For some reason, that made him smile. He nodded as if I’d answered some unspoken question. He looked much more relaxed all of a sudden. More like the old Nick I’d looked up to. The one who barely knew I was alive.
"I think you've got the right idea, Melissa. A hard day’s work has more value."
"I guess . . . I guess I see what you mean," I said, ignoring the thrill I got when he said my name. “Knowing I accomplish something every day makes a difference with everything. Knowing I helped the people I love . . ."
“Everything?" he asked. I just shook my head. Like I said, I definitely didn't want the man of my dreams feeling sorry for me. And if he knew that whole deal with Mom and the property, he definitely would.
We lapsed into a pleasant silence again.
Eventually, Nick slid off and started walking beside his horse. I did the same. It was a little bit uneven out here as we went to the edge of the property. Neither one of us would risk having our beloved horse turn an ankle, or worse.
“Someday, I’m going to clear trails out here. Make it a great place to ride. Not just the paddocks.”
“It’s beautiful out here. Hendrix and I would definitely be into that.”
A blush stained my cheeks. I was suddenly nervous. What if I said something stupid? It was better to say nothing at all.
"I’d better get back. The other horses need to be fed and let out."
“I can help you. If you want,” he offered. I stared at him. What was happening? Were we becoming real friends? Maybe Nick needed a friend as badly as I did. Was that even possible?
I nodded before I could talk myself out of it.
“That would be great.”
Chapter Five
Nick
What the hell are you doing, Nick? You’re just torturing yourself. Stop.
But I couldn’t. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Melissa no matter how I tried over the past week. And I couldn’t keep away.
Worse yet, I didn’t even want to try, even though I knew it would be the right thing to do. I knew the long list of reasons to keep my distance by heart. I had been repeating them to myself over and over again. But it didn’t change a thing.
I wanted to be here. I needed to be near her. Even if nothing else came of it.
Right now, all those reasons seemed very far away . . . I was working companionably alongside Melissa, shoveling hay. It was surprisingly pleasant to work beside her.
Pleasant but dangerous. Bad. It was all very bad. I knew that. And yet it was definitely the best day I'd had in a long time.
Maybe the best day I’d ever had.
She paused and wiped the back of her sleeve across her forehead. Her hair was getting curlier as she sweated. It was sexy as fuck.
"I have to go get lunch ready for Mom. If you want . . . I could bring you some.” She looked down at her feet. For a split second, I saw something different inside her. I realized she was feeling shy with me. How someone so beautiful could be shy was beyond me.
Too good for you. Too young. You are just a dirty old man to her, Nick.
“You don’t have to do that.”
Startled blue eyes looked up at mine. Everything in that look hit me like a load of bricks. Not just her beauty. It was painfully obvious that she clearly was not used to people being kind to her.
"It's the least I can do. You’ve done twice as much work as I could on my own,” she said, gesturing around. “More.”
“Well, you’re a little girl,” I said with a smile.
“I’m not . . .” She looked momentarily annoyed with me, but then she shook her head, giving up. “I’m not a little girl.”
I grabbed her hand before she could run off. It was risky, touching her like that. It did strange things to me. It made me forget my list of reasons I could never, ever get so close to her.
“I know that,” I said, tugging her closer. I brushed her hair away from her achingly beautiful face. “I just meant size. I’m bigger.”
“Oh,” she said, staring up at me with a dazed look. A look that said, go ahead and kiss me. And fuck me if my eyes weren’t on her luscious lips, leaning forward to—
A tinkling sound broke the spell. I froze, inches away from her. I inhaled deeply, desperate to catch and remember her scent. She smelled like apples, honeysuckle, vanilla, and soft, sweet woman.
"That was . . . my phone," she said in a breathy voice that was indescribably arousing.
"You got a message?” I asked, suddenly feeling jealous. I was sure she had boys chasing after her all the time. I knew perfectly well that it was none of my business, but I couldn’t help asking, “From whom?”