Forever Love on Fireweed Island (Island County Book 4) (18 page)

“Why do you have so many barns? You’re not a grow operation, are you?”

He laughed, his brow arching. “With a father who was with the government? I don’t think so.”

“So what did your dad do for the agency? Was he a spy?”

“Not that I could tell you if he was.” His smile widened.

“Like you’d know if he was.”

Jake laughed, and my heart filled with a happiness I couldn’t explain.

“So you’re telling me you guessed some symbols right, and this is where it landed you?”

He scooted back on the couch and rested his arm on the back cushion.

“Partially.”

“What’s the other part?” I asked. I knew he was keeping something from me.

“There are a lot of parts. In fact, let me show you one of the main reasons I moved to Fireweed.” Without warning, he stood back up and nearly hauled me to my feet. I caught the excitement radiating from him.

He glanced down at my shoes and smiled. “Those might make our trek more interesting, but we’ll see.”

“What are you talking about?” I laughed nervously.

He wrapped his arm around me and led us in the opposite direction I thought we were headed. Jake walked us down another hallway that led to a kitchen, which led to a mudroom, which eventually led us outside.

“That’s a lot of halls.” I laughed.

“You haven’t seen the half of them.” He shut the door behind us, and I was now standing in an outdoor living space, couches included. A complete outdoor kitchen centered the covered patio.

“No wonder you never leave your house.” I was only half-joking.

“We’re going out there.” He pointed toward the barns.

“And you promise me there’s nothing illegal going on? I’m a public servant. I’ve got to uphold my standards,” I teased.

“So am I, believe it or not. Remember, I fight fires and rescue people?” He squeezed me before we took off toward the pastures, and my heart rate slowly started to climb.

Every so often, Jake would steer me in a different direction through a different gate until we were finally standing in front of the closest barn to the house.

“In here?” I asked.

“Go ahead. Poke your head inside.”

“It’s not a barn full of seagulls, is it?” I asked, suddenly afraid of what I might find.

“There’s only one way to find out. Go for it.”

I wrapped my fingers around the iron handle and slowly slid the door to the side to find the most beautiful animals staring back at me. The soft sounds of humming filled the air, and I glanced nervously back at Jake.

“Go ahead. It’s okay,” he prompted.

I turned back to look at the graceful animals in front of me. It was like dozens of teddy bears were staring—except their shapes were all wrong—as their doe eyes blinked back at me, watching and waiting with their long lashes curling toward the barn’s ceiling.

“These are your investment?”

“Huacaya Alpacas,” he said, crossing his arms.

“They look like teddy bears mixed with—”

“Llamas?” he laughed.

“Exactly.”

“Dotty is coming over for pets,” he told me, pointing at one of the animals meandering over.

The humming continued and provided an eerie backdrop as the long-necked dark brown teddy bear slowly wandered in my direction. I couldn’t wait to sink my fingers into her fur. She looked like my ideal version of a body pillow.

“Surprised?” Jake asked softly.

I nodded as Dotty stopped in front of me and nudged my hand. I sank my fingers into the softest fur in the world, and Jake came up behind me.

“Dotty’s fur is so dense, but it’s like clouds. Or what I’d imagine a cloud to feel like. This is incredible.” I glanced behind me. “I never would’ve guessed you’d be into farm animals.”

“Don’t put it that way.”

He patted Dotty’s forehead as she began nuzzling me and sniffing and snorting. It tickled so much, I couldn’t stop laughing. “What’s she doing? Is she trying to kiss me?”

“She’s sniffing you.” He laughed and squeezed my shoulder softly.

“Do they always make that noise? All of them?” I asked. “That song?”

“At different times.” Jake stood next to me.

“It’s so haunting. So beautiful.”

His smile widened.

“Whenever you’re having a bad day, it’s pretty impossible to stay that way around these guys.”

“I bet.”

Another alpaca began making its way over.

“Uh-oh,” Jake muttered nervously, and my heart sputtered to a stop. “Todd isn’t a happy camper.”

“Who’s Todd?” I whispered, looking around the barn for a caretaker or somebody.

