Taunting Callum (Big Sky Royal 3)

“Oh.” Her mouth opens and closes. “She’s not here.”

“Do you know where she is?” I ask as I glance at the name tag on her apron. “Gretchen.”

“It’s her day off,” the woman replies. “I don’t think I’m allowed to tell you where she is.”

I smile. “Of course. Thank you.”

I turn to David and raise a brow.

“We have her address,” he confirms as we walk back out to the car. David drives us through town, turns onto an unpaved driveway, and parks in front of a white farmhouse.

A Honda Pilot is parked in the drive in front of the garage.

I get out of the car, walk up to the front door, and ring the bell, but there’s no answer.

“She has to be home,” I mumble. “Her car is here.”

David stands by our vehicle, surveilling the property.

There are no other homes close by. It looks like Aspen owns a nice piece of property.

Just as I’m about to return to the car, I hear a voice from around the house.

David makes a move to walk with me, but I shake my head. “Please, wait here.”

He nods, and I circle the dwelling, then come to a complete stop and feel the smile spread over my face.

I’m damn glad I told David to wait.

Aspen is in a red tank top and little denim shorts, and she’s bent over a flowerbed, pulling weeds and singing.

I see she’s wearing Beats over her ears. Her rear moves side to side in time with the music as she sings an Ed Sheeran song.

Horribly.

“Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars…”

Singing isn’t her talent. And it’s ridiculously adorable.

Aspen sits back on her heels and adjusts the ugly straw hat on her head, keeping the sun off of her lovely face. She stretches her arms above her.

And when she opens her eyes and looks my way, she screeches.

“Holy shit!”

She pulls the headphones off, the hat tumbling with them, and then hurries to her feet.

I notice she’s filthy from head to toe.

And I’ve never wanted to kiss someone so bloody badly before.

“I’m sorry to startle you,” I say, holding up a hand. “You didn’t hear me approach.”

“Ed Sheeran was in my ear,” she mumbles.

“Yes, I heard.”

She cringes. “I’m a horrible singer.”

So horrible.

“You’re not that bad,” I lie.

“Dogs cry in terror when I sing.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Okay, it wasn’t Grammy-worthy.”

“How can I help you, Callum?” she asks as she pushes a lock of that gorgeous red hair out of her face.

“I came to apologize again. And to give you these.”

I pass the bouquet to her and watch as her green eyes soften as she takes in the pink and white roses. She buries her nose in them, fussing over them.

Ellie was right about the flowers.

“I accepted your apology yesterday,” she reminds me but doesn’t look up from the roses.

“Did you?”

Her eyes fly to mine.

“You said the words, yes. But I suspect you were just saying what I wanted to hear so I’d go away.”

She tips her head to the side and watches me, then glances down at the roses again.

“Come on inside so I can put these in water before they wilt in the sun.”

I don’t argue. Aspen leads me up onto a beautiful deck attached to the back of the house, and then straight into a beautiful, modern kitchen.

“Do you use those outbuildings for anything?” I ask, referring to the barn and paddock I saw not far from the house.

“No,” she says. “I have some things stored in the barn, but I don’t have animals. I’m too busy at the café. But I do have gardens. I’m just getting them ready for winter.”

“Already? The weather’s still beautiful.”

“It’ll be October in a few days. That means the weather can change on a dime. I’d rather get the work done now while I can still enjoy the sunshine.”

She fills a vase with water, sets the roses inside, and then steps back, smiling at them.

If I’d known roses would work, I would have tried this years ago.

Make a note of this, Callum.

“You really didn’t have to go to this trouble,” she says as she sets her hat and headphones on the countertop.

“It was no trouble,” I insist, drinking her in. That riot of red hair is tamed in a loose braid down her back. Her skin is tanned from a full summer of sunshine, and her muscles are toned.

She’s fit. Athletic.

But also soft and curvy in all the right places.

I clear my throat as my blood courses through my veins.

“I won’t keep you,” I say. “I can see you’re busy, and it’s your day off.”

Her eyes narrow.

“My first stop was Drips & Sips.”

She nods. “Makes sense. Did Gretchen tell you to find me here?”

“No. She actually wouldn’t tell me where you were.”

Her lips tip up.

“You have loyal employees, Aspen.”

“Damn right, I do.”

“David had your address,” I elaborate.