Page 173 of Always Meant for You
“We’ll see you back here in a few,” my father says, then leads the governor and his staff past the barn with Duke on their heels.
Cal and I head into the main house.
“Did you catch what your dad did earlier after the governor complimented you?” he asks.
“The nod?” I reply, biting back a grin.
“You got a nodanda smile.”
I glance up at him. “He didn’t smile.”
“Oh, he did.”
“I was watching him, Cal.”
“It was a farmer’s smile. Here, watch, I’ll show you.” Cal stops and stares at me.
I narrow my gaze. “I’m waiting.”
“That was it,” he replies, mischief dancing in his eyes.
I shake my head as he opens the door for me.
“And you earned his approval,” he continues. “You pulled this whole visit together in less than a week, and it’s gone off without a single misstep. Tell me, is there anything the woman I love can’t do?”
There’s that word again.Love.
It’s been a week since that night beneath the willow tree.
After we returned the dairy truck and got back to the farm, Cal climbed the lattice outside my window.
I knew he’d come.
He slid beneath the quilt and gathered me into his arms. With his chest pressed against my back and his breath warm against my skin, he whispered to me in the dark. Told me he loved me. Told me I was his entire world. And in that hush between midnight and morning, I gave that man every last piece of my heart.
At sunrise, he slipped out the window.
Ten minutes later, my phone rang.
I figured it was him.
It wasn’t.
It was the government.
Well, the governor’s office, to be exact, letting me know that the Governor of Illinois wanted to visit Elverna. His office said they’d heard whispers of what we were building. How we were connecting the dots between sustainability and rural innovation, and the head of the state wanted to tour it firsthand—in a matter of days.
After I scooped my jaw off the floor, I said yes.
Cal and I mapped the visit, scheduling stops, briefing everyone, and persuading the old Young sisters to delay their horoscope readings until after the governor left.
Now it’s the final stop, which includes a glass of lavender sweet tea, time to answer questions, and a quiet ask to see if the governor might back a handful of projects that could use a little state-level support.
The door swings shut behind us.
Alone at last.
Cal grabs my waist, presses my back to the refrigerator, and kisses me like he’s starved for it. His lips claim mine, all heat and hunger and devotion. He groans softly, the sound buried between our mouths, and I answer it with a gasp that feels torn from someplace deep. His thumb traces the curve of my waist while his other hand cradles the back of my neck, guiding me into every sweep and pull of this consuming kiss.
