Halfway There (Fool's Gold #9.75)

“I’m glad they were saved,” he told her.

He still had her hand in his. He looked down and took in the sensible short nails and the absence of any rings. Fayrene wore earrings most days but didn’t seem to feel the need to jingle and clink when she walked. There were no half-dozen bracelets or necklaces. For work she dressed professionally and for play...

He tried not to picture her heart-shaped butt in the tight jeans she wore today.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

A question he couldn’t answer, he told himself. Not honestly. “What happens in three or four years?” he asked instead. “When you have your business where you want it and you’re ready to settle down. Are you planning on getting married?”

“I hope to,” she told him. “I want the usual things. A husband, a couple of kids.”

“Interesting, because I have no interest in a husband.”

She laughed and leaned against him. “You know what I mean. I like the idea of being part of a family.”

“Renting rabbit suits for the parade?”

“That would be fun. What about you?”

“The same. Except maybe for the rabbit suits. If I’m not in Fool’s Gold, people will be confused.” He put his arm around her. “My mom bugs me regularly for grandchildren. We have a lot of extended family up where they are. I spent summers with my grandparents pretty much until high school. She’s already talking about when she has grandkids to spoil over the Fourth of July.”

“That’s a lot of pressure.”

“I can handle it. Plus I’m the youngest, so she’s really focusing on my older brothers. Jeff is married, but Neil isn’t and is he going to be in trouble if he hits thirty without a bride.”

He paused and kissed the top of her head. “Does it bother you to hear me talk about this?”

She looked up. “Because of my parents? No. It’s nice. I think I’d like your mom.”

“She’s the one who holds us all together. My dad isn’t much of a talker, so Mom was always the one who checked on us and made sure we were okay.” He smiled as memories vied for his attention.

“When I was fifteen, I borrowed the farm truck and promptly plowed into a tree. My mom was hysterical, alternating between making sure I was going to be okay and trying to come up with ways to punish me. My dad told her he would handle it and led me to the barn.”

Fayrene winced. “Did he hit you?”

“Not him. That would have been too easy. Instead he led me to where all the farm equipment was stored. It was dirty from the last hay harvest that had ended a few days before. He told me I had to clean all of it. By myself. And while I was doing it, there wasn’t to be any music. I was to work in silence and think about what I’d done.”

He remembered that discussion. “At the time I was furious. I thought my dad was being unfair. But by the time I was done, I’d learned my lesson. Both the punishment and the thinking had been good for me. I guess my dad thought so, too, because he came out the last couple of days and helped me.”

She smiled at him. “Okay, I think I’d like your dad, too.”

“He’d like you. He’s always had a thing for blondes. And he is a big believer in schedules and organization.”

She angled toward him so that their knees touched. “Why do you want to be away from them?”

“I don’t. But you can’t do what I do from Colville. I have some ideas for wind turbine design. I want to make them more efficient. I want to experiment with different blades. Small changes can make a big difference. For that I need a company—or at least their money.”

“You’re an artist rather than an entrepreneur,” she said.

“An artist?” While he liked the sound of that, it wasn’t exactly true. “I’m more a geek than an artist.”

Her hazel eyes widened slightly. “I wouldn’t say you’re geeky.”

“Thanks. You’re right about the rest of it. I have no drive to open my own business. I don’t like all the logistics that go with it. The day-to-day details aren’t interesting. I’d rather spend my time with the design work or out in the field doing the testing.”

“Not me,” she told him. “I like all of it. I even like paying my bills. I use a computer program that keeps track of income and expenses. I can compare my monthly billing to my projects and see how much I’m growing. It’s exciting.”

She obviously meant what she said. Her eyes were bright, her pupils dilated. Desire grew, but he ignored the sensation of heat and hunger.

“You’re strange,” he told her.

She laughed. “I accept my failings.”

“It’s not a failing. It’s kind of cute.”

“You’re kind of cute, too.”

Her gaze promised while her mouth called. But they were surrounded by families, and the library steps were getting more crowded by the second.

He leaned close. “You’re tempting, Fayrene. I’ll give you that.”

“I don’t mean to be.”

He tightened his hold on her hand. “Yes, you do.”

She smiled. “Okay. Maybe just a little.”