Page 25 of Love Undercover
“Did you even look at what I’ve got?” he asked.
She didn’t look at him, but the muscles in her back seized when he spoke, telling him that she hadn’t heard him come out.
“You have so much space out here,” she said. “You could do so much with it.”
He padded forward and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Like what?” Even though he could guess what ideas she’d probably have, he wanted her to tell him. Maybe it would help her relax.
She shot him a sideways glance, reluctance holding her captive for a moment. “An epic veggie garden, for starters.”
He pursed his Iips against a smile, having expected that answer. “Mm. And where would you put it? In front here?”
She shook her head as her fingers stopped fluttering. She pointed where he’d indicated. “I’d plant flowers for bees and butterflies and to add a little curb appeal. Might help with the serial killer vibe.” Her eyes slid to him again, the faintest smirk cradling her mouth.
“I’ll remember that the next time I kidnap someone.”
She squinted at him like she was trying to figure out if he was joking, and the fingers fluttered again.
His head dipped in encouragement. “So where would you put the garden?”
She lifted her hand to point to the side of the house. “Over there. It gets a good mix of shade and sun.”
He grunted, trying to picture it. Who knew what an epic vegetable garden actually looked like? But he could imagine her, kneeling in the dirt, digging while she hummed nursery rhymes or something. Maybe in a tank top and a floppy hat.
He cleared his throat and looked down, toeing a loose board where the post met the porch. That was not something he should let run rampant in his mind’s eye. What he should’ve been doing was keeping an eye on their surroundings and convince her to come back inside.
“You could have chickens too,” she continued, not picking up on his discomfort. There was a determined bent to her expression now, like she was mapping out every square foot of space around them. “There’s enough room for a nice coop and a big fenced-in area for them to roam safely.”
She’d stopped wiggling again, and it spread a web of warmth through him, distracting from his worry. His mind filled in more images of her working the land around them, feeding and tending animals, watering plants.
“Where would the goats go?” he asked with a smirk.
She started like she’d forgotten he was there, and the suspicion was back in her eyes. For a different reason, he suspected.
“Or would you rather have cows?”
Her mouth pinched, and she turned back to stare out at the tree line. “Maybe someday. A dream for far in the future. I’d love to have a little homestead.” One shoulder lifted and fell. “Nothing totally off-grid, but something self-sustaining.”
No surprise there. He had a hard time imagining himself making it into that kind of oasis, but he could see her there.Planning it, building it, channeling all that restless energy and spunk into something life-giving.
“I could bring students out.” Her voice was soft and cautious, drawing his attention back. “Teach them about caring for animals, plants, the environment.”
He tipped his head, filing away that secret passion he heard in her tone. “Like a wilderness school.”
Her brows crashed low over her eyes, then she turned to stare at him. Suspicion again, now twofold. He felt the weight of her skepticism about him entertaining her ideas, and her general wariness of the situation.
It killed him to know she still didn’t trust him. In giving these tiny tastes of who she was, she created an insatiable craving for more, and the desire to earn her trust was a sharp demand inside him.
It sliced almost as keenly as the renewed awareness of how exposed they were out on the porch. He’d never felt so ill at ease in this place. It was supposed to be his safe haven, his escape from the life he pretended to lead in the city. He didn’t come back often just for the sake of keeping it secret, which was probably blown now. Up until this little adventure, the forest had provided a sense of privacy for him, but he realized that it also afforded good cover for anyone scoping the place.
His attention went to Sadie as she shifted, watching him like she sensed his unease. No doubt taking in the stiff silence that had enveloped him as his eyes scanned the trees. It might have been easier for someone to remain concealed in the woods, but they still would be hard-pressed to sneak up on him at the house.
Everything was wide open and clear surrounding the cabin, and any vehicle coming down his drive gave itself away with a dust trail that rose above the tree line like a smoke signal.
“What is it?” she asked, breaking his concentration.
He brought his gaze back to hers, nearly drowning in the depth of her amber eyes, the magnetism inexplicable, even to himself. He cleared his throat. “How about lunch?”
Instead of ordering her inside, he figured he could lure her in, maybe keep building the foundation instead of obliterating it. As long as she was back in the house, he could rest a little easier. Maybe she’d tell him more, unfurl some of the layers he’d begun to see beneath.
