Harvest of Love: Insta-Spark Collection

His tone made me nervous. I smiled at him, trying to ease the sudden tension between us. “All this. You don’t see many stars in Toronto with the smog—and the only noise you hear is the traffic most of the time.”

His voice was tight, his hand squeezing my arm. “When do you plan on going back to Toronto?”

“Ah, I was thinking I’d go back Sunday? Or early next week?”

He let go of my arm, stepping back, shaking his head, looking aghast. “You can’t.”

“Noah, I have to go home. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Why?”

“I have responsibilities—I need to pick up my mail, pay my bills, check my house.”

“I’ll help you. I’ll drive you in, and you can get what you need.”

“Did you think I’d just stay here for the next six weeks?”

“Yes, I did.”

I gaped at him.

He began pacing in front of me, pulling his hands through his hair repeatedly.

“Noah, I—”

He held up his hand, stopping me. “You can’t go back, Dani. You can’t. Don’t ask me to let you go.”

“What do you think I should do, then?”

“Stay here, with me.”

“I have to go back eventually.”

“Not necessarily.”

“I don’t understand.”

He stopped in front of me, running his hands up and down my arms as he studied my face. “I want you to stay here with me, Dani. Not for a week, or even six. I want to build a life with you. I want you with me forever.” He drew in a deep breath. “I love you, Dani Rawlins. I love you so much that the thought of not being with you makes me crazy.”

I stared at him, speechless.

He stepped closer, our chests touching. His moved rapidly, his stress evident. “I love you so much, if you insisted on leaving, if your decision was to stay in Toronto, I would come with you.”

My eyes widened in shock. “You’d leave the farm? Your family?”

“For you, yes.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’d hate it, Noah!”

“I’d do it, if it meant I had you.” He cupped my face, his thumbs running over my skin in frantic circles. “I love you, Dani. I know it’s fast, and I know it sounds crazy. But I do.”

I met his warm gaze. His never wavered; love blazed from the depth of his eyes, so blatant and honest. So real—just like him.

“I love you too,” I whispered.

He drew me close, our mouths meeting with soft, gentle pressure, our breath mingling, his tenderness evident. “Stay with me.”

“What if—”

“Give us a chance. We’ll work it all out.”

“I still need to go get some things.”

“I’ll take you tomorrow and get what you need. Please come back with me,” he urged. “Let this place heal you—let me help heal you.” He looked around, his gaze taking in the vastness of the space. “There is so much beauty and peace here.”

“What about the future? My job? My townhouse?”

He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. “Why don’t we take it in smaller chunks? Next week, a month, then decide. You shouldn’t make any major decisions right now.”

“And staying here isn’t a major decision?”

“No, it’s simple—because it’s the right one.”

“You think so.”

“I know so.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m here, I love you, and I want what’s best for you. Because I know what this place can do for a person, and I want you to give it a chance and see. I want you to give us a chance.”

He pressed his lips to my forehead. “Forget what you think should happen. What your preconceived ideas of normal are. Let me show you another way of life, Dani. One that will fulfill you in ways your job could never touch.”

“What will I do? Help out on the farm?”

“What do you like to do? Was there something you enjoyed but never had time for anymore? Besides baking?”

“I liked to draw and paint. I used to make pottery.” I shrugged self-consciously. “I liked to do things with my hands.”

He smiled against my skin. “You are good with your hands, I’ll grant you that.”

I giggled, smacking his chest.

“There’re lots of things here you can draw. There is a great pottery studio twenty minutes down the road. I know they offer classes. Mrs. Norton is a regular customer. I’ll call her next week, and you can check it out?” He pulled me a little closer. “I know you’re used to doing everything on your own, Dani. But you don’t have to anymore. You have me now. My family adores you and wants to help too. Let us, please.”

I looked up at his earnest, pleading expression. The truth was, I didn’t want to leave him, or this place; I only felt I should. I thought I should go home and try to figure this out on my own. Take care of myself the way I’d always had to. But Noah was standing in front of me, not only offering his support and help but his heart. His generous, open, loving heart.