Page 31 of Canadian Harvest

That’s easy enough. Not out of the ordinary of anything that I would normally text her.

I don’t know why I’m so nervous, but when I see the three little dots pop up, my heart starts beating like it’s going to burst out of my chest.

Rachel

Pretty good. Skylar put in the orders for the spring weddings being booked at the brewery.

What about you?

I smile, thinking there’s at least more guaranteed dates to see her, even if they are months from now.

Good. Travis is over to watch the hockey game I recorded last night but he fell asleep.

lol. I can only imagine with two kids that young at home.

Right?

Listen, I know we haven’t talked about our second date, but I was wondering if you’d like to go to the Fall Festival with me tomorrow?

I hold my breath, waiting for those bubbles to pop up again.

I’m never this nervous when texting a woman. Then again, I can’t remember the last time I asked one out on an actual date. Or texted. I try not to think too much about my dating history of late, because it doesn’t paint me in the best picture. Usually meaningless hookups where both of us are just not wanting to be alone. Definitely not anything I would want for Rachel. She deserves only the best, and this is far from just another hook up.

I’d love to. It’s always my favourite event of the year. I also heard they booked Greyson Wallace! Can you believe it?

I smile as I type.

Yeah, I heard a thing or two about him coming.

I can’t wait to see you tonight. It’s my night off; do you want to grab dinner at the diner?

There. Two dates in two days. Take that, Travis.

I’d love to. I can probably close the shop a little early. I’ll be ready when you are.

Her last words stir something up in me. I’m ready. I’msoready for her. I’m going to take it slow and be a gentleman because that’s what she deserves, but I want nothing more than to undress her and show her I’m man enough to act out any fantasy she may have from her books. I might not have a tail or a scaly ribbed-for-her-pleasure cock, but I can be her hero.

Now I sound like a fucking Enrique Iglesias song.

Travis lets out a snore, which causes his body to jerk. He scratches at his chest and readjusts his head before falling back asleep.

I think of the man he was a few years ago when I first moved to Logan Creek. I heard rumours of him and Lila starting off as pretending to date to save his job, but everything I’ve seen from them is real, just like all the others and their wives. The more time I spend with Rachel, the more I see that maybe I am ready for that kind of life. Maybe not the babies yet—they still scare me a little—but the forever kind of deal. It’s too early to tell if that’s with Rachel, but tonight is a good way to find out.

16

MITCH

“Get yourself together, man. You’re just going to the fucking diner.” I grumble as I pull into a parking spot in front of Rustic Charm Flowers. My heart is racing, my palms are sweaty. I can’t focus. I’m only partially blaming it on the lack of sleep. And possibly a couple of doses of caffeine.

After texting with Rachel until she had to go help a client, I did the best I could to catch a nap while Travis was still passed out on my couch. He only woke up when his alarm went off, letting him know he needed to go get ready for work. How that man functions on so little sleep and endless amounts of coffee and energy drinks, I’ll never know.

While I might have only slept for about twenty minutes, it helped make me more alert, or at least as alert as I need to be to pick up Rachel and go to the Creekside Diner. Thankfully, I remembered to stop at Charmed Bakery on the way here and may have also ordered a double espresso that I downed the second I walked out of the door.

Rachel appears in the doorway with a bright smile on her face. Today she’s wearing skin tight dark denim jeans, a black sweater that shows off all her curves, and brown boots that go up to mid-calf. I was so tired this morning that I hadn’t noticed, but now that the caffeine and nap is hitting my system, I’m overwhelmed by her beauty. I can’t believe what a lucky bastard I am to be taking her out. While there’s still the chatter in my head about how I’m not like the other guys she’s dated, I’m trying to focus on the fact that maybe that will work in my favour. There was a reason it didn’t work out with them.

I get out of the truck and walk to her, pulling her into a hug and giving her a light kiss on her lips. “Hi,” I say as I pull back.

“Hi,” she says, her voice breathless.

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