Page 16 of Charm Me
Grateful he changed the subject without commenting on my unintentional date invite, I tapped my finger to my chin and smiled.
“This I can do. We’ll start with some farm jokes.” I clapped my hands and rubbed them together. “What do you call a cow with only two legs?”
He glanced at me and shrugged.
“Lean beef.”
He rolled his eyes and tried not to smile but he failed. Within seconds a deep, bellowing laugh filled the cab of the truck. Damn, this man needed to laugh more. Since I met him, he’d been so serious in a sexy brooding kind of way. I was attracted to that version of Wyatt, but I liked laughing Wyatt better.
“Tell me another one.”
“What do you call a cow with no legs?”
His smile grew and he held his eyes on me for a moment too long. I swallowed hard and tried to hide the tremble in my arms. All I wanted to do was reach over and wrap my hand around his, but I resisted. I liked Wyatt, like really liked him. Under different circumstances I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second to take his hand in mine. Or scoot closer to him, lean into his body, and rest my head on his shoulder. Everything about his reaction toward me told me he would welcome that kind of affection. But doing so would be a bad idea. This was business and I needed to focus on my career, not snuggling close to the client I was trying to land.
He let out a low chuckle and said, “Let me guess, ground beef.”
I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled. “Yep. It’s easy to get that after leading with the lean beef joke, but it’s still funny.”
“I’ll have to remember and tell those to my dad. He’ll get a kick out of them.”
“Maybe I’ll tell you a few more over the next few days.” Our eyes met and the energy between us charged. If he continued to look at me like that, I’d be throwing myself at him by lunch time tomorrow. If the hint of fire in his eyes was any indication of his attraction to me, he’d have the same struggle.
I was screwed.
***
WE PULLED UP OUTSIDEmy parents’ house at 11:20 p.m. on the dot. My mom didn’t tell me where she planned on putting us, only to come straight to the house and she’d get us settled. I assumed that meant I’d be staying in my old room, and she’d put Wyatt in one of the rooms they used for the bed and breakfast conversion they’d made to the large Victorian house I grew up in.
The large house was three stories plus a full basement. My parents kept private quarters on the first floor behind the kitchen where they created a private dining and living room. They added a large master en suite shortly after the rentals took off and they started turning a profit. They left my bedroom with the adjoining bathroom on the second floor alone. But turned the rest of the seven rooms into rentals.
My mom never really worked the farm with my dad, so adding the vacation destination to the property gave her a newfound purpose that she enjoyed. I still handled their finances for them but other than that they ran both business themselves with only a few hired hands.
While the farm wasn’t in the best location for vacationers, it was close enough to Seneca Lake and Finger Lakes National Park that they drew enough of a crowd to make the business viable and profitable. Plus they offered guided horseback trails, nature hikes, and could take advantage of the local festivals and events in the area.
My parents opened the front door and headed down the steps to greet us before I’d even had a chance to open the door to the truck. As soon as I stepped out of the truck, my mom’s arms were around me in a tight embrace.
“Sweetie, I’ve missed you so much.” She squeezed even tighter before stepping back and holding me at arm’s length. “You look good. Eating well?”
“It’s good to see you too, Momma.” Mom loved to feed people and always wanted to make sure I was well cared for. Knowing Mom, she had tea and cookies waiting for us inside. I was petite like her, but I had two additional inches on her. In every way except my eyes, I looked like her. I had my dad’s eyes. I glanced at Dad beside her and leaned in for one of his bear hugs. “Hi, Daddy.”
“You look good, Princess.” He kissed the top of my head which was easy for him since he was nearly six feet tall. I buried my face in his chest and breathed him in. He smelled like honeysuckle and grass—life on the farm. He loosened his hug and reached an arm behind me. “You must be Mr. Strong.”
“Yes, sir. But please, call me Wyatt.” Wyatt’s gaze ran across me before he accepted my dad’s hand with a smile. A quick glance at Mom proved she didn’t miss a thing. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her lips tensed but not enough that anyone other than me noticed.
“Let me get your bags and take them to your rooms.” Dad said. Wyatt let down the tailgate and pulled our bags out. “Your mom put you in your old room Zoe, and we figured it would be easier if Wyatt stayed in the main house as well rather than one of the cabins. Hope that’s okay.”
“Of course, Daddy.” I watched Dad and Wyatt work side by side. Dad was almost the same height as Wyatt and there were similarities between the two that I hadn’t noticed until now. Both men were true farm boys in their wrangler jeans, boots, button up plaid shirts, and hats. Wyatt had a few inches on Daddy, but they moved and walked with a similar gait.
Dad picked up my suitcase and headed to the house. Wyatt glanced at me and winked as he passed, leaving me alone with Mom. Mom wrapped her arm around my shoulder and sighed. “Looks like we have some catching up to do, sweetie.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, Momma, don’t start with that.”
“It’s kinda hard not to considering how handsome that man is.” Her smile grew, and I frowned. “Now, don’t you dare go and try denying it. You know damn well he’s a sight.”
“I noticed. Thanks for pointing it out.”
“Come on. Your dad will drag Wyatt to the dining room soon enough. I made your favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.”
“It’s a little late for cookies don’t you think?”
“It’s never too late for cookies.” Mom smiled and squeezed my hand as we walked into the house.
I could already tell my parents were going to get along well with Wyatt. Knowing his common interests with Dad, they’d have plenty of enjoyable conversations to bond over and Mom would love feeding him, especially his sweet tooth. And I’d have to work extra hard at guarding my heart because the more I learned about Wyatt, the faster I fell.