Page 69 of Unexpected Entanglement

“I prefer if he’s training staff. That’s what I need him for.”

Alex shrugged. “I’m sure that’s already on his agenda. Anyway, we should get going before the morning gets away from us.”

Oliver was just putting away the pan he’d washed and was ready to follow Alex out the door. Besides being perceptive, Oliver was efficient as fuck. And a damn excellent cook. She really liked him for Bobbie. But he was only here temporarily.

Just like Chris.

And don’t you forget it.

“Good work this morning, guys,” Chris told Tim, Pete, and Sammy. “You guys have great ideas on how to deliver the guests’ bags. You’re sure you don’t want to switch to the inn side permanently?”

The young trio laughed. Tim replied, “We don’t mind being floaters. The farm and the inn are one and the same, right?”

Chris liked Tim’s attitude. “That’s right. Eventually, they’ll work together in supporting each other’s respective business.”

“We heard the town folks gave you guys a hard time last night,” Pete said. “Sorry about that. Sometimes we small-town folks can’t mind our own business.”

“It was nothing. Rowan handled them great.” Chris meant the words wholeheartedly. She was phenomenal.

“By the way, we heard about the engagement. You guys totally shocked us,” Pete said. “Congrats.”

Chris thanked them and then dismissed them. But now he wondered where his fiancée was. Alex and Oliver had left for town earlier, but Rowan hadn’t been with them. He was actually surprised she hadn’t joined him for the training. He didn’t needher to train the boys in doing the guest pickup and delivery procedures, but she usually wanted to be present.

Thinking about it, Chris hadn’t seen her since last night.

Chris blew out a breath as last night automatically replayed in his mind—particularly the kiss, in repeat. That had been an unexpected turn of events—that simple little kiss. It really had been a standard, run-of-the-mill kiss where lips met.

Except, it wasn’t.

It’d given him almost the same sobering feeling when he’d jumped into the cold sea. It’d shocked his system, burning everything inside him at record speed. And he’d wanted to seek more and delve deeper into her warmth. Even as he stood here in the middle of the lawn, he remembered how perfectly she’d fit in his arms.

Sleep hadn’t come easy last night as he’d been sporting a semi-erection from wondering how else could they fit perfectly together.

Jeez, Sullens. She’s out of bounds. You need to get your head out of the gutter.

Chris shook off the thought and headed back to the main house. He should check with Rowan to see how she felt about the kiss. She’d been reticent on the drive back. The kiss might have blown his mind, but she might see it as him taking advantage of their pretend relationship.

He peeked at the kitchen first, but she wasn’t there. Neither was she in the office, library, or the game room. He wondered if she’d gone to the cottages, and he was ready to check when he heard a light thump above him. He looked up and listened. There was another soft thump, then silence.

Chris calculated it was the room above the game room and ran upstairs. He walked past his room and straight to the last room on the left. The door was ajar, and he pushed it open.

Inside the room, he found tarps covered furniture and Rowan standing on top of a trestle ladder, painting the top edge of the wall. She leaned away from the ladder to stretch her reach, creating a strain on her left ankle, which caused her to curse and overcorrect herself. Her momentum wobbled the ladder. She held herself steady, but it made the paint in the tray she'd placed on the ladder slosh.

“Shit,” she sworeas paint splattered her arm.

“What the hell are you doing?” Chris demanded as he rushed to her.

Rowan jumped. This time, the tray almost fell off completely. She saved it with both hands, but her brush flew onto Chris and splattered paint all over his T-shirt.

“Great.” Chris looked down at his chest with his arms opened to the sides. “Now I only have one clean T-shirt.”

Rowan glared at him. “That’ll teach you not to startle people with paint.”

“You shouldn’t be up there painting in the first place,” Chris scolded her. “Didn’t you hear what the doctor said? Rest. Elevate that leg. You have no business climbing ladders. You trying to break your leg or something?”

“I know what I’m doing,” she dismissed him. “I’m fine. Hand me my brush, would you?”

Chris bristled at her reply. “No. You need to come down.”

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