Page 15 of Rose's One Night to Forever
“Hold on. I’m thanking the goddess of the falls for this moment.”
A teeny crease formed between her brows, and then he was kissing her, sweet and soft for a moment. Then her taste rushed in—that intoxicating kiss he’d been dreaming of and replaying over and over in his head for the past months.
He barely restrained from devouring her.
Gentling the kiss, he backed up far enough to satisfy himself that the frown he’d seen forming was nowhere in sight. Just flushed cheeks and lots and lots of interest.
The next two hours went perfectly. They shared food and some wonderful conversation, accompanied by a few accidental kisses. Like when he touched his finger to the corner of her mouth to wipe away a bit of chocolate and suddenly found his lips on hers, tasting and taking and thrilling as she kissed him back.
She looked flustered when he pulled away but then smiled and returned to what she had been sharing. “We’ve moved slowly with Buns and Roses, but it’s time we could expand. It’ll be a little risky, but I think we’re ready.”
“I’ll need fresh flowers on a regular basis at the gallery,” Chance informed her. “I hope you’ll be able to take on that contract. I definitely want to shop local.”
“I’d love to,” she said. “Thank you for asking. Regular purchases are a huge help. Plus, there’s a lease on the store next door to ours coming up, and if we add that space to what we have now, we’ll be able to branch into some new directions. Catering for Tansy, gift boxes for me.”
“All worthy ideas. You enjoy working with your sister?”
“I do, and hopefully it will soon be sisters. The oldest of us, Ivy, is the vice principal at the local elementary school, currently on maternal leave. But our little sister, Fern, just finished graphic design school, so in a way, changing this up is also for her. She can join the business and come up with things she’d like to explore.”
“Four sisters.”
“We were all adopted, but yes, sisters nonetheless.”
Chance nodded slowly. “Cody and I are stepbrothers, but not sharing blood doesn’t make the connection any weaker. In fact, the day Cody asked to take my father’s last name meant as much to me as it did to Da. It meant we truly were kin. A brother I’d always have at my back.”
She flashed him a brilliant smile. “Exactly. We moved to Heart Falls right after Tansy was adopted as a preteen. It meant the tough parts of starting a new school were a little easier because we dealt with it together. She and I have been tight ever since.”
Rose adjusted position to show him a picture on her phone of her family. The next thing he knew, she was in his lap—
Kissing him, being kissed. Nothing except for those sweet, drugging kisses, but Chance was over the moon.
An hour later, he was calling the date a win and cashing in before she got tired of him. They packed up the remainder of the picnic and stood to head out.
Still, he couldn’t resist. Couldn’t let the day end yet. Chance stepped close enough to gently wrap his arms around her. “Want to see where I’ll be setting up shop?”
She nodded immediately. “I’d love that.”
Impulsive again—this woman brought out the best in him—he picked her up and swung her in a circle, laughter flying from them both. It felt good. It felt right.
When he let her feet touch the ground, Rose pushed back her hair and tried to un-muss herself. “It’s refreshing to see a man excited and willing to show it. We’ve got too many cowboys around here, and their version of showing they’d won the lottery would be taking a deep breath and dipping their chin.”
“I’m not a very good cowboy, then,” Chance offered. “Too emotional.”
“Must be the Irish in you.”
“Maybe.”
Hand in hand, they made their way back to the car, except for the part of the trail that was single file only. He caught her once more before they got in the car, pressing their bodies firmly together as he took her lips again.
Her lashes fluttered up.
“One final taste to remember my first glimpse of the waterfall,” he teased.
She was quiet for the first moments of the drive, as if gathering her wits. He liked that idea—that him kissing her had been enough to scramble her thoughts.
Then she spoke and once again shared information about town. Places to go if he needed car repairs, places to avoid for food.
“I’m biased, I know, but it’s the truth. Tansy makes the best breakfast treats and hearty lunches. Connie’s Diner is where the farmers hang out for endless cups of brown liquid they pretend is coffee. It’s a great place if you like their Monday special: eggs, toast, and hash browns.”
