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Kaleb shrugged and sipped his coffee. "I think so. I won't know for sure until October when I go in for a stress test. Everything they did in the hospital came back normal."
"Good. Glad to hear that. I'll keep praying for you." Mayson pushed off the couch. "I better get going. Thanks for the talk, Cin. And Kaleb, thank you again. I can't say that enough."
Kaleb's cheeks darkened. "Let's say you have and move on from here."
Mayson dipped his head. "Fair enough. See you guys later."
Cinnamon made a move to stand. "I'll see you out."
Mayson shook his head. "I'm fine. I'll see you both tomorrow."
Kaleb lifted a hand in farewell. Cinnamon waited until she heard the click of the front door before turning her attention to Kaleb. "How long were you eavesdropping?"
Kaleb turned a shade darker than before. "Long enough to see you hug him and to realize that you're nothing more than friends."
"Didn't believe me before?" Cinnamon raised an eyebrow. Though she ought to be offended, deep down she wasn't. She understood how it may’ve looked.
"I believed you. Some things it's good to see with my own eyes." Kaleb reached for her hand and pulled her up to a standing position. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, his fingertips grazing her skin. "I'm glad you don't have feelings for him."
"Me, too. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to do this." Cinnamon raised up on her toes and brushed her lips against his, careful not to put any pressure on the arm in the sling.
Kaleb's eyes closed as he slid his good arm around her waist, deepening the kiss. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "Now, if I would've seen him do that to you, sling or not, I would've pummeled him."
Cinnamon giggled and snuggled into his embrace. "As I told you before, he'd never do that to me."
"Thank God for that." Kaleb pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I was hoping you'd have a few hours to do something with me today."
Cinnamon pulled away, holding his gaze. "Oh? What?"
"I have something planned just for the two of us. Can you take some time away?" Kaleb's fingers fiddled with the edge of the sling. A sure sign to Cinnamon he was nervous. But why, she didn't know.
"I have most of the food already put together. I can ask Scarlet if she can take it to the lodge for me." Cinnamon peered around Kaleb's shoulder at the stairs. Would her friend be up soon? She hoped so because she wanted to see what her boyfriend had planned for them.
"I already asked my sister, and she said as long as she didn't have to cook anything for them, she'd do whatever she needed to." Kaleb grinned. "Of course, it helped that Shane offered to help her."
"Then my afternoon is yours." Cinnamon brushed her hand over Kaleb's forehead, pushing the hair back in place. His smooth locks always made her jealous. It took so long for her to get her hair right. Not for him. He woke up looking good without any effort. She hoped their kids took after him.
Heat traveled to her face, causing Cinnamon to break eye contact with Kaleb.Their kids. Where had that thought come from? Just because she told him she would consider marrying him sooner rather than later didn't mean he was going to ask before the summer's end.
A small flicker of disappointment traveled through her. If she were honest, Cinnamon wanted him to ask her to marry him before she left Linden Farms. The mere thought of leaving this family, leaving Kaleb, set her heart spinning into sadness.
Cinnamon gave herself a mental shake of her head and forced herself to grin. No matter what, Kaleb wanted to spend the afternoon with her. She'd treasure it because when tomorrow hit, they'd be busy, even if she wasn't about to leave his side.
The Fourth of July was celebrated like every other holiday in Winter Springs. With a flourish and joy. She looked forward to seeing all of her friends gathered together in one place, enjoying the festivities Kaleb, Scarlet, and Grady offered. And if there was awayshe could help make the day more special for the townsfolk and this family, she'd do it.
Chapter Nineteen
She'll say yes. Of course, she'll say yes. Knowing that didn't stop Kaleb's stomach from swirling. He’d planned every detail, so everything should go smoothly. But he knew better than that. Seldom did anything go as it should, and he'd learned to roll with the punches.
Kaleb wasn't the best chef, unlike Cinnamon, but he did have some experience in the kitchen. Unfortunately, trying to cook with one arm tethered to his side proved more difficult than he imagined. A simple picnic basket would have to do.
Kaleb filled the basket with as many of Cinnamon's favorite food as possible. A quick glance at his watch confirmed he needed to get a move on if he was going to have everything set up before they met in the living room.
Having Scarlet occupy Cinnamon in town for several hours helped Kaleb more than he anticipated. If it weren't for his sister's romantic heart, he'd be in a lot of trouble, trying to plan a proposal when the woman lived on the farm and saw what he did every day.
Scooping the basket over his good arm, Kaleb tucked the blanket on top of it and strode outside. The blue sky stretched for miles above him. The sun cast its fingerless rays across his path as if giving its approval of the day's events.
A twinge of guilt pierced Kaleb's heart. His parents taught him to ask the father's permission for the woman's hand in marriage. Cinnamon and her family were estranged, sadly enough. It broke his heart to know that she'd be walking down the aisle without her father giving her away.
