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“Anyway, Dad struggles at that time of year.” Her gaze shifted toward the top of the hill where the sounds from the dance hall had turned more raucous as a fiddler sawed away at a solo. “And I went to San Antonio that night after one of his friends came over to play poker with Dad and give me a break.”
“I’m glad you came to my game. Even if you didn’t stick around afterward to talk to me.” Nate had his first inkling that night that maybe he needed to revisit what had happened with Keely.
Because the desire to see her had been nothing short of fierce. And coming home this week had only underscored how much had been left unsaid between them.
“I guess I wanted to think about what might have been. If only for a little while.” She peered up at him and he wanted to fall inside her dark gaze. “Maybe if we end things the right way this time, it’ll help.”
He liked the idea that she was thinking along those lines, acknowledging that there could be a “this time” between them at all. He preferred his idea of starting over and seeing what happened now that they were older. Wiser. More understanding of one another’s choices and obligations. But he’d take whatever he could get for now if it meant spending more time with her.
Up above them on the hill in Hickory Hall, another slow song came on, a country classic that hummed right through the chirping crickets and frogs. The crowd noise quieted so that the song seemed to hang heavier in the air.
“Then dance with me, Keely. We can’t have closure if we don’t at least take some time to remember what we had in the first place.” He held his hand out to her and she stepped into his arms without hesitation.
And there, as they swayed together next to the slow-running creek that glittered in the moonlight, his sexy ex-girlfriend reminded him why he’d fallen for her that first time.
“I’m not sure we could ever recreate it.” Then, leaning closer to whisper in his ear: “But for whatever time we have left, it might be fun to try.”
Chapter Seven
Slow dancing withNate under the trees beside Hickory Creek, Keely breathed into the sweet, effervescent feeling inside her that seemed to bubble up from her toes, making her light as air.
Happiness.
She remembered that rare, fleeting sensation from the times she’d spent with him in the past. Oh, she knew shades of contentedness and fulfillment when she worked with her flowers in the field. When she created gardens of native plants for grateful clients, she always savored the rush of satisfaction that came from knowing she’d made the world a little more beautiful.
But this? The dazzling hopefulness that glittered through her now was far more heady. And, she feared, far more dangerous. Because how long could it last? Would she really take any pleasure from recreating a shadow of their old relationship for a couple of weeks if it led to the same heartbreak that had seared her soul five years ago?
So she was grateful that Nate didn’t try to pin her down on that idea, perhaps realizing how fragile the notion was. Still, she knew it was on both of their minds as their dance ended and they walked back up the hill hand in hand to his truck, ending their night.
It remained on her mind long afterward as she went to sleep that night, her every nerve ending alive with the lingering memory of Nate’s touch. Nate’s scent, taste, and kiss.
And the tempting idea of reliving the happiest time of her life, if only for a little while.
*
For the firstfew days after their shared evening together, Keely was grateful Nate gave her some space.
Things had escalated too quickly, and she’d been second-guessing herself, so it was just as well he understood her enough not to push for more time together. But when five days elapsed with only a text asking about the best time to plant the tomatoes, she wondered if she’d just dreamed his renewed interest.
Or maybe his interest had been real enough, but he’d shared her reluctance to wade into those uncharted waters.
Now, as she ran the cultivator disks over the ground where her lemon beebalm had been just last week, she swiped the dust and sweat off her forehead and reminded herself that once the Ramsey family’s plants were in the ground, she could back off her interaction with Nate.
Dust swirled around her as she worked since she’d plowed under the beebalm four days ago. Already, the exposed earth had crusted over, making it easy to run the cultivator through the ground today, pulling out the dead roots. She would let Nate till in whatever he wanted to prep the ground before planting, but she felt compelled to at least clear out her dead crop and ensure the space was ready. She didn’t reallyneedto spend any more time with him, other than giving him access to the lands she’d promised Everett.
But she wanted to.
Driving the old tractor back to the dilapidated equipment barn, she realized that she seriously craved being with him again. Yet the intensity of that feeling filled her with caution since acting on it could stir up new levels of hurt she wasn’t prepared to face.
She switched off the engine and hopped down from the rusty old International tractor, her boots startling a barn cat who’d been napping in a shaded corner. The engine ticked in the quiet as she walked around the cultivator attachment that she didn’t have the energy to remove right now. First, she needed a shower.
But as she stepped into the bright light outside the equipment barn and headed toward the farmhouse, Keely spotted a new vehicle in the horseshoe-shaped driveway that hadn’t been there when she’d left.
Even if she hadn’t recognized the make and model, she would have known the University of Houston sticker on the rear window.
Her sister was home.
Worry chased away her exhaustion as Keely picked up her pace. A whole host of possibilities cartwheeled through her brain. Had Alexis lost her job? Was she hurt? Memories of the time Alexis had been in a hang-gliding accident iced Keely’s skin.
