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Even then, he meant to pull back, but then… her hypnotizing scent of gardenias, and the sincerity behind her soft touch was enough to make him certain that there was absolutelynothinggoing on between her and his brother.
That was until she’d called him West.
“Oh!” She hugged Cole again, jostling him back. He felt like a wooden post through his shock. He felt her intake of breath against his ear. “Sorry!”
Hugging him was supposed to make this all better?
Saying that he was stunned was an understatement. He listened to Charlie’s voice beneath them on the ladder. “Did you find her?”
Yeah, you could say that.
He wasn’t sure whether to be alarmed or angry, but then his heart wrenched with concern when she covered her face and burst into tears.
“Oh, no, are you okay?” Now it was his turn to take her in his arms to make amends. He rubbed her back, trying to get her to stop crying. Wait. What was he doing? He released her. “I’m so sorry.”
What was he apologizing for? She’d been the one who grabbed him first, but still he felt terrible. She didn’t know who she had, but he did. He’d kissed her back,stupidly! He was such a jerk.
Then he noticed that she wasn’t crying. She was laughing.
“I’m so, so sorry!” she said. “I… oh no!” She grabbed at her phone. He saw that she’d set it on the hay behind them.
What?
She quickly messed with it, turning the screen black as she slipped it into the pocket of her jean shorts. “I really thought you were West,” she said. “And we kind of have this little thing that we do.”
Oh, Cole definitely didn’t want to hear this.
He held his hands up. “It didn’t happen,” he heard himself saying. “Just like I didn’t fall on you on the stairs,thisespecially did nothappen.”
She licked her lips. His eyes drew to that silky softness. Just seconds ago, they were… no, no, it didn’t happen! Another horrified thought hit him. What if they actually became related after this? He’d have to take this to the grave that he’d kissed his sister-in-law… and worse? That he’d liked it.
He ran his palms down his face. Not even torturers would get that admission out of him. West had already accused Hudson of going after Liv back in the day. Of course, it wasn’t true, but it was the one thing that made West feel justified about breaking up his little family.
West did not forgive.
“No, you’re right.” Eva’s hands went to his again. He scrambled backwards, almost falling from the loft. She grasped tighter to him. “Don’t fall!” she cried out. “I promise I meant nothing by it. You have nothing to worry about from me. I honestly thought you were West.”
What did she see in that coldhearted snake? He couldn’t figure out what was driving her. Or even who she was after that kiss… everything that he’d assumed about her felt wrong now.
And none of that mattered. He needed to fix this.
“It’s fine!” Even as he said it, he knew it wasn’t. He needed to get the smell of Eva off of him. He’d never look at gardenias the same again.
“We’re ready for school to start,” Charlie called out from below. “The animals are waiting!”
He flinched. Not the baby animals again! A month ago, he’d told Porter to take Cadence there for the perfect date, and now he’d fallen under that same spell, and he hadn’t even meant to. All that cuteness was what had started this trouble in the first place, because the fact was… he would’ve dismissed that kiss as just another kiss if he hadn’t seen Eva lying back against the hay, looking devastatingly innocent as she rubbed her nose against the soft downy feathers of baby chicks.
Ugh, they were definitely steering clear of that place.
Surely the “grownups” were done fighting by now? They should go back to the house. He headed back down the ladder, ignoring Eva’s concerned looks.
“Why don’t you take Eva to say ‘hi’ to Bartleby,” he suggested to Charlie and Pip as she hurriedly made her way down after him.
They seized her hands like tiny henchmen, and she twisted around, looking gorgeous in her embarrassment. “Sorry,” she whispered again.
She disappeared around the corner, and his heart still wouldn’t stop reminding him that he was in way over his head. Dang, he was in trouble. He pulled off his ballcap and leaned against a stall to catch his breath.
The very next instant, he saw West storm through the back door of the barn. He straightened. His brother came at him like he knew. But he couldn’t!
