Delilah’s family and mine are close. While my parents wanted to retire and move where it was warm all year round, I knew I’d never leave here. I worked hard side by side with the Howell family. Delilah’s dad, Wyatt, and I struck gold, metaphorically speaking. Not only did I get to let my parents retire early, I got to keep the family farm. I still keep my dad’s job because it’s my passion. Charlotte Bloom’s sexy ass has quickly become my number one passion. It might take a while, but I see her as a wild horse. I don’t want to break her. I just want to be the lucky bastard whose field she runs in.
3
Charlotte
It’s not until we’re pulling up to a large iron gate that reads Blackwood Crossing that I realize he never answered my question. This makes it clear. He isn’t taking me to Mr. Weston’s.
“What are you doing?” I watch as the gates swing open after he presses a button in his truck. He proceeds to pull through them and down a long driveway lined with trees. I look back, watching them close behind us.
“Drake is busy today. You’ll be staying with me while you’re here,” he drawls.
“I’m not staying.” At least that was the plan in my head. I packed a bag just in case because I am always prepared for what may happen.
“Drake said you’d be here for a while.”
I turn from watching the gate behind us. The truck continues to move farther away. “I have a plane to catch later on tonight, once Mr. Weston signs all of the documents I need him to,” I say in hopes that this will enlighten him to the fact that I will be headed home today.
But he just remains quiet and keeps driving. The cab of the truck is so silent you could hear a pin drop. Colton’s face looks stern and his jaw is tight after I revealed that I don’t plan on staying. I keep sneaking glances in his direction but he continues to watch the road, keeping those beautiful eyes on it. Can a person be jealous of a road? I suddenly crave those eyes on me.
The truck finally slows to a stop and Colton gets out without saying a word. He walks around it, first opening the back door to get my bag, and then the passenger door. He leans his body inside the truck and over me to unbuckle my seatbelt. I may have let out a small moan. I can feel the heat of his skin and I almost stick my tongue out to get a taste of it. My nipples harden, which gets me a small smile from him. I continue to act indifferent, like none of this is affecting me. I will not be my mother’s daughter. That’s my mantra and I silently chant it to myself. Thing is, I can’t remember the last time another person has been this close to me.
Colton doesn’t make any of this easy for me. Instead of letting me step down from the truck, he lifts me, making sure to hold me tight to his body. I have to slide down him until my feet touch the ground. I wobble, unsteady with lust for this man, but soon gain my composure. Those eyes watch me like a hawk. It’s like he sees straight through my crap, but I am going to fight this as long as possible. It figures the first time I’ve ever wanted a man that he would love someone else. That is just my luck. I need to get away from here and him as soon as possible.
I pull myself together before I look past Colton to see a cute farm house. It’s the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen. Visions of a little girl running through the fields pass through my mind. It reminds me of something you’d see in a movie. Too perfectly put together to be real but there it is. It has everything that you’d expect a farmhouse to have. The wrap-around porch has rockers and a swing on it that make me yearn for a glass of iced tea and a good book.
I’ve never experienced this much quiet until this very moment. Everything seems to stand still. That is something that I am not at all used to. All of this fresh air must be messing with me. I give my head a small shake and remind myself why I am here. For business, that’s the only reason. It’s definitely not for Colton. It one thousand percent is not for him. I don’t even believe my own lies at this point, but none of it matters anyway because he loves someone that isn’t me.
I pull my eyes from the lovely home to look over at Colton and wonder if this is the home he thought he’d be raising his family in with Delilah. Everything about Colton screams family man. He’s the kind of man that would come home every night to his wife and hold true to his promises. Although Delilah is marrying someone else, if Colton one day found someone to love I believe he’d stay true to that woman. If he told her she’d be his forever then that’s what she’d be because he is a man of his word. It wouldn’t be exactly what he would want but I know he would love whomever it was as much as he could. As nice as that might be to have it would never work for me. Being second to another woman just isn’t ever going to be my cup of tea.