Page 55 of Silent Heart

“I have plenty, and I can always get more from the clinic.” I latched the gate and walked Kole to his truck, the bag of berries swinging beside me. “You keep the shoe. They say it’s good luck.”

“Good luck,” the beast mused. “I could use that. But….”

His fingers trailed over my jeans where they hid the thigh tattoo.

“It will be like having a piece of my country girl with me all the time,” he whispered.

That had to be the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me.

Before I could respond with a sexy or sweet comeback, more cousins came to interrupt.

“Hold up, he’s not about to go, is he, Har?” Carter, my least favorite cousin, called out as he jogged up the path from the lower-level patio.

Oh, not today.

Kole must have heard my low groan, because he stopped me, brows drawn together and thunder booming in those stormy blue depths.

“I was hoping this relative wasn’t coming today,” I explained under my breath.

“What do you need, baby?” he murmured.

The use of that nickname, the one he used only when we were intimate, twisted the strings in my chest.

I swallowed hard. “To get ready and leave for work.”

Kole nodded once. “I’ll go then. If I stay, I’ll just be bait to keep you from your work.”

He understood. Heunderstood!I squeezed Kole’s hand gratefully. “I’ve had an amazing afternoon.”

The ghost of a smile played on his mouth, and I instantly wanted to reach out and taste it.

“I’ll see you tonight.” Kole opened the door to his truck. From this angle, it blocked the view from the basement walkout and patio. I couldn’t see why, but Kole suddenly stopped. Something dangerous rolled off him, and a quick glance confirmed his shoulders were coiled tight.

When I stepped around the truck, I saw why. It was my ex-boyfriend.

“Hey, it’s the asshole from the Landing,” Joe huffed, tipping his beer back. “What’s he doing here, Carter? Aren’t you on the wrong side of the tracks, bro?”

“Don’t know,” the pain in the ass cousin sniped. “Harley, want to introduce us to your…friend?”

It wasn’t like I had a choice. Although they kept their distance, more of the family was watching us as though we were the prime time special.

“Kole, this is my cousin Carter.” I swept my hand between them. “Carter, this is our neighbor Kole.”

“That’s rude, Harley, you left out Joe.” The smug smile on my cousin’s face was begging to be punched off.

“They met the other night,” I clipped out. “Kole was just going.”

“Harley has an attitude problem,” Ottis muttered, coming up behind Carter.

I fisted my hand at my side. This was a mistake. This was all a big old mistake. My family was a bunch of barnyard animals, who couldn’t be expected to behave properly around the likes of anyone outside our little circle of acquaintances.

“Kole, this is Carter’s friend Joe,” I ground out.

“Oh, come on, Harley, I think I’m your friend too. At least, that’s what you told me when it was my house you were sleeping over at.”

Every fiber of my being begged the earth to open up and swallow me. But luck wasn’t on my side. Tears prickled my eyes. I cleared my throat and redirected my attention to Kole.

“Thank you for the ride,” I said, glad that my voice didn’t shake. “I’ve got to go get ready now.”

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