Page 32 of The Heart Shot
The bored teenager driving the tractor barely looked away from his phone as he shifted into gear, and we jerked forward.
“I can’t remember the last time I went to a pumpkin patch,” I admitted, avoiding his gaze, which seared a hole in my face.
He clasped his hands together between his legs, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’ve been coming here my whole life. As a kid, my mom made me work here whenever I wasn’t in school.”
“Sounds like a fun way to pass the time.”
The teenage boy whistled an off-key tune as the wagon bumped over uneven ground, and the last of my cider sloshed inside the cup. It was a struggle to keep from leaning into Jameson’s side to stay steady.
He chuckled. “Maybe now, when I can appreciate it all. As a kid, I absolutely hated it.” Jameson sobered after a moment. “Though it’s been a while since I’ve been back.” His eyes roved over the countless vines and pumpkins on either side of the hayride.
“How come?” I leaned closer, hanging on every word.
Jameson shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “Life’s been…busy. Not much time to visit.”
I nodded, letting the conversation drop. I knew avoidance when I saw it. I was the Queen of Avoidance. If avoidance had a town, I’d be the mayor.
If he didn’t want to share, I wouldn’t push or pry, even if my curiosity spurred me to ask what he meant.
Curiosity killed the cat, Elsie.
I shifted on the hay bale, my backside going numb despite the hard pieces of straw poking through my jeans. The wagon bumped along, the corn maze looming ahead in the dark. I exhaled a shaky breath, and Jameson turned to me.
“Whoa!” the wagon driver shouted as the tractor dipped into a deep hole.
The wagon slid to the side, and I jolted forward off the seat, my hands smacking onto the rough wood floor before warm hands circled my waist, pulling me backward. I stiffened as I landed on something much softer than the hay bale. It took a second for my brain to catch up with the fact that I was now perched in Jameson’s lap, his hands grasping my waist.
His eyes twinkled. Yes, twinkled.Dang him.
“You all right?”
His face was inches from mine, but I refused to look at his lips.No Elsie, don’t you dare.
“Um, yep. Great,” I squeaked, sliding off his lap, my tailbone protesting as I slammed onto the hard hay. Phantom versions of his hands remained on my sides, burning through my layers.
“How are your hands? The floor is pretty rough.”
I looked at my palms, struggling to see in the dim light of dusk. They were red from the force of the impact, but thankfully, I had been spared from any slivers making a home in my skin.
“They made it out unscathed,” I replied.
Jameson ran his fingers over my palms, checking for himself. I was so engrossed in his skin on mine that I missed how close we had become. The woodsy scent of whatever cologne he wore permeated my senses, making me lightheaded in the best way.
He’s going to have to stop wearing that cologne or you’ll never make it out of this alive,Smart Elsie chided.
Jameson’s hazel eyes met mine, and I didn’t miss the way they flicked to my lips for the briefest moment. Scared of what would happen to my ability to remain unattached if he tried to kiss me, I jumped to my feet.
“Shall we?”
Jameson huffed a laugh before climbing off the wagon. He helped me down, and I fervently ignored the electricity that shot through my hand, my legs wobbling as my boots sunk into the soft ground.
Whether he thought I was clumsy or amusing, I couldn’t tell, nor did he say. He only gave me a lazy smile, like he knew what that simple touch had done to my brain.
Jameson gestured at the corn maze behind me. “After you.”
I gave a tight-lipped smile that I hoped didn’t betray my nerves before stalking toward the entrance in a way that was very unbecoming on a first date, much like a linebacker on a football team, thanks to sitting on the unyielding hay.
Welp. Here we go. Time to get lost in a maze with a man I willnotfall for.
