Page 36 of Nanny for the Cowboy

All I can say for sure is that if he hadn’t interrupted…I was going to kiss Clover.

THIRTEEN

Clover

Brooks surprised me twice in less than twenty-four hours, with the second being this morning. Apparently, he deemed it a good idea for the three of us to go down to the local market.

Still, it’s nothing compared to what he did last night. As I sit in the passenger seat of the truck, Darby tucked in the back and jabbering away, I still can’t stop thinking about last night.

We almost kissed.

I wasn’t expecting the conversation to go where it had in the slightest, but I’d been expecting a kiss even less. The lingering sensation of Brooks tucking a hair behind my ear haunts me even now, and I have to stop myself from glancing over at him.

“Are we there yet?” Darby asks from the back. It’s the fourth or fifth time he has, and I roll my eyes with a smirk.

“Almost, buddy. Just need to find a place to park.”

Brooks drives a little way past where the street is blocked off for the market—apparently a regular sight during the summer—and we get out of the truck when he’s found a spot a block or so down.

As we all walk up, I’m pleasantly surprised by all the local seller stalls, farm animal rides, food vendors and trucks galore, and more that I can’t see because it all stretches down the block.

“Wow, this is intense! They really do this all the time out here?”

Darby is walking between Brooks and me, and he takes the chance to answer the question, stepping right over his dad’s words.

“Oh, yeah. These things are like constant. That’s what Rosie helps with.”

I smile, noting the way Brooks frowns at his kid for interrupting, and bite back a laugh. “Oh, right. That makes sense, then.”

“This is one of the bigger events, but it goes on the entire week. Mostly gives the kids something to do during summer break. And it beats hanging around in the heat with nothing else going on.”

I nod as we walk inside. There’s no admission fee or anything like that. Just individual vendors and rides that you can pay to enjoy. Seeing a stand that’s selling homemade juice blends, I know where I want to stop first.

“Oh, thank God. I’m dying of thirst.” I look down at Darby and hold out my hand. “Want some?”

“Heck yeah!” He grabs my hand, and we dart over to the stall to order our drinks. “Do they have things like this in the city?”

“Umm, kind of. But not quite this big. There are sellers in the park, and occasionally, you’ll find some cool events going on downtown. Definitely no sheep or cows, though.”

Darby laughs, and I pay happily for his watermelon-strawberry juice and my starfruit-lime chiller.

“Enjoy, folks. Everything was grown right here on our farm, so if you like it come on back. We’re also selling at the coffee shop just over there.” The light-brown-haired woman pointsbehind her, and I take note of the adorable café I’ve been visiting every now and then since I arrived.

“Oh, awesome. I’ll definitely check it out when I’m there.”

We head back to Brooks, who’s standing against a lamp post, his arms crossed over his chest, and Darby holds up his drink.

“You didn’t get one. Want some?”

His dad grins and takes a sip, nodding as he swallows. “It’s good. A little sweet for my taste, but good.”

“You might like mine better then.” I smile back at Brooks as he glances over at me, an undeniable heat in his eyes. “It’s really fresh…crisp.”

Nodding again, Brooks takes my cup, his fingers brushing mine. A skitter of electricity zaps through me, and I have to suck in a sharp breath.

We’ve touched before. This is stupid, but because of last night, everything feels different.

“Well, hey. Look what the cat dragged in.”

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