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But this time, she found herself looking forward to it. If she weren’t buckled into her seat, she would have scooted closer to him just to feel the warmth coming off his body. There would be plenty of time for that later. For now, she’d revel in the way he was making her feel at this very moment.
* * *
Scarlett messagedAnnabel when they got home, but rather than head over to the Keagan’s ranch, she got right to work. There was so much that had to be done before she could even think of spending time with her friend.
At least that was the excuse she’d made herself. In all honesty, she was looking forward to seeing Elijah. The stolen glances were the best part of finding herself in this particular predicament. Every time she glanced up from her chore or felt his gaze on her, she was filled with a rush of exhilaration—and all because they’d shared a few kisses.
On a normal day, Elijah would finish up a little before supper and then leave to spend it with his family. There were the rare occasions when he wasn’t done by the time she’d finished fixing dinner and her father would insist on having him stay. Today was one of those days, and when she exited the house to retrieve their personal cowboy helper, he was already trudging up the steps.
While her body stopped, her heart went into overdrive. He stared up at her from beneath that hat of his. His lips quirked upward into a crooked grin and he cocked his head. They stared at each other for a few moments before he finally broke the silence. “I take it that supper’s ready?”
Scarlett crossed her arms and shot a look behind her toward the house. “What makes you think you’re invited today?”
“I’d say the fact that you were already on your way out here was a pretty good indicator.”
“Maybe I came out here to tell you to call it a day.” The smile on her face wasn’t doing her any favors. Teasing him was harder when she couldn’t keep it straight.
Elijah moved up a few steps and then stopped so he could stare up at her from the one just below where she stood. His voice lowered, containing a quality that made the hairs on her arms lift like there was lightning in the sky overhead. “I’ll leave on one condition.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “You give me a kiss goodbye.”
Her body tensed with pleasure. They’d kept their distance enough throughout the day just for appearances, and she was beginning to wonder if they would ever get a chance to explore their newfound status. “I think I could manage that.”
His hand slid up the railing at his side as if he were preparing to crowd her on the step where she stood. They were already close enough—only a few inches separated her nose from his. Elijah’s kisses were different than she would have ever expected. Already she craved more of him, wanted to feel caressed by him.
Was she going crazy?
“There you are! I’ve been texting you all day. Lucas isn’t doing a dang thing at home and is claiming the chores you wanted him to finish will be done by you.”
Scarlett’s smile faded just as fast and she jumped back. How had she not seen Annabel drive up to the house? How had she not heard her? It had to be the blood rushing in her ears, drowning out anything else besides the thumping of her heart.
Elijah was more casual in his reaction, turning around almost lazily and making eye contact with his sister. “There’s a reason I wasn’t answering my phone. I’m working. I have a lot to do, and I didn’t have my charger on me.”
Annabel looked him over from head to toe and gave him a disgusted look. “You could have at least come home this morning and changed. Isn’t that what you wore yesterday?” Her focus flitted up to Scarlett and her features brightened. “Hey, so I wanted to talk to you about that night we went dancing. That guy I was with asked me out.” She moved past Elijah, leaving him on the steps as she slipped her arm through Scarlett’s, and they headed inside.
Scarlett glanced over her shoulder to find Elijah heading back down the steps and toward his truck. If she weren’t such a coward, she might have yelled after him to come in for supper, but with Annabel there at her side prattling on about her latest date, she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
Annabel said hello to her father, to which her father gave Scarlett a surprised look. He didn’t ask about Elijah, which was actually preferable. Scarlett didn’t know what she would have said with her friend there. Annabel could probably sniff out when Scarlett was uncomfortable, and that was the last thing she needed right now.
They spent dinner chatting and catching up regarding the night they’d gone dancing—mostly it was Annabel telling her story because there was no way Scarlett was willing to tell her about what had happened with Annabel’s brothers.
When supper was all cleaned up, they moved their chat out to the front porch.
“So are you going to keep seeing him?” Scarlett leaned over the railing, resting her elbows on the edge and glancing to her side where Annabel had done the same.
“I don’t know. I’ve been spending so much time trying to figure out where I want my life to go that I feel like I’ve been at a complete standstill. Life is moving on without me and I have nothing to show for it.”
“That’s not true,” Scarlett said. “You have plenty going for you.”
Her friend shot her a flat look. “Seriously? I have a ranch that isn’t completely mine. Everyone in town either hates my family or avoids us because of our history, so this one guy asking me out was strange enough as it was. And to top it all off, I—” She cut herself off, clamping her mouth shut and shifting her gaze out toward the landscape before them.
“You, what?”
“Nothing. It’s… nothing.” She sighed and then flashed a smile. “I’ve got a history of issues a mile long, but I’m done with it.”
“You know you can tell me, right? I’m here for you. Like always.” It was something she’d said a lot when they were closer. Scarlett wanted her friends to know that she was there for them. Only now, it seemed wrong to suggest such a thing. Elijah’s judgments flooded her thoughts and she felt sick to her stomach.
