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West sneered over at him from the safety of his vehicle. “I can’t quite picture that, but as soon as the two of you put it together, I’m sure I will.”
“No, no,” Cole insisted. “You’ve got to do it. It’s Eva’s brainchild. I’m sure she’ll show you exactly what she has in mind when you work on your pumpkin.”
Eva rolled her eyes. It was obvious that none of them saw her vision, but once they built the catapult, it would be apumpkin smashinghit. She grinned at her hidden genius… herveryhidden genius. “I promise,” she told West. “It’ll be so worth it!”
West sighed. His eyes scanned over the acres of pumpkins. “How about you pick out a pumpkin, Eva, then we can get you out of this rain?”
She should’ve known better than to think that he’d get overly excited about helping her find the perfect one, and still, she wasn’t about to let him dampen her enthusiasm. She bumped Cole’s arm with her elbow and pointed to the biggest one that she could see. “Help me get that one into the car.”
Cole’s lips twisted, and after a backwards glance at West, he nodded and headed for the pumpkin. He dug a pocket knife out of his soggy jeans and began hacking at the vine to free her pumpkin for her. Her heart warmed at what he was doing for her.
That was about the only thing that was warm. Maybe her feet. Lily’s galoshes were her sole protection. Water streamed down her bare legs, her hair, her lips. Eva shivered from the chill and crossed her arms to conceal the fact that she was starting to shake. Once she started, she’d never stop.
As soon as Cole cut the pumpkin free, she leaned down and tried to take it from him. “I-I-I’ve got it!” Her teeth chattered.
He shook his head at her. “That’s a no. This thing is almost as big as you are.” He heaved up the gargantuan squash in his arms and surprised her with a look of concern. “We need to get you dry.” He turned West’s direction with an annoyed expression, and seeing they’d get no help from those quarters, he brought the pumpkin to West’s car himself.
West quickly locked the doors against them. “Put it in the back ofyourtruck. That thing is filthy.”
Eva glanced down at herself–so was she. “Do you want me to go back with Cole, too?”
Cole’s forehead wrinkled, and he stopped West from actually replying. “No, you’ll need his heater. His car is all warmed up and you’re freezing. Just a second.” Cole dumped the pumpkin into the back of his truck. He went to the bench seat of his cab. “I’ve got some blankets. I’ll put them on your seat. West’s precious car won’t get a mark on it.” His fierce gaze dared West to object, and surprisingly, his older brother didn’t seem as bothered by the thought of taking in the “filthy” Eva as he was her pumpkin.
Cole brought the blankets to West, who obligingly unlocked the passenger’s side for his brother. Grimacing, Cole arranged the blankets for Eva, so she could sit.
She could hug him for his kindness!
She stopped herself. No need to embarrass the poor guy for doing her such a good turn.
There were other ways to pay him back, like those jeans for instance. He needed new ones over those worn, faded ones, definitely…
Eva carefully lowered into West’s car, feeling her wet jacket slosh against the fabric. Her back arched against the cold. She quickly peeled it off. The warmth from the heater blew against her knees. That was a start! She smiled over at Cole. “We’ll t-talk festival plans when we g-get back.”
How embarrassing, her chattering teeth ruined her small talk.
Cole grimaced. He shot his brother a stern look, like he was the older, more world-weary one. “Get her warm, West.” He closed her door before going to his truck.
She spread her fingers over the heater’s vent. “I’m f-f-fine!”
West’s brows went up and he growled in sudden protectiveness as he got his jacket off. “Get that on. You’re freezing.”
He’d astonished her with his thoughtful gesture. “Th-th-thank you!”
Maybe she shouldn’t talk. She sounded like an idiot. West’s lips curved up.
Cole peeled out of the muddy parking lot and shot through the roads ahead of them. His truck gave him the advantage over them in their sedan. He left them far behind in a spray of mud.
Show off!
The roads were even worse than before, but considering that West was in a Lexus, he navigated the slick pathway easily. After all, he’d done it his entire life.
Taking one look at West’s profile chiseled with disdain and hurt pride, her mind was consumed with what Cole had told her about his ex-wife getting married in the old Slade barn. Besides ruining Eva’s plans for her own cute little country wedding there, her soon to be in-laws had pulled a pretty jerky move by hosting that event for Liv. No wonder he fought with his family all the time. They weren’t very thoughtful when it came to his failed marriage.
Neither was she.
They neared the house before she stopped shaking. She finally trusted herself to speak again. “I’m sorry about trying to pressure you into getting married in the barn.”
He turned to study her face, though his vivid blue eyes held only slight curiosity. “Why do you say that, babe? What happened in the barn?”
