Page 64 of In Full Bloom

I’m aboutto wear a hole through the original Rimu flooring of the tiny farm cottage I call home.

Sadie didn’t quite fall asleep over dinner, but it was a pretty close run and as I went to scoop her into my arms to bring her home to bed, Olivia suggested I put her to sleep in the main house.

I hate leaving her over there, because I miss her in the night and hate that I’m relying on Violet and Olivia so much. But Olivia refused to even let me argue about it.

She gave me a stern look and insisted on it, then shot a knowing look towards Katie washing the dinner dishes, and winked.

She knows, and apparently it won’t be an issue for our working relationship.

So, I put Sadie to bed in the room she uses at Violet’s. When I finished, I expected to find Katie waiting forme, but she was nowhere to be found. The kitchen was spotless. Maybe she’d gone. Maybe she changed her mind.

As I stepped out onto the porch I caught my breath at the sight of her little car, still parked in its usual spot next to my ute. Seeing them side by side gave me a little twinge in my chest. It’s how they should be, all the time.

“She’s asleep?” Violet asked from her seat on the porch swing, startling me from my weird little daydream about our vehicles, parked next to each other in the driveway of another home somewhere in the future. A home that’s ours.

“Yep. Completely passed out. Thanks again for this.”

“You don’t have to thank me every time, Dallas. I enjoy it, and it helps you. Plus, the girls said they’d see you soon. Or maybe that was just about Katie?” She gave a nonchalant little shrug and settled back in her chair, picking up her book.

She also knows.

I tried not to choke on my breath, said goodnight and headed across the small paddock separating my cottage from the main house. They’re so close I don’t usually bother to even drive my ute around to the cottage.

I did a quick tidy of the house. I put mine and Sadie’s breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, made sure I hadn’t left filthy clothes lying around and that the bathroom isn’t gross. Luckily I mostly manage to keep all those things in check so there wasn’t much to do, but stepping into the bathroom I caught sight of the bath, my earlier thoughts returning to my mind.

So now, I’m pacing the floor, a bathtub full of steamy water and sweet smelling bubbles in the next room, and there’s no sign of Katie yet.

I collapse onto the couch. I must have pushed her too hard and now she’s freaking out. I let out a frustrated sound, right as there’s a knock at the front door.

I leap off the couch and swing the door wide. Katie is on my porch, chewing on her bottom lip and looking up at me with those stunning eyes.

“Hey, cowboy,” she says. Her voice is low and throaty and I want to pull her directly into my lap again.

“Heya, princess.” I lean against the doorframe, feigning casual and folding my arms across my chest to hide my shaking hands.

“Are you always cocky when you’re horny?” she asks and it startles a laugh out of me. I push off the doorframe and step aside, gesturing for her to come inside.

“More like I pretend to be when I’m nervous,” I mutter and Katie giggles, turning to face me.

“I like it, you know … sometimes. Cocky Dallas is pretty hot.” She trails a finger along the waistband of my jeans, pausing at the button. Before I have the chance to stop her—because we’re supposed to be talking, not undressing each other—she pulls her hand back. Then she steps right into my space and places her hand on my cheek. “You don’t need to be nervous. I’m here. I’m sorry I took so long. Livvie thought it would heighten tension or something. I didn’t think to tell her we have enough of that.”

She shoots me a saucy smirk, then bites her lip again, her confidence wavering.

“It’s fine,” I say. “Gave me a chance to make sure the house wasn’t in totaldisarray.”

“It looks good,” she says, turning away and taking in the room. “I haven’t been in here in years. This wallpaper is so much better than what was here before.”

I laugh at her expression. I love the little house. It’s probably because it’s part of the farm, belonging to the family that accepted Sadie and I as their own from the day I started working here, but it’s also simply a gorgeous house.

The original Rimu timber floors, simple colours on the walls like the colour Katie commented on, a yellow/white that brightens what could be a dark, dreary little cottage.

Sadie also loves the colour, but not as much as the wildflower patterned wallpaper in her room. Violet let Sadie help choose it when we came by for a meeting prior to moving here and by the time we arrived with our possessions, the room was completely redone, ready for my little girl.

The furniture all came with the house too, from the comfortable, well-loved couch to the battered dining room table. It’s not new or fancy, but it’s perfect for our needs.

Katie is still exploring, taking in the evidence of my life in the cottage: a picture Sadie drew stuck to the fridge, a photo of the two of us on the shelf, a pot plant that’s in desperate need of some kind of attention.

“Last time I was here,” she says, “I painted the bathroom.” She pushes the door open and freezes. “Oh, was I interrupting?”

---