn’t Sassy. Kaylee had dated a few guys but none of them had been anywhere near as devastatingly handsome as Luke. And she’d never had one ever cup her cheek or experienced a fevered kiss.
But she’d sure like to experience one now.
With everything in her, she yearned for Luke to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless.
It didn’t matter that he was Faye’s brother or that this was a terrible idea. All that mattered was the feel of his arms around her and the desperate desire for his lips to press against hers.
Her heart pounded so hard, thumping almost painfully against her chest, and she felt dizzy and light-headed.
Luke’s grip on her hand tightened, and he dipped his head, so close to her lips, she could almost feel their soft graze.
“Woof!”
One of the dogs let out a loud bark, and they both tore out of the barn. Luke jerked back and dropped her hand, and the horse behind them stamped her foot and shifted her weight.
He must have recognized the sound of the engine pulling into the driveway. “That’s Dean’s truck,” he said, his voice a little breathless.
He took another step back and smoothed his shirt, leaving Kaylee feeling unsteady. She leaned back against the solid side of the horse. With all the other emotions swirling through her from the almost kiss, she forgot to be afraid.
“Luke! Kaylee!” Emma’s voice called to them from the driveway. “Where are you guys?”
“We’re in here,” Luke called back after clearing his throat. He opened the stall door and stood back for Kaylee to walk past him. She felt foolish now, like maybe she’d misread the situation, and awkwardly rushed past him, trying not to stumble on her own feet.
She was sure he’d been about to kiss her. He was holding her hand, for goodness sakes. But he hadn’t. And the moment had been lost.
“Hey guys, there you are,” Emma said, bursting into the barn, the two dogs on her heels. “Sorry we’re late.”
“Late?” Luke asked.
“Yeah, don’t you remember? We have Dine for a Dime tonight. We brought over all the stuff, but Dad said if we don’t get started, we’ll never make it to the church by five-thirty.”
“Oh shoot. I forgot that was tonight,” Luke said as he closed the stall door then hurried from the barn. “What are we making again?”
“Taco salads.”
“Oh dang. We do have some work to do, then.”
“What’s Dine for a Dime?” Kaylee asked following Luke and Emma toward the house.
“It’s a thing our church does every Thursday night. It’s a way to give back to the community. Different groups or families take turns providing a meal and anyone can come in for supper.” Emma opened the front door as if she lived there, and they traipsed into the kitchen where her dad was unloading several bags of groceries. “It’s supposed to cost a dime to eat, but people can drop whatever they feel like in the can when they leave. And no one really has to pay.”
“We never know how many people will show up. It could be two or it could be twenty.”
“Remember that one night we had almost a hundred?”
Luke nodded. “I do. We’d had a tragedy in our church, and I think people just wanted to be together,” he explained to Kaylee. “That’s what’s kind of neat about it. It’s more than a meal. People come to eat, but they also come for the company. And no matter how many people show up, we always seem to have enough food and the can always seems to hold enough to cover the cost of that night’s ingredients.”
“Wow. That sounds amazing.”
“It is,” Emma said. “And it’s fun ’cause it’s different every time. Dad and Luke and I are in charge of the second Thursday of every month.”
“Hey Kaylee,” Dean said then changed his focus to Luke. “I thought you would’ve already started.”
“He forgot,” Emma told him.
“You forgot?” Dean asked as he pulled a stockpot from one of the cupboards. “How could you forget? I put it on your calendar for the next six months.” His gaze jumped to Kaylee as he grinned at his friend. “Huh. It’s almost like you have something else taking up space in your head.”
