June shakes her head. "I've never even met him. But I've met his brother. I’m familiar with the family.”
The way she says it, I know not to pry about the dealings June has had with the Saints. When June shuts down a conversation, it’s shut down. But it makes me wonder what kind of family Luke comes from. "He has a brother?"
June nods. "Three," she says. "They're pretty legendary around here."
I can't imagine anyone who looks like Luke – or swaggers around like he's God's gift to women – not being legendary in a town like this. "I'd imagine so."
"Well, if he looks anything like Elias, I can see why you're all flushed right now."
"That's the heat," I lie. "It's unseasonably warm out here."
June laughs. "Like hell it is," she says. "It's damn cold. Just admit it. You've got the hots for him. You wouldn't be the first girl to lose her mind over a man. Shoot, River Andrews gave up everything for Elias Saint."
I'm momentarily distracted from vehemently protesting my attraction toward Luke by the mention of River Andrews. "The actress? She's with Luke's brother?"
"The one and only," June says. "She's really very nice."
"Luke never said anything about his brother dating a famous actress." Of course, why would he? I remind myself that I know virtually nothing about him.
"Oh?" June asks, her interest clearly piqued. "Have you been talking to Luke? I thought he was just your employee."
"No. Yes. A little bit. I'm just…curious, that's all."
"Uh-huh."
"He's young."
June chuckles under her breath. "Young means he has stamina."
"And that he's immature."
"So?" she asks. "How many dates have you been on in the last two years?"
"Dating?" I ask, my voice a squeal. "We're not talking about dating. I didn't mention dating."
But she ignores me. "Zero. You've been on a grand total of zero dates, even though I've tried to set you up. You're basically a nun, holed up there in your orchard like you've taken a vow of celibacy."
"I have a baby," I protest, my voice indignant. "And a fledgling business to run."
"Your business isn't fledgling anymore," June says. "And in case you haven't noticed, Olivia is getting bigger. You could use a little fun." She pauses when she sees the expression on my face. "I say all of this with love, obviously."
"Yeah, I can tell. Saying I need to – " My voice drops to a whisper. "Have a fling with the teenage hottie I hired to be a foreman sounds like a super responsible thing to do."
"He's hardly a teenager," June says, laughing. "And a fling sounds like exactly what you need. It wouldn't hurt you to get some."
"Who's getting some?" A male voice booms from behind us, startling me, and I turn to see June's husband Cade, walking with Callie in his arms, wrapped in a warm cotton blanket.
"Cade, take her back in the nursery if she's sleeping," June chides. "It's too chilly for her to be out here, even wrapped up in that blanket."
"Hush, woman," Cade says, the edges of his lips curled up in a smile. "I don't want to put her down. Let me be proud papa if I want to be. I'll bring her back inside in a minute. Besides, I'm toasty warm."
June rolls her eyes and sighs, but she smiles and pats Cade on the arm as he slides into the chair beside her. The way she looks at him and then at their children, like they're the center of her world, makes me simultaneously happy for her and jealous of her.
I don't know what Cade's story is exactly. June is quiet about his past, mentioned in passing once that he used to run as part of an outlaw biker club out in California – the Inferno Motorcycle Club. The sleeves of tattoos that run up his arms, down the back of his neck, hint at his past. He's a good man, though. And he adores June and the kids.
So maybe, just maybe, Cade is proof that bad boys are capable of settling down and becoming good men.
"I'm not interrupting any girl talk, am I?" Cade asks. Olivia's high-pitched squeal cuts through his question. "Come on, Stan, don't put dirt in her hair. When she screams, she's telling you clear as day she doesn't like it. Put the shovel down."
"Nope, you're not interrupting," I say, too quickly. "At all."
"I was just telling Autumn she should have a little fun," June says.
"June," I warn.
"Oh God, this is girl talk," Cade says. "I should go back inside – that's what you're saying, right?"
"Luke Saint is working the orchard." June looks at Cade meaningfully.
"If there's one thing in life I've learned this far, it's when to keep my mouth shut about things and stay out of people's business, June-bug," Cade says. "That might be some good advice for you, you know."
"Oh shut your mouth." June slaps him playfully on the arm. "She's single. He's single. And he's also hot."
"Oh, so my wife is telling you Luke Saint is hot, is she?" Cade asks.
"More like the other way around, sweetheart," June says.
"Luke Saint is telling you you're hot?" Cade asks.