Tucking her hair behind her ear, she glanced away. “Maybe we could go to dinner tonight, as a way of me thanking you.”
“Ms. Cohen, are you asking me out on a date?”
“No,” she said quickly. “Not a date. Weren’t you listening? A business dinner. I’d like your input on some other changes I could make to the farm. Plus, Arella will be with us; since, um, her cough seems to be so much better.”
“Kristy, I’d love to go on a date with you,” he said as he leaned down and brushed his lips across the corner of her mouth. Looking up at him in surprise, she caught his smirk and guessed it had to do with her excuse last night.
“For God’s sakes,” she muttered as she pushed him away. Glancing out the window, she groaned. Uncle Darren’s blue pick-up truck drove up the long drive.
“Aunt Julia,” she called out. “Your husband is here.”
“Oh, good. I really wanted to try my hand at this new casserole dish tonight, and I needed some ingredients,” she said as she rounded the corner and brushed her hands on her apron. Staring at how close Kashif and Kristy were standing, a smile spread across her face.
Pushing Kashif gently away, she immediately turned to head back to work. Julia barred her way with a frown. “You’re not going to greet your uncle?” she asked disapprovingly.
Her aunt was well aware that Kristy and Darren didn’t get along, and she always tried to push them together.
“Sorry,” Kristy muttered contritely. “Arella, sweetheart. Come say hi to your uncle.”
“Uncle!” Arella shrieked from the other room. Kristy could hear the tapping of dog nails on the floor and knew that Arella and her entourage were headed their way. Arella loved her uncle, and Kristy could honestly say that the feeling was mutual.
Uncle Darren doted on her like she was his own.
The large man burst through the door and set down several grocery bags. Sweeping an arm around Arella, he tossed her easily up in the air. “There’s my sweet girl! Where are my kisses?”
Arella planted loud and messy kisses to the man’s cheek, and Kristy couldn’t help but grin. Maybe in time, she and Darren could learn to get along.
“Hello,” Darren said as he stretched out his hand to Kashif. “You must be the handsome man my wife can’t stop talking about. I thought I’d maybe have to come down with a shotgun until Julia t
old me that you only have eyes for my niece.”
“Darren!” Kristy’s eyes widened in embarrassment. She really needed to have a talk with Julia to straighten a few things out.
“It’s true, although Julia could seduce any man with her cooking,” Kashif answered as he clasped the larger man’s hand.
“Ah, that she could. That she could. So, I hear you’re the only guest here.”
Great. Here they go. Darren was going to start berating her about how she ran the lodge. Stiffening her back, she narrowed her eyes, but Kashif quickly stepped in.
“I am, but it’s peaceful, and I know Kristy is grateful. She’s able to catch up on some of the things around the farm, and I’m more than happy to help her out,” Kashif said quickly. The last sentence hung in the air unspoken, but they all heard.
Since there’s no one else here to do it.
Darren eyed the man suspiciously for a few seconds before nodding his head. “I think that I like you. How about you and I take a few turns around the track and then see if we can’t mend that fence that Kristy has been complaining about.”
“I’m sure the Sheikh has better things to do than indulge in some manual labor, no matter how much fun that sounds,” she interrupted hastily.
“I’d love to help. I am capable of being helpful,” he said with a wry smile.
Knowing that she wasn’t going to win the argument, and praying that Kashif and Darren’s help didn’t mean more work for her, she finally nodded her head and relented.
“All right, Arella. I reckon you’re old enough now to be on a sled. What do you say?” Darren asked, looking down at the child.
“Yeah!” Arella jumped up and down excitedly, but Kristy’s eyes widened in horror.
“No. No, she is not old enough,” Kristy stepped in quickly. “She isn’t old enough until I say that she’s old enough and you know that. I wish you wouldn’t insist on putting those thoughts in her head.”
Kashif watched her in surprise, but Darren shook his head and sighed. “You coddle that girl, Kristy. When are you going to let her have some fun?”