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“It may seem like a small thing, Mr. Brady—”
“Adam.”
She ignored that. “But a good portion of my income comes from that garden, so it is a priority to keep it safe. Mercy does her best to keep Lucille at home, but that goat has a mind of her own and tends to go where she pleases. And she’d love to get into my garden.”
“Ah. Point taken. Garden gate will stay firmly latched.”
“Good.” She nodded, feeling like she should say something else. Impose more rules. Surely there should be something else. But she only muttered “good” again and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before she extended her hand.
“All right, Mr. Brady. If you agree to all that…you have a deal.”
His hand wrapped around hers, so warm she sucked in a breath. His fingers squeezed hers, and he gave her a slow, steady smile.
Why did it feel like she’d just made a deal with the devil?
Chapter Sixteen
Adam stood staring down at the pile of hay in the barn for a moment before turning to Nora.
“We’re in the barn.”
“I’m aware.”
“Why are we in the barn?”
She tilted her head, her lips twitching. “This is where you’re going to sleep.”
Deliciously devious woman. She was having fun with him now. He stared at her, just blinking, while he tried to think of an argument that would get her to let him sleep in the nice, clean house.
She cleared her throat, schooling her features into a less amused expression, or at least she tried, and pushed the quilt she’d taken from the house into his arms. “It may not be what you had in mind, Mr. Brady, but if you won’t agree to make our marriage legal, then I can hardly allow you to sleep under the same roof, can I?”
“I don’t see why not,” he said with a shrug. Then he looked down at her, keeping her gaze captive. “Who would know?”
With his voice lowered, his head bending toward hers, he’d made that sound like some forbidden secret they were keeping between them. And the barely audible gasp that escaped her throat made it clear that whether he’d intended it or not, they were now both thinking of things they had no business to be thinking.
She swallowed hard, but she didn’t step away from him. Her gaze dropped to his lips. She dragged her bottom lip through her teeth, and he nearly expired on the spot. Oh, she was good. Much better than he’d given her credit for. And he was pretty sure she didn’t even know what she was doing. Had no idea what she did to him.
“I would know,” she finally said. “And believe me, this is a very small town. Everyone knows everyone’s business. The fact that you are living with me will be common knowledge by lunchtime tomorrow. At least this way, I have some small claim to propriety.”
His eyes raked over her, and he knew the smile he was giving her was full of wicked temptation. “Now, where’s the fun in that?”
She sucked in another breath. “It may not be as fun,” she murmured, licking her lips until he had to bite back a groan. “But it is safer.”
He glanced around the barn. And the dozen or so chickens roosting in the corner. “I don’t know. I think I’d be much safer in the house with you.”
She laughed, and the sound made things tighten low in his belly.
“Then I’d say you don’t know me very well, Mr. Brady.”
No, he didn’t. But he’d like to—and that terrified him.
He gripped the quilt tighter to keep from reaching for her. He didn’t know if it was residual desire from her help in the bath, or whether it was because it was nighttime, and they were standing alone in the dark together…or maybe it was justher. The woman did something to him. She made him want to throw all caution away. Turn his back on the rules that had governed his life. Leave behind everything he’d thought he wanted for himself.
And he’d only known her a week. Hadn’t even kissed her yet.
What was he thinking?Yet?There was no scenario in which kissing Nora Schumacher ended well for either of them.
That wasn’t to say it wouldn’tendwell, because he had no doubt the two of them together would be explosive. The tension between them was palpable, and they’d barely touched. And still, the fire that was slowly stoking between them seemed enough to burn down the barn in which they stood.
