She nods, and I wait for her to say my name again, but she doesn’t. Instead, she rolls up the window and drives away. But this time, I swear I see her watching me in the rearview mirror.

Chapter 9

Natalie

King texted me that they were on their way as I was walking into my apartment. I took a quick shower to wash the day away and am looking in the refrigerator when I hear him and Eli walk in the front door. “Mom, we’re here,” Eli hollers through the apartment.

I close the fridge door, take a deep breath, and turn just as the two of them walk into the kitchen. Eli is smiling ear to ear and walks up to me and gives me a hug. I hold on to him, and for the first time it hits me, I no longer have to look down at him. We’re at eye level now. I swear it’s like he grew a foot overnight. “I don’t even need to ask, I can tell you had a great day, and I want to hear all about it... after you shower.”

King is leaning in the doorway watching us. “Thank you so much for feeding him and bringing him home.”

At that moment, King remembers that he’s holding dishes. He brings them up to show me. “We had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Eli said it was your favorite, so we brought you a plate.”

I ruffle my son’s hair. “Awww, you sweet boy. Always thinking of your momma.” I smile shyly at King. “And thank you too.”

Eli lifts his arms and smells. “I’m going to go shower. Oooh wee, I stink. Thanks again, King.”

He walks out as I exclaim and then look at King. “Eli! I swear I taught him manners.”

Not that King minds; he’s too busy laughing.

I go to take the plate from him when he holds it up. He gestures to the table. “Have a seat. I’m going to heat this up.”

I put my hand on my hip. “I can heat up food.”

He nods. “I know you can. And if you really want to, you can. But you look like you need to sit down, and I’m not ready to leave just yet.”

He takes a step, and I move to let him walk over to the microwave. I sit down at the table and start to fidget. The kitchen seems even smaller with King in it. He’s a big man. With his back to me, I take the opportunity to look at him. He has on jeans and a button-down shirt. I glance at the way the jeans fit across his butt and then force myself to look away. Get it together, Natalie.

“How was your work?” he asks.

“It was fine. Busy. How about you? How are you doing running a ranch and camp at the same time?”

He shrugs as he pulls the plate from the oven and brings it over to set it down in front of me. “Where’s the silverware?”

I start to hop up. “I’ll get it.”

He puts a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, I can get it.”

I point to the other side of the room. “The drawer next to the stove.”

He goes to get it. “I’ve been running the ranch for over ten years now. And the camp almost as long. It’s pretty much the same thing day to day unless we have a machine break down or a kid gets stung by a bee or something.”

He hands me the fork and I immediately dig in. “Oh my, this is good.” I take another bite. “Wow.”

He smirks and leans back in his chair. It’s then I realize I’m shoveling it in. I force myself to slow down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get to eat lunch today.”

“I like that you’re enjoying it.”

He’s watching me closely, and I slowly take another bite. I chew it slowly while his gaze is solely focused on me. The room feels around ten degrees hotter. “Uh, I can’t eat with you staring at me.”

He gets up and goes over to the counter. “I brought my dessert to eat with you.”

He sets down two plates of cake and grabs more silverware. “Is that—"

He interrupts me. “Apple cinnamon Blaze cake from Whiskey Run? Why yes, it is.”

I don’t even wait for the fork he’s bringing me. I fork off a piece of the cake and take a bite, moaning as the flavors hit my tongue. “Oh my, that’s good.”

He makes a noise, and my eyes meet his. He’s watching me with a heated look, and I feel it all the way to my core. “Uh, thank you for this. It’s all really good.”

His voice is strangled as he sits down across from me. “Uh, you sound like you liked it.”

I blush heatedly and look down at the food in front of me. We’re both quiet as we eat. My mind is going a mile a minute, and I should probably just stop thinking, but that’s not who I am.

Tags: Hope Ford Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net