Page 16 of The Naughty List

My mom cooks dinner for the family every night so Janet could make sure the farmhands ate at a reasonable time. One of the reasons our farm has a low turnover rate is because my parents make sure the farmhands are taken care of.

“I can get you water,” my mom starts, and I let out a sigh of relief knowing there’s a “but” coming. “But, you can’t go home in this. Absolutely not. You and Sawyer can stay in the guest cabin. We just got a shipment of plaid pajama pants, and there are boxes of Merry & Bright T-shirts in the office. After dinner, you and Elliott can take one of the ATVs and go to the cabin and set everything up, and then, Elliott can come back for Sawyer while you’re taking twenty minutes to yourself to shower.”

Tillie opens and closes her mouth, and I can’t be sure, but I’m betting she had every intention of telling my mom that it wasn’t necessary or something along those lines.

I think she surprises everyone when she says, “Okay.”

After a second, she faces me.

“Are you okay with that? I know you’ve had Sawyer all day. You must be wiped.”

My mother narrows her eyes in my direction. I had no intention of telling Tillie no, but the death glare my mother is giving me tells me there was no other choice anyway. I don’t have the heart to tell my mom that she stopped scaring me when I started looking down on her height-wise. It doesn’t help that she’s likely the least intimidating human on this planet. Even now her version of “eyes of warning” is more adorable than fear-inducing. Still, I’m sure after our first run-in in front of Mom in the kitchen all those weeks ago has left a bit to be desired for her. She doesn’t realize that over the past few weeks, Tillie has been slowly but surely getting under my skin—just in an all new way.

“Anything you need, Firecracker.” The irony of me being the one to provide the “small town hospitality” I was looking for the night Tillie and I met is not lost on me. Pointing in the direction of the living room, I say, “I’m going to go see what the fellas are up to.”

Glancing down at her watch, Mom tells me that dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes. Before I’ve gotten halfway down the hall, the laughter of the four women I left behind me bounces off the walls. I pause, for just a second as warmth blooms in my chest at the thought of Tillie in there with my mom.

She’s only been around for a short time, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to kiss her or kill her for the first couple weeks, but she fits right in. She has a standing lunch with Clara once a week now. She knows my brother’s sarcasm and isn’t afraid to volley it right back at him. My parents think she hung the stars. Dad especially. In all my years on this earth, I’ve gotten one single “I’m proud of ya, kid” and I have heard every day for the last week how “much of a godsend Tillie is.” Brighton Winters is a man of few words. So, praise doesn’t come often. Or it didn’t until Tillie got here.

It’s almost like she belongs here.

On the farm.

With my family.

With me.

FIFTEEN

TILLIE

Bennett patshis stomach as Clara snuggles into him at the long dining room table. “Well, Mom. You’ve honestly outdone yourself, as per usual.”

I look over to where Meri sits next to Brighton, his hand on top of hers as she blushes. This family is such a far stretch from the one I had. I can’t even imagine what it was like to grow up here, in this home that truly feels like such a home. Like the very definition of the word is written on every inch of this property.

It must have been wonderful.

Glancing from the happy couples and over to Sawyer, I can’t help but think about how badly I want him to have a home like this. A family like this. Comfortability like this. It’s all I could ever want for him. And no matter what I have to do, one day I’m going to give that to him if it’s the last thing I do.

And that is exactly why I have to make sure I don’t get wrapped up in la la land and screw up what I’m finally getting started with my planning business.

And by la la land, I mean I seriously do not need to get wrapped up in how good Elliott fucking Winters looks in his Wranglers. I don’t need to be noticing his smile or his perfect teeth. I especially do not need to notice how Sawyer requested to sit next to him because he’s taken such a liking to him today.

My heart pangs with a guilt that shouldn’t be mine to feel but I can’t help it as it radiates throughout my body and down to my bones. Sawyer laughs at something Elliott says as Meri thanks Bennett for his compliment. If anyone were looking in on this scene from the wintery mess outside, they’d think we were all one big, happy family—sans Clara’s bff Noelle who is sitting at the end of the table and looking a bit grumpy.

Actually, now that I think about it, Noelle and I have a similar resting bitch face.

“Clara and I need to get going. The weather definitely isn’t letting up at all out there,” Bennett says and then we all turn to glance out the large window. I can barely even make anything out at this point. It’s dark, but even with all the Christmas lights that typically illuminate the yard, I see next to nothing aside from the snow blowing. I can’t even tell if it’s still actually snowing or if the strong winds are just kicking it up, but either way, the roads are not going to be good tonight. Or tomorrow. Or probably the next day considering the narrow, gravel roads this town has.

“I’d really prefer if you just stayed here. We could bring a couple cots in and all be nice and cozy!” Meri suggests but Bennett stands, the legs of his chair screech against the floor as he shakes his head.

“No can do, Mom. I promise we’ll be safe.”

Without much more of a fuss from Meri, Clara and Bennett get on their way, once again promising they’ll pull over if they need to and that they’ll let her know as soon as they get home. I can tell she’s nervous from the way she wrings her hands and starts cleaning the already cleaned off table. When she asked, or rather, told, me that Sawyer and I could stay in the guest cabin tonight, my first instinct was to decline her generous offer. But something about Momma Winters makes me feel the need to just go with it—which is something I seldom do. I always have to have carefully thought out and constructed plans, but for whatever reason, when Meri said I was going to stay in the guest cabin I decided I was staying in the guest cabin.

Now that I’ve seen how worried she is about Bennett and Clara driving home, despite the very close proximity to the main house, I’m glad I won’t be a source of worry for her, too.

“You ready to get your sleeping quarters all set up, Firecracker?” Elliott’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I nod.

---