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“I have no idea. She looks like someone dumped a dozen different breeds in a blender and that’s what poured out when they were all mixed together.”
Grace laughed, gave the dog one more pat, then stood. “She does have interesting coloring.”
“Interesting,” Levi said with a grin. “You mean odd and strange. I think she’s got every color ever painted on a dog, then the freckles thrown in for good measure to make sure not a single one was missed.”
“Still, she seems like a sweet girl.” Grace smiled at the dog trailing behind them as Levi showed her the barn, which was mostly used for storage and had a nice tack room near the door. Maybe her farmer was more cowboy than she gave him credit for being. That thought was affirmed when he invited her to come out riding whenever she liked.
Inside the house, he showed her the living room, which she’d only gotten a peek at earlier, then walked with her down the hall, pointing out the bathroom. They stepped into a spacious family room with built-in bookcases surrounding a big rock fireplace. Grace thought it was wonderful, with the windows offering a view of the backyard that stretched into fields in the distance.
However, furniture was sparse throughout the house. The living room had one end table with a lamp attached to it and a well-worn chair from the 1940s. The family room had a couch that looked like a relic from the previous century with an upturned wooden apple box for an end table.
“You really do need to go furniture shopping,” she said, looking around the near-empty room.
“I know. Any thoughts on what you’d get?” Levi asked.
Grace hesitated to share her opinions, but he seemed genuinely interested in hearing them. “This is such a nice, big room. You need a long couch, leather, probably dark brown, to anchor it. I’d get a couple of side chairs, maybe even something like a Berkline recliner. I’d stick with solid wood in a simple design for end tables and coffee table, and go for lamps that are neutral. If you want to have a western theme, you could do that with throw pillows and the art on the walls, and maybe even get a Pendleton wool blanket to throw on the end of the couch for extra color. Or whatever you wanted.”
Levi stared at her for a moment, then grabbed her hand and hustled back to the living room. “What about in here?”
Grace studied the beautiful pale-yellow walls with the contrasting white trim and envisioned how she’d decorate it if money were not a concern. “I’d go very classy and traditional in here. Timeless pieces that defy trends. You could put a grouping of chairs around this lovely marble fireplace, then have a few more over here by the window with the couch facing out. Over in the corner by the built-in bookcase, would be perfect for a desk and leather chair.” She moved to the opposite corner of the room. “A grandfather clock or a curio cabinet might look nice here.”
Levi had followed her around the room, as though he was picturing in his mind the furniture she described. He asked her about color and fabric choices, and then they returned to the kitchen where she offered him the cookies she’d made.
He tasted one and gave her a surprised look as he snagged two more. “These are delicious—so soft and flavorful. I’ve never had pineapple cookies, but they’re really good. Thanks for bringing them.”
“You’re welcome.” She took one, then snapped the lid on before she glanced at her watch. Levi had mentioned heading over to have dinner with his parents at five. They would need to leave soon. “If I promise not to spill crumbs on the floor, may I see the rest of the house.”
“Spill crumbs all you like. Spreckles is like a vacuum when I let her in.” They passed through the dining room with a built-in china cabinet, then started up the stairs located in the foyer. “I’ve got two of the four bedrooms set up. You can tell me what you think.”
Grace thought the upstairs was wonderful with amazing views out the bedroom windows and two bathrooms for the four bedrooms to share. The furniture in the two bedrooms Levi had set up looked old and expensive but fit the house well. She could imagine curling up on the window seat in the south-facing bedroom and watching the clouds roll in for hours or getting lost in a good book.
“I love the rooms and the furniture, Levi. Are the pieces family heirlooms?”
“I assume so. I found them in the attic. There’s a lot more stuff up there. I just need to sort through it and figure out what is usable and what I’ll have to buy. I think I can find most of what I’ll need for the living room up there.” He motioned for her to precede him downstairs. “I really appreciate the ideas you shared, Grace. It’s a big help. Ma keeps giving me samples and magazine ads for modern styles and colors I don’t like, but I know she’s only trying to be helpful.”
“I’m happy to share my limited insight. I think what you’ve done so far is fabulous, Levi. Your home has a very peaceful, relaxing vibe, even without furniture filling the rooms.”
Her comments appeared to please him, judging by his smile as he walked with her to the kitchen. He helped her clean the pistol before stowing it back in the case, and then she carried it and her purse out to her car. Levi held open his pickup door for her, and they drove to his parents’ home on the other end of the farm. Nerves made her stomach clench the entire drive there.
What if his mother hated her? What if his dad didn’t like her? What if she made a complete idiot of herself over dinner? What if someone realized how much she was coming to care for Levi even though she’d only known him a few weeks?
The thought of how much she did care for him, how often he was in her thoughts and prayers, brought her up short. Although she would deny it if anyone brought it up, she was really starting to fall for Levi.
How was that possible?
She’d had boyfriends she’d dated for months. One she’d even dated for more than a year. Not one of them had made her feel such powerful emotions as Levi did. When she was around him, she felt excited and nervous, and energized all at once. When they were apart, she felt lonesome in a way she’d never experienced before meeting him.
What was she doing? Thinking? She was so busy with work she barely had time to keep her uniform clean. Would she really have time to invest in a relationship? And what if that wasn’t what Levi had in mind? What if he only wanted to be friends? What if he was one of the guys who got a crush on his nurse? Maybe that was all shooting targets and eating pie and going to the movies was about.
Then she dared to glance across the pickup cab, and her gaze tangled with Levi’s. What she saw in the marvelous blue depths of his eyes made her catch her breath.
Maybe she was trying to convince herself what was happening between them—the magnetic pull—was only in her imagination so she wouldn’t have to deal with the reality that she was falling in love with Levi Gibson.
Rattled by that revelation, she followed him into his parents’ home in a daze, trying to compartmentalize her feelings while summoning her best manners.
It wasn’t until Levi shut the door behind them that she even recalled she wore a hat. She whipped it off and did her best to fluff her hair with her fingers while Levi hung her hat on a coat rack just inside the door.
He walked with her past a living room full of wagon wheel furniture that drew out her smile and a formal dining room with foil wallpaper patterned with flocked flowers, then led her down a hallway to a kitchen filled with pink appliances that made the room appear like something from a dollhouse.
