Page 55 of In Full Bloom

I don’t know if I should ask the question sitting on the tip of my tongue. It could see Katie break down some of her walls, or it could cause her to build them back up.

I throw caution to the wind, because I need to know everything possible about this woman, and the words slide free. “Why would she hate you?”

Katie’s hands fall back to the mattress and I reach over to entwine my fingers with hers. The movement just happens now, without my conscious thought, but the feeling of her hand in mine hasn’t lost its novelty yet. It probably never will, no matter how often I’m allowed to do it.

“Max blames me for making Toby leave town. He thinks it was my idea, but it wasn’t. I didn’t want to go. Ilovedit here.” She takes a shaky breath. “I hadn’t felt like I ever had a home before. When I was with my mum we moved around all the time and nothing was ever stable. Moving here to live with mygrandma … I hated it at first, but I made friends and I was happy here. It was home. I didn’t want to leave.” She rubs her hand over her face again.

“Toby decided he wanted to go and I didn’t feel like I had a choice but to go with him —” She breaks off.

“You don’t seem like the kind of girl to just go along with what a guy says,” I say, wary that I might be throwing gas on the fire.

She snorts. “I’m not. I wasn’t then either.” She takes a steadying breath and rolls back onto her side. Her grey eyes meet mine and I can clearly see the tears shining there. “I was pregnant,” she whispers. “I thought we’d be a family. I didn’t realise eventually I’d lose everything. The baby, Toby, my job. Everything.”

My breath catches at her admission, and my heart breaks for her. I couldn’t imagine losing a baby. As much of a surprise that Sadie was, I wanted her from the second I knew about her.

A tear spills over and rolls down Katie’s cheek. “I didn’t think I’d end up here again, especially not after Max screamed at me after the funeral. That’s when I decided I’d never come back.”

I reach out and wipe away her tears with my thumb. She lets out another shuddering breath and presses her face into my hand. “But you did come back,” I say, voice quiet in the mid-afternoon hush.

“Yeah. I lost my job. I was running out of money and Livvie needed the help. My grandma left me the house after she passed, but I’m not allowed to sell it until I turn twenty-five,so coming back here seemed like the best option. I thought I could do it. Maybe try and make my life here again … but Max has had years to convince people to hate me. I can’t live in a town where everyone does.”

“Princess,” I say, my fingers sliding down to caress her neck. “The only person in this town who has the slightest problem with you is Max. Every other person you’ve seen has loved you. Max doesn’t deserve that power. Don’t give it to him.”

She’s silent for long moments, just lying there staring at me as my fingers stray further and further. They brush against her throat, trail along her jaw, trace the gentle curve of her cheek. When she doesn’t move, doesn’t stop me, my fingers continue exploring: the arch of her brow, the line of her nose, the full, luscious swoop of her lips.

“I’m scared of giving anyone any power over me anymore,” she whispers as my palm finally comes to rest, cupping her face.

“I can understand that,” I say, thinking about the horse she got me on this morning. “But maybe today is a good day for getting past some of our biggest fears.”

Her eyes widen and she grins. It’s a complete shift in her demeanour. “You rode ahorsetoday, cowboy.”

“I did, yes.”

She reaches out, her hand coming to rest against my face, mirroring my own position. “I’m so proud of you,” she says, sincerity in her eyes. None of the cheeky mocking she’s usually giving me.

“I meant what I said too. I want you to teach Sadie.”

“I’d love to.” Her voice is husky and I’m hit with a wave oflonging so strong I can barely give her a chance to get her next words out. “But I understand if you want to put a hold on it for now.”

“Absolutely not. I want you?—”

Then I cut myself off, and close the minimal gap between us.

I press my mouth to hers, feeling her tiny gasp of surprise. My hand slides into her hair as her fingers find their way to the back of my neck. After a second of shock passes between us, Katie opens her mouth and shifts closer to me.

A rough sound comes from the back of my throat as I angle my head to deepen the kiss. Katie’s tongue runs along my bottom lip, then slips inside my mouth, brushing against my own. I make that noise again and roll, attempting to push her back into the mattress.

I come up short though, when I crush my injured arm underneath me.

“Fuuuuck,” I grit out, breaking off the kiss.

Katie is on her back, staring up at me with eyes wide, cheeks flushed, damp hair spread across the pillow, looking a little stunned at the abrupt end to the kiss. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“What? Why?” I readjust my position, so my injured arm is clear of any colliding bodies.

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Princess, I started it.”

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