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She looks skeptical, so I jump down from the hood and start packing up the remains of our picnic. "Come on. I can even do you one better than a simple pet. Wanna help feed a calf that's havin' trouble bonding with its mama?"
Mariah's eyes go wide. "Can I really? That would be amazing!"
"Well, come on then, sweet thing. Little girl'll be gettin' hungry by now." I offer her my hand to help her down, then I drive us over to the small pen where we've separated the struggling calf from the herd. Mariah practically vibrates with excitement as I hand her a bottle of milk formula.
"Are you sure about this? You said you had the afternoon off, and her I am making you work."
"I see this as part of my country-adventure duties. So it's no trouble." I guide her into the pen where the calf is sitting in a warming crate.
"Oh, my god. It's so cute," she breathes as I let her out.
"Now remember, you gotta be gentle but firm," I coach. "Don't let her push you around."
Mariah steps into the pen slowly so as not to startle the anxious calf. "Here baby, I have yummy milk for you," she coos softly.
At first the calf eyes her warily, but the promise of food wins out. She rushes over and begins eagerly sucking down the formula. Some dribbles out the sides of her mouth and Mariah giggles.
"Slow down there, no need to choke!"
Watching Mariah with the calf, laughter on her lips and joy in her eyes, makes my heart go a little mushy on the inside. Every moment with this girl feels more and more right, and it's in thismoment that I decide, come hell or high water, I'm gonna marry her.
There's just a few things we need to straighten out first...
But before I can give it much thought, the calf gets impatient and headbutts Mariah right in the stomach. Mariah lets out anoof!and stumbles backward, losing her grip on the bottle. Milk splashes all over the front of her pretty sundress.
"Are you OK?" I ask, rushing forward.
Mariah looks down at herself in shock before dissolving into laughter. "I'm covered in milk, but at least I didn't end up covered in mud this time. That baby has got some strength in her!"
I grab a rag and begin dotting at the milk stain on her dress. "Here, this should help a little."
Mariah grasps my hand, stilling it against her chest. Our eyes lock and the humor of the moment shifts into charged intimacy.
"Thank you for this," Mariah says softly. "Not the cleaning me up part. But for bringing me here, for being my small-town adventure guy. It means a lot to me, and I honestly can't remember the last time I felt so..." She searches for the word.
"Alive?" I offer.
A smile flickers on her lips. "Yeah, alive. Maybe even free."Free.I can definitely attest to that feeling after leaving the city for a life out here. Would she even care who I really was if she knew?
My fingers lace through hers, our bodies drifting closer. "Mariah..."
"Don't say anything, Clark. Please."
I obey her request, but the desire to confess myself bubbles within me like a boiling pot. So instead, I lift my hand and cup the side of her head, my thumb brushing lightly against her cheek. Her eyes glance down to my mouth, and I want nothingmore than to kiss this maddening, funny, vibrant woman senseless. But the bleating of the hungry calf breaks our trance.
"I guess someone is impatient for the rest of her bottle," Mariah murmurs as we pull back awkwardly.
"That she is." I run a hand through my hair, trying to rein in my desire as Mariah goes back to feeding the calf, and I go back to silently planning our future together.
MARIAH
When the sun sinks low into the sky, Clark takes me back to the cottage, his hand resting on my thigh as he drives. I look down at his tanned fingers, feeling the warmth and strength of his grip while I salivate over the muscles in his forearms flexing as he expertly navigates the winding roads. My stomach tightens. I want this man in my bed and in my body, but I'm at odds as to whether I should let things go that far with him.
It's obvious he's interested in more than just a fling, but I don't have anything more than that in me. I'm leaving in a little under a week, and even if I wasn't, long-term relationships just aren't my thing. I came here looking for a little fun and carefree excitement. I wasn't looking for...for whatever Clark is offering with those big blue eyes that seem to melt every single time he looks at me. Because he doesn't look at me like a man hungry for sex. He looks at me like a man who wants to love.
And as uncomfortable as that makes me—and despite my better judgment and my fear of getting too close—I can't help the way my heart pounds with both excitement and confusion whenever he's close to me. I'm so out of my depth here.
"Everything OK?" Clark asks as we pull into the driveway of the cottage.
