Page 99 of Heart & Hope

He’s my last meal.

And now I can’t breathe.

My eyes are already shut, so I scrunch up my face and rub a hand over my breastbone, trying to coax air into my ever-shrinking lungs. I can’t do this. I can’t be here with him, like this. Like he’s my entire world.

But . . . I don’t belong here.

“Put me down,” I rasp.

“Rubes?”

“Please,” I rasp, “let me down, Reed.”

“Okay,” he says, lowering me to the floor, worry and hurt creasing his face.

Fuck.

I’m certain that face didn’t exist on this gorgeous man before I came along.

“I have work to do.” My words are breathy and weak. As if my whole existence is warring against pulling away from him.

“You still want me to help?”

I turn back to find him standing lax, hands hanging by his sides, his eyes searching my face.

“No, I’m good.” I walk for the door, swiping up a tape measure from the small side table I bought for the front entrance.

In the sunshine, I stride for the first of the cabins. I’ll double-check the measurements and then come back for the items when I can pull a solid breath back into my lungs. Right now, I need a minute. Space between Reed and me, so my body can settle down, my heart can stop racing. To redirect my head to where it should be.

Why am I so hot and cold about this?

Guests will be arriving tomorrow. Thanksgiving. The debut for R & R Ranch has to be epic. First impressions count, and if I’m truly honest with myself, Harry is who I want to impress.He’s the pinch point that needs to be overcome to make Reed’s life, from this event onward, better.

Crossing the grassy spans between the house and the first cabin, I step up the three steps and onto the wooden porch. Painted white with red R & R brand colors accenting the trim and eaves, the cabins look magnificent. The men did an amazing job.

I push through the screen door and open the red door with a silver number one smack bang in the center. Inside, the bare bones have been dressed up with farmhouse-style trim on white walls with dark hardwood floors. The windows on either side of the front of the cabin and the central living area have cream-colored cotton drapes that touch the floor. The new house smell is rocking the space, along with the cathedral ceilings and stained crossbeams that run through the entire cabin.

I measure the front room and swipe out my phone to check the numbers I got first time around. Yep, same as last time. Next, I pore over the master that’s accompanied by a generous en suite finished with white subway tiles and black hardware. The measurements are correct, as I knew they would be, and I lean against the cool tile, dragging in a rough lungful of air, trying desperately to separate myself from this place and the man it represents.

“I can do this. Get back on track. It’s not like we will never see each other. Friends is a smart compromise.” I rub my hand over my heart. I don’t believe a word I’m saying. I doubt anyone else is going to. Especially not Reed.

The screen door swooshes open, snapping shut. Boots work their way into the empty cabin with a sullen echo. “Rubes?”

I wipe my hands over my face, set my shoulders back, and force a smile. “In here.”

He is through the en suite door and leaning against the opposite wall a heartbeat later, one boot crossed over the other foot. Those green eyes burn into mine. “What ya thinkin’, baby?”

I huff a laugh. “Don’t go accusing me of thinking, Rawlins.”

I drop my eyes to the floor between us. The tile pattern is subtle, understated but elegant greys and white. Huddo did an amazing job, as always.

Reed drops his head, looking up from under those lashes that are enough to make any woman melt. I roll my eyes at him in an attempt to keep this casual.

But I know it’s not going to work.

Emotion is rising in my throat already.

Fuck.

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