Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 101466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“For sure. Down this way.” He directed me, and I gazed at the selection. He was friendly and sweet, offering me taste tests. I hummed in delight at how tasty they all were but decided on the potato with egg and a broccoli salad. He chatted as he was packing them, and I added a couple of pickles.
“Nice day for a picnic,” he stated.
“It’s a great day,” Jesse said, sounding stern behind me. He slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me back to his chest. “Any time spent with my girl is a great day.”
I looked down at his arm. I felt his tension. I bit back my laughter. The kid was about seventeen.
Was Jesse jealous?
I patted Jesse’s arm. “Why don’t you pick some desserts? They all look good.”
He grunted. “You do that. I’ll wait for the chicken.” Then he kissed me and pushed me toward the sweets.
Yep. Jealous.
Why that made me so happy, I wasn’t sure. Even if he was being ridiculous.
Luckily, the kid was oblivious, telling Jesse about his mom’s secret recipes and how he was going to run the store one day. I went to the sweets counter and chose some cupcakes and cookies. Then I added some cold drinks from the cooler.
I ran outside and got the basket from the trunk, bringing it back just as everything was ready.
Jesse had relaxed again, smiling and charming the mother, who called him a giant. She was about four and a half feet tall, so to her, Jesse would look massive. He even joked with the son, so I knew he realized he was being an idiot.
At the register, I loaded the basket, reaching into my wallet to pay for our feast, but Jesse stopped me. “Today is my day, Pix.”
I let him pay, and we loaded the trunk and climbed back in. I looked at him, shaking my head.
“Really, Thorne?”
“Uh-oh,” he grinned. “I’m back to being Thorne.”
“You were acting like Thorne. Grunting. Staking your claim.”
“He was eyeballing you.”
“He was seventeen and still in school.”
“He’s a male. And you look incredibly sexy today. I bet he was imagining private lessons from an older, experienced woman such as yourself.”
I laughed even as I felt a rush of pleasure from his compliment. I wore a skort—the closest thing I had to a skirt—and a T-shirt. Sandals like he was wearing. My hair was up in a ponytail. It was nice to know Jesse thought I was sexy. Or Thorne. I was good with both of their thoughts.
Still laughing, I slid the daisy glasses back on his face and cupped it, kissing him. He wrapped his arm around me, yanking me tight to his chest and kissing me back.
“Let’s go, Jesse Thorne. We have more exploring to do.”
He kissed me one more time.
“Okay.”
“Ah, found it!” Jesse exclaimed, parking the car and getting out, rounding the back and lifting the trunk lid to get the basket. He came to my door and opened it. “Let’s go, Pixie. Bring the blanket.”
I grabbed it from the back seat, and he took my hand, leading me a short distance. Over the little hill, he stopped. “Perfect,” he breathed out.
I followed his line of vision and gasped in delight, racing ahead of him. There was a pretty brook with trees overhanging it. Surrounded by grass and edged in rocks, it bubbled and danced in the sun. “Oh, I love it!”
“This is the edge of Chief Fleming’s land,” he explained. “He owns all of this.” He swept his arm in a wide arc. “Bought it years ago and plans on retiring here. I helped him clear it. Not just me. A bunch of us at the station, but I’ve come on my own a few times too. They plan on starting to build a house soon.”
We shook out the blanket under one of the trees, and I set the basket on the edge to stop it from blowing away. “Are you hungry yet?” I asked.
“Pixie, I’m always hungry. But let’s go for a walk first.”
We strolled, hand in hand. He walked us up the ridge and pointed to the land below. “That’s where the chief wants his place.”
It was a beautiful spot, surrounded by trees on one side, the brook wider and more like a small river just in front of the wooded area. Nestled in a valley between the rolling hills, it was sheltered and lovely. “You can drive into it easier over there,” he pointed to a break in the trees.
“How incredible.”
We walked back to the brook area. Unable to help myself, I slipped off my sandals and walked into the water, squealing at the cold. Jesse laughed, holding out his hand to help me back to the grass. “Barely warmed up yet.”
We sat down, and I unpacked the food, widening my eyes at the amount we’d bought. Jesse laughed at my expression. “Leftovers,” he said, picking up a sandwich and biting down. “Delicious.”