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Chapter Six
Hannah watched Luke leave the office, and she waited a few more seconds to make sure he was good and gone. She faced Ginger, who held up one hand, palm forward. “I know what you’re going to say.”
“I don’t see why he can’t work with Jess. He’ll obviously be more comfortable.” Hannah wasn’t sure why she was trying to get Luke onto someone else’s team. She wanted to work with him. She wanted to talk to him. She wanted to spend more time with him.
He’d barely said two words to her last night. At the same time, Hannah had felt like he’d come back to Texas just for her. Ridiculous, she knew, but the feeling nagged at her, and she’d barely been able to sleep last night.
She stifled a yawn right now, not looking forward to the next twelve hours. She was far too old to miss so much sleep, and she hoped this wouldn’t set the precedent for the whole week.
Ginger hadn’t said anything, and Hannah sighed. “You’re not setting me up with him, are you?”
“Of course not,” Ginger said, her eyes flashing with dangerous fire. “He’s amazing with a hammer, and he’s good with horses. That’s your team, Hannah.”
Resignation filled her, and a sigh came out of her mouth. “I know.”
“I thought you were dating Chuck.”
“I am,” Hannah said.
“But you want to date Luke.”
Hannah couldn’t confirm or deny it, at least not vocally. In her mind, yes, she wanted to go on a date with Luke Holt. She wanted to hold his hand and find out if the sparks she could feel across the distance between them would fill her whole body.
A hint of worry accompanied the thoughts, though, because what if the sparks fizzled? What if she broke up with a really great guy for a chance at Luke, only to find out they weren’t as compatible as she hoped?
Her stomach wobbled, and Hannah wished she had another serving of toast. A double-decker stack of toast.
“If it’s a problem after a couple of weeks, let me know,” Ginger said. “We move people all the time, and I can easily tell him that Jess requested him full-time in the stables.”
Hannah nodded and left Ginger’s office. She’d been spending more and more time in the office at the West Wing, because she only had a few weeks left in her pregnancy. The doctor had told her absolutely no horseback riding, and she shouldn’t venture too far out on the farm, just in case she went into labor and needed to get to the hospital quickly.
Hannah entered the kitchen and opened the fridge. Her choices lay in front of her: peach cups, grapefruit segments, string cheese, protein shakes, bottled water, and a variety of groceries she’d have to cook to be able to eat.
She didn’t want fruit or protein shakes. She wanted a big piece of chocolate cake, and she quickly closed the fridge and opted for the freezer instead. She had mini ice cream sandwiches, and she took one of those and started unwrapping it.
She could eat the frozen treat in five or six bites, and it would be gone before she left the yard. Before anyone saw her eating ice cream before nine a.m.
She stepped out of the garage, at least half of her ice cream sandwich left, and Luke said, “Can I walk with you?”
Hannah choked on her ice cream and jumped a couple of feet away from him. “Oh,” she cried out, and she dropped her ice cream.
Luke held up his hands. “Sorry. Just me.” He looked down at her treat, and Hannah did too. “Wow, I’m just striking out all over the place this morning,” Luke added.
“You’re fine.” Hannah said, the sun suddenly too hot. She crouched and scooped the sugary snack off the cement. She stepped over to the trash can and dropped the remaining ice cream sandwich in it. “I don’t need that anyway. It’s far too early for ice cream.”
“It’s never too early for ice cream,” Luke said, that sexy, sly smile coming to his face.
Hannah had to put one hand against the wall of the garage to steady herself. After a moment to gather her composure, she continued back toward him, putting a smile on her face too. “Are you ready for this? Do you remember how long the days were?”
“Anything is going to be better than following my dad around, showing houses to people who can’t afford them.” He grinned at her and turned with her as she passed him. They started across the lawn to the dirt road behind the house and all the cabins that had been built. The walk always calmed Hannah on the way to work, and she could shed the stress of whatever had happened that day on the way home.
Her nerves settled, and she managed to stuff her hormones back into the box where they belonged. “I bet your parents are going to miss you.”
“I don’t know,” Luke said. “They didn’t seem to mind me there, but I…”
She heard the pause in his statement, and she really wanted him to finish, so she stayed silent.
“I feel more welcome here,” he finally said.
