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“You speak so intelligently on a subject you know little about. Marriage and kids.”
He laughed. How were things getting heated between them? “Intelligent enough to know I hadn’t found the right one so I didn’t just marry simply to be married.”
“Wow. You just keep digging yourself deeper and deeper.” Her tone went up a notch.
“Who am I to say for sure?”
“Well, you did, and now you can’t just pretend you didn’t.”
With one tug, the splinter slipped from her skin. “There. All done.” He released her hand.
She stared at him, blinking. “I did love Gray when I married him.”
“Of course you did.” He turned and left her standing there with wide eyes.
“I’m a go-getter. I always have been,” she said to his back. “I wanted my marriage and I worked for a future that he and I didn’t agree upon, or see the same.”
“I believe you.” But he didn’t and he wasn’t sure why. He turned to face her and saw that her eyes were glazed. Her bottom lip puffed out. “What?”
“I’m a passionate person. I’m not a robot.” She walked closer.
He chuckled. “Okay.”
She stood on tiptoe, holding his gaze a second before she leaned in and kissed him—and it was a kiss full of emotion as if she had something to prove. Before he could respond, she pulled back. Her lips were a brighter pink.
“I don’t know why I did that.” She gave her head a little shake.
“Parker…”
She brought her fingers to her lips then dropped her hand to her side. “I don’t understand how you do that.”
“Do what?”
“Irritate me. Can you take me back to the farm now?”
What had just happened?
“Sure, I’ll take you back.” A tug of war ensued within him. He wanted to drag her back into his arms and kiss her the way she deserved to be kissed, but a small part of him realized things could get messy quick. She would only be in Second Chance for a short time and then she would be leaving, headed back to her fast-paced life in Chicago. Anything between them would fizzle before it had a chance to rise to the occasion.
Then why should he deny himself the temptation?
Chapter Fifteen
Parker pushed her laptop across the coffee table and buried her face into her palms, feeling the frustration building. When she dropped her hands to her lap, she flicked her gaze over the screen and data readouts. Not able to sleep, she’d tossed and turned most of the night before she finally gave up and got up when the sun came up. She’d been at work ever since and the day had slowly eased into late afternoon.
She’d started creating different marketing strategies for Bonnie’s Bluebonnets. Saving the business wasn’t what she was sent to do, but she did feel like she needed to help Bonnie, a woman she’d never met, fight for a business that was a lot more than a money pit.
She’d found a treasure trove of teas in the cabinet and was happily working her way through trying out each one. Taking a sip of the lavender tea sweetened with a drop of honey made her lips tingle. Much like what happened when she’d kissed Raven yesterday.
After coming back to Bonner’s Farm, Parker had been restless. She’d cleaned an already spotless kitchen. Scrubbed the floors. Hung out with Betsy for a while, who just happened to like carrots as much as Parker did, and taken a long walk around the land to try and clear her head of all the cobwebs.
Getting up from the sofa, she went over to the window with her tea and pulled back the curtain on the large window facing the front yard. The land was so beautiful and peaceful here. She’d saved lingerie shops to dog food companies before, but never someone’s home. During her walk last night, she’d absorbed the tranquility of the land and everything it had to offer. The greenhouse was a world of its own. Each flower, plant, everything inside told a story—Bonnie’s story. The stone patios, walkways, and gardens full of glimpses into the love she had for her home. The colorful flowers made Parker smile, and that was what solidified she couldn’t just suggest to a stranger, a woman who’d buried herself here in every speck of dirt, the same woman who’d spent more than half her life working with flowers, to give up and walk away.
Parker herself wouldn’t just walk away and this wasn’t even her dream.
Going to the table, she picked up her phone and clicked on a picture she took yesterday. In front of the greenhouse, she found Bonnie and Bill’s handprints, their names, and the date etched in the cement. Below was the wordAlways.The love these two had for each other was evident in every blade of grass, every flower, every ray of sunshine, and piece of soil. They built the farm and business together. Bill had lied to his wife to protect her.
Parker had no idea how she would save Bonnie’s Bluebonnets, but she realized how much potential the business had.
