Page 34 of Love Harvested on Thanksgiving
ALEX
I’m in the bakery at Oak & Rye, pulling fresh peppered sourdough rolls from the ovens. The store just opened, and I’ve been chatting with my employees when a woman approaches the counter.
“I’m looking for an Alex Rhodes,” she says, holding a paper in her hand.
I look up, removing my gloves. “That’s me, how can I help?”
She lifts a vase filled with an assortment of beautifulflowers and sets it on the counter, along with an iced coffee and a small paper bag. Without another word, she smiles and walks away.
One of my employees teases, “Ooo, Miss Alex got herself a man!”
I blush, my fingers plucking the tag from the flowers. I read it slowly:
Let’s kick some ass today, see you soon, princess—Finley.
My lips part in shock. He got me flowers? He sent all of this? Nobody’s ever done anything like this for me. I fight back a tear at the corner of my eye as I gather everything and start toward my office.
“Maya, could you cut the rolls for me please?” I call over my shoulder as I walk out of the bakery.
I sit in my office, staring at the flowers and the note. Reaching into the brown paper bag, I pull out an apple cider donut.
Yummy, my favorite. I take a bite and send Finley a quick text:
Thank you, Finley. That was very thoughtful.
Then my eyes wander downward, and I see the sleeping bags shoved into the cubby under my desk. My chest tightens. Memories of that night together come rushing back, and suddenly it’s harder to fight back the tears.
I haven’t let myself feel for anyone since Chase. Sure, I’ve had hookups, but they always ghosted me, and I was grateful for it.
But this… this is different. This is something entirely new. I might actually have feelings for this man.
I reflect on the first day I drove out to his farm. How grumpy he was when he pulled my car out of that rut—I can’t help but laugh a little.
And the way he put himself between me and that bull. He saved me. No hesitation. No second thought. He protected me, put himself between me and danger.
Tears fall down my cheeks, and I sniffle, grabbing the tissues from my desk to catch them.I have to be due for my period soon—these emotions are out of control.
“You’re welcome, pretty girl.”
The voice is strong, and it makes me jump. I look up to see Finley standing there filling the doorway with his large, solid frame.
“Are you okay?” He asks.
I nod, springing from the chair and throwing myself into his chest, squeezing him tight.
His body is hard and warm against mine. He smells of fall air and spices—the scent so familiar now I could pick it out of a crowd.
I’ve smelled it in my dreams—on my clothes, in my hair—and now my body searches for it everywhere I go, longing for that familiar scent of comfort and safety.
I hold him for a minute longer, savoring the warmth, then finally pull away. He gently wipes a tear from my cheek.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he says softly.
I laugh, shaking my head. “No, no… it’s just how I am.”
He smiles. “So… are you ready to go win a contest?”
I grin and nod. Together, we walk out of the office, and I grab a cart as we head toward the bakery. At the counter, Maya raises an eyebrow at me, her eyes flicking toward Finley before she starts sending the rolls and cheesecake cups across. Finley and I start loading everything into the cart.
