The fifteen acres of land that the Bishops allotted for us will be more than enough for all the good we want to do. Seeing everything fall into place has me looking forward to the future.
After one of the largest sections of the fence is complete, I see Kaitlyn’s truck in the distance. She parks on the side of the road, then steps out wearing her tan riding pants, high boots, and a shirt that hugs her in all the right places. Her blond hair is in a side braid, and it takes every bit of willpower I have not to gawk because she’s so damn gorgeous.
Quickly, I look away so her brothers don’t start shit again. If they catch me staring, their mouths will run wild and piss her off. They’re already warmed up from earlier.
I try to act indifferent and pull my attention away even when she comes over next to me, but I can’t resist wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against my chest.
She looks up at me with a giddy smile. “Doin’ some amazin’ work out here! I’m so excited about the dedication. I was on my way to Grandma’s but wanted to stop and check in to see how y’all were doin’. Apparently, she’s going to call the local newspaper and see if they’ll come take some pictures and do a full write-up. Oh, and I have Elle and Connor on board to help us since we might be gettin’ our first horse on Friday.”
I release my hold on her but stay close. “Wow, that’s great news. We’re gonna need all the help we can get. I spoke with the game warden, and he’s gonna call me back tomorrow so we can prepare for his arrival.”
“Perfect.” Kaitlyn beams and opens her mouth to say something else, but her brothers walk up and steal her attention away. When I turn to keep working, Ethan comes over, and when I look at him, he’s glaring.
“What?”
“I thought it was bullshit and a joke to piss you off, but now I have no damn doubt about it. You’re in love with her.”
“You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. We’re just friends, always have been.”
“Really? You don’t think I recognized the same look I used to give Harper when we were just friends. Out of every person here, I actually know what it’s like to be in love with my best friend and be too chickenshit to admit it.”
I’ve been here for so long that I almost forgot that Ethan married his best friend, Harper, after they pretended to be engaged.
“It’s not the same,” I growl.
“How so?” he challenges.
“It’s just not,” I snap, not giving him any further details. “Trust me.”
They were pretending to have feelings publicly while actually having them. There’s no make-believe, fake relationship going on between Kaitlyn and me. Just a bunch of rules and purely transactional sex exchanges. Ethan would never understand that.
“Mm-hmm,” he says, but I know he doesn’t believe me. Luckily, he drops it and walks away.
Before Kaitlyn leaves, she says goodbye to everyone, and I try to fade into the background before anyone else can call me out on my bullshit lies. When she’s out of sight, I can finally breathe again, even if Ethan’s watching me like a hawk.
Now that she’s out of her ovulation window, we haven’t been having sex, but I find myself craving it and needing more of her. Once she’s pregnant, all of this has to stop. The intimacy ends, and we go back to the way things were before we fucked.
Once the sun sets and we’re stuck working by flashlights, I decide to call it a night.
“Meet y’all back here at the same time tomorrow afternoon. We should be able to finish it before the deadline.”
A round of thank fucks echoes as we all grab our tools and go our separate ways. My body’s sore from all the pushing and pulling I did, and I was already tired from working a full shift beforehand. However, in the end, I know the difference we’ll make will be more than worth it. That’s what keeps me going when I’m about to fall over from exhaustion.
When I get home, I kick off my boots, then throw my hat on the table. Kaitlyn’s pulling dishes from the cabinet, standing on her tiptoes to reach the bigger plates at the top. I move beside her and help, pressing my body into hers as I pull them down.
“Thanks,” she mutters, smiling when she spins around. She’s freshly showered and smells like honeysuckle. It makes me want to lick her all over.
Our proximity is all I can think about, but I make no attempt to move. After the day I’ve had, I just want to get lost in her. But she’s the first to speak up. “Are you hungry? I made dinner.”
“You cooked?” I ask, taking a much-needed step back and looking at the pan filled with steaks, roasted potatoes, and green beans.
“Yeah, I thought you could use a good meal after how hard you worked today. Plus, Grandma forced me to take a bunch of the steaks she got from the butcher. Couldn’t deny that woman even if I wanted to.”
“They smell and look amazing. Thank you,” I graciously tell her.
“Want to watch the new superhero show?” she asks, handing me a fork and knife. It’s a series with lots of action.
“Yeah, didn’t the latest season just come out?”