Page 26 of That One Night
So yeah, he was avoiding Emery Reed. And for good reason. He closed up the shed where he’d put Frank, because as much as the goat was a pain in the ass, he didn’t want him getting caught in the storm.
“Hey,” Emery called out. She was smiling, and it hit him in the gut. Her gaze dropped to his arms, taking in the rolled up denim shirt he was wearing, as his tan, hair flecked arms locked up the shed.
“You ready for the storm?” she asked him once she was standing a couple of feet away.
“Just put Frank away.” He kept his voice low. Trying to let her know he wasn’t interested in conversation.
“You think it’ll be bad?” She frowned like she noticed the way he wasn’t being friendly. It made him feel like an ass.
“Probably not. Just the usual storm.” He caught her eye. “Is your generator ready in case you need it?”
“Jed checked it this morning. It’s good to go.” She looked over her shoulder at the shed where the generator was housed. “Though hopefully we won’t need it.”
“Always good to be ready. Good luck tonight.” He turned away, ready to walk back into his house.
Emery cleared her throat. “Is something wrong?” she asked before he made it to the front steps.
“What?” He turned to look at her.
Her pretty brow furrowed. “You seem distracted. Is everything okay?”
He sighed. Why were women so damn perceptive? “Everything’s fine, Emery,” he told her. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I don’t know.” She shifted her feet. “I guess you look angry. Did I do something wrong?”
Ah fuck it. He was going to have to say something. And he hated that.
“You’re an engaged woman,” he finally managed. “You probably shouldn’t be talking to me.”
She recoiled, like he’d slapped her in the face. “What?”
“Would your fiancé like you talking to me?” he asked her.
For a second she said nothing. He could see the hurt in her eyes, though. And it made him feel like an asshole of the highest order.
And when she did speak, he felt even worse. “So I’m not allowed to talk to members of the opposite sex anymore?” she asked him. “What kind of sexist bullcrap is that? And anyway, why would I care?”
He blinked at her words. They sounded way too much like his cousins and sister-in-laws. “People talk. You have a reputation to uphold. I’m just thinking of you.”
“Sounds like you’re more worried about your own reputation,” she shot back.
“I don’t have one, Emery.” And wasn’t that the damn truth?
She twisted her hands together. “You make it sound like I’m doing something wrong. Talking to you.” She jutted her chin out, clearly hurt. “And not once have I done anything wrong.”
He sighed. She was right, she hadn’t. It was him. All of this. He’d never been good with words. Never known what to say. He was a man of action, not pretty sentences.
And yeah, she’d done nothing wrong. But maybehehad. Maybe he’d thought about her in a way a man shouldn’t think about a taken woman.
“I don’t know what to say. I just think it would be better…” He trailed off, running his hands through his hair. “If we didn’t talk.”
A gust of wind liftedherhair, and his eyes fell on the exposed curve of her neck. This time she didn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she gave a curt nod.
“Okay then,” she said, her voice low. “I guess I’ll see you around.” She turned, her shoulders held high as she walked across the lane back to her mother’s farm. He watched her leave, hyper aware of every movement she made. The way her sneakers kicked up the dust on the road, the way her hips swayed.
He could feel the wind whipping up the further she got from him.
“Emery,” he shouted. The loud call of his voice made her stop, but not turn to look back.
