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Loading up in her new truck, she took it toward the highway and to the fork in the road. Instead of turning toward the highway, she turned sharply north and headed toward Bill’s house. If she was going to help him out, she’d watch her tongue, she’d make nice, and she’d see if she could find out as much from him as he was going to try to find out from her. It was their norm for sure, but at least he couldn’t complain about Cassie this go around.
Snickering at the genius of how they’d fixed the fence, her stomach pulled when she remembered it was Sarah who had helped her. It was going to be a long week, but Eli knew she could make it through. It’d be tough but not impossible. Stepping harder on the gas, Eli drove and shoved all the thoughts of Sarah she could out of her mind and focused on the task at hand.
Chapter 14
Sarah hadn’t seenEli in over twenty-four hours, and since they were technically living in the same house that week, it was odd. She had a feeling Eli was avoiding her—that, or she was really busy with the farm—but she wasn’t sure what else Eli could be doing. She’d seen traces that Eli had come and gone from the house, food rearranged in the fridge, the biggest tell being the ever-changing amount of coffee in the pot and how many times it was set to run throughout the day.
She had to distract herself, but she wasn’t quite willing to take her car and drive to town by herself. Sarah’s sense of direction was nil and she knew finding her way back to the farm was going to be harder than it should be, so she didn’t even want to attempt it. Grabbing the music she’d written, Sarah sat at the piano and started in on the accompaniment.
But the music didn’t flow. She sat at the keyboard for hours, pecking at keys, trying to make it sound good, but nothing worked. Sarah grew more frustrated with every passing hour, and by the time it was nearing dinner, she was done trying to make it work. If it was her piano, she would have slammed the lid shut, but since it wasn’t, she stood up and growled, spinning on her toes as she turned to face the large window.
A storm brewed, darkening the sky. Sarah gnawed on her lip, wondering if it was going to be as bad as the one the day she’d arrived. She wondered briefly if there was any sort of backup generator at the farm, so they wouldn’t be completely left in the dark should a storm take out the power. Immediately, Sarah shook the thought from her head. Eli would no doubt have a backup plan for that, if only Eli showed her face.
Her heart picked up enough that she could feel the hard thumps against the inside of her ribcage. It didn’t hurt, but Sarah also knew she wouldn’t be able to sustain that level of anxiety for long before it took its toll on her body and mind and she’d have to find a release somehow.
The sound of the door slamming surprised her. Sarah spun around, her hand against her throat as she stared at Eli, her work jacket on her shoulders, stray strands of hair pulled out from her braids and stuck to her face. Her skin was damp. Sarah could see it even from across the house as Eli stood just inside the front door in the main living area.
“Did it start raining already?” Sarah chided herself for the stupid question. Of course, it was raining. She could see it outside, but she’d been at a complete loss for words at the beauty of the woman who stood before her.
“It’s going to come down good.”
“Like the other night?”
Eli cocked her head to the side. “Yeah, if not more.”
“All night?”
“That’s what the forecasters say, but I rarely trust them.”
Neither of them had moved, and Sarah was confused as to why. She couldn’t bring her feet to step toward Eli, and Eli had stood frozen and rooted just inside the door.
“You can start a fire,” Eli stated bluntly.
“I…uh…” Sarah glanced over her shoulder at the fireplace. “Is it gas?”
“Hell no.” Eli stared her down before pulling off her gloves and shoving them into her pocket. She walked in her socks toward Sarah, and Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. Sarah was going to have to figure out how to put a stop to the reactions her body had anytime Eli was near her lately. Every muscle in her tensed when Eli rounded her, making sure not to touch her.
Eli knelt in front of the fireplace, shoving logs and some paper into it before she lit it. Sarah watched with rapt attention, although she wasn’t sure why. Everything Eli did she wanted to know about. Gnawing on her lip, Sarah stared at the lines of Eli’s back, the way her arms moved as she piled another log on top, the curve of her ass as she shifted to reach for something. She gasped when Eli turned suddenly and glanced up at her, a flush rising to her cheek.
Eli stood up and pulled the zipper open on her jacket, shucking it and hanging it over her arm. Sarah couldn’t tear her gaze away from every move Eli made. Her voice caught in her throat again, and she wasn’t sure what to say. Eli’s hair was still damp from the rain, but her skin was far dryer than it had been before.
“I’m going to get some tea. Do you want some?” Eli asked.
“Yeah.” Sarah let out a breath. “That’d be lovely.”
She followed Eli into the kitchen, where Eli dropped her jacket onto a stool and grabbed the kettle on the stove to fill it with water. She leaned against the counter while it heated, their eyes locking.
“We’re supposed to get hail, so I’ll have to go check on the cattle again once it’s stopped.”
“How bad?”
“Large hail.” Eli raised her eyebrows. “Can be dangerous.”
“I imagine.”
The tea kettle shouted its temperature, and Eli took it off the burner, pouring it immediately into two mugs she’d brought over. She grabbed a wooden box and set it in front of Sarah. “Take your pick.”
Sarah moved through the different flavors of tea, choosing her favorite when she saw it was in there.
