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“I do.” She drops her chin into her hand and leans toward me, her gaze intense as the studies me. “You’ve had a bad day, too. What happened?”
“Let’s talk while we run.” Because if I stay in this room, I’m going to brush back that strand of silky hair that’s fallen forward from her messy bun, cup her face, and tell her what I really want to do to work off my frustration.
She leans back, out of my space, her eyes brightening but not quite meeting mine. “Run. Talk. Then food?”
“It’s like you read my mind. Thai or pizza?”
Her eyes widen. “Pizza? It really must have been a rough day.”
“It really was.”
“Pizza it is. Madalyn’s?”
Madalyn’s has every topping known to man and the best pizza. “Sounds good.”
She hops up, bends over, and kisses my cheek. “You know what I like?”
My blink lasts a second too long as I recover from the feel of her lips against my cheek and the spike of lust it shoots through me. For a moment, I’m thinking of her question in a very different context. “All the veggies and extra mushrooms.”
“Meet you back here in five minutes?”
“I’ll be here.”
I watch her walk away, doing my best not to check out her ass in those black leggings she’s got on. I fail. And then I feel like an asshole.
By the time she’s back, I’ve ordered the pizza and changed into running shorts and a t-shirt. “We’ve got about forty minutes.”
She jogs in place, her short blond ponytail bouncing, her smile bright. “I’m ready.”
“How long are you planning to stay in Catalpa Creek?” I ask as we leave the den and head for the front door of the house.
“I’m not sure yet. Hopefully, just a few more weeks.”
“Three.” Reason number three I can’t kiss Daisy or tell her how I feel.
“What?”
“Nothing.” I open the front door and gesture for her to go ahead of me.
We start off down the driveway at a gentle jog, but cross the open field toward the forest once we get past the pasture fences. It’s a path we’ve taken many times since Daisy moved in, one I’ve followed even more times with Clover, and there’s a well-worn dirt trail through the tall grass.
Wild flowers are blooming, dotting the green grass with pops of bright yellows and pinks. The pollen is thick enough in the air that my eyes water as we jog, but my allergies aren’t bad enough to drive me indoors.
“How about you?” Daisy asks. “How long are you staying at the house?”
If it was up to me, I’d stay forever. “Once the clinic is open and actually has patients, I’ll have some free time to look for a place of my own.”
“I figured your appointment book would be full by now.”
I snort. “Apparently, the good people of Catalpa Creek don’t trust I’m going to stick around for the long haul. Gentry thinks I need to get married to appear more legitimate.”
I glance at Daisy, but her gaze is on the trail ahead. She looks totally unbothered by the thought of me marrying someone else. Maybe she’s completely forgotten about our own short-lived marriage.
“A wife is going to convince them you won’t just take off?” She sounds breathless, still in the warm up stage of her workout. “That doesn’t even make any sense.”
“I agree. But I’m out of better ideas. Gentry knows the locals here a lot better than I do.”
“Any contenders?” she asks.