“Todd is the male headed over. He’s the blond-looking one.”

“You named an alpaca Todd?” I asked, trying to keep in my giggles. “No wonder he’s pissed.”

“He looks like a Todd.” Jake argued, giving Dotty one last pat.

“I don’t think he looks like a Todd at all. Maybe a Larry, but not a Todd.”

Jake laughed and grabbed my hand. “We should probably head back.”

“Are you telling me you’re afraid of Todd?” My brow arched.

“I wouldn’t say afraid. I just respect his authority.”

“Aren’t you the one who is supposed to have the authority?” I teased.

“Not when it comes to Todd. This is his barn.”

Todd’s teddy bear appearance made it nearly impossible to visualize him as anything but a graceful creature in need of love.

“Yeah. It’s time to leave,” Jake said slowly.

“Okay. Whatever you say, tough guy.” I began to follow Jake’s lead, but before we had a chance to get out, Todd scooted Dotty out of the way and blocked Jake, who let out a sigh.

“What is he doing?” I asked.

“You’ll see. I wish you wouldn’t, but you’ll see.”

I stood mesmerized, watching Todd stretch his neck toward Jake. I tilted my head as I took in the scene unfolding before me. Todd appeared to be grinding his teeth together, his lips puckering a little here and there, and then it happened.

Todd flat-out spit on Jake, turned around, and slowly walked away with Dotty right behind.

“Todd’s got game,” I said, giggling so hard, tears flooded down my face. “Total game. In fact, I kind of want to follow the cool kids now.”

Jake wiped the lime green mess off his chin and neck and shook his head.

“You do that. You go follow your Todd and live with him and Dotty happily ever after. Just don’t come cryin’ to me when it’s clipper time.” He chuckled, and I wrapped my arm around his waist. “I could’ve taken him.”

“I’m glad you didn’t, but at least you’re keeping me on my toes,” I told him.

“Glad you see it that way.”

We walked outside, and he latched the door behind us. I was trying to piece the puzzle together, but it all seemed so bizarre, I decided not to worry about it too much and enjoy the evening.

“They’re such beautiful animals.”

“They are. It’s a pretty peaceful existence out here.” We started back toward the house, and I felt the warm summer air wash over my skin.

“I can see why you don’t feel the need to leave this place very often.”

He nodded. “I’ve got a great group of people to help take care of them. See that building out there?” Jake pointed toward the building I saw when driving in. Up close, it looked like a house, not a shed. “That’s where my farmhands live.”

“Wow.”

“I travel a lot, so I need help running things.”

“Guess that makes sense.”

“Does to me.” He laughed, guiding me back into the house.

“Thanks for letting me meet Dotty and Todd. I really like Todd.”

“You would.” He narrowed his eyes at me, and I grinned sheepishly.

We wandered back into the kitchen and washed our hands, and the silence between us was natural and comforting.

“Want anything to drink?” he asked.

“I’d just love water, actually.”

“I can handle that.” He grabbed a glass and filled it up from some sort of stainless steel contraption built in the wall. God forbid he uses the faucet like the rest of us.

“What?” he asked, sliding the glass onto the massive granite island as I sat down on one of the velour stools.

“That’s just quite the water dispenser.”

“I might have gotten carried away,” he confessed. “But I’m a guy. I like gadgets.”

He tapped the counter. “I wouldn’t normally do this, but would you mind if I run upstairs really quick and hop in the shower? I’d like to get Todd’s dinner off me.”

I laughed and nodded. “Totally understand.”

He looked like he was about to come over and kiss me and thought better of it—maybe because of Todd.

Jake grabbed a remote and handed it to me after he pressed a button.

“What’s this?”

“TV until I get back.”

I searched around the kitchen. “I don’t see one.”

“It’s coming down over there.” He pointed by the fridge, and sure enough, one was dropping from the ceiling.

“Gadgets,” I muttered. “Fancy.”

“I won’t be long,” he promised, nearly jogging out of the room, leaving me to wonder what all I’d gotten myself into.

I wanted to text my sister and ask if she or Cole knew anything about the alpaca business, because while he was showering away, I couldn’t believe that a couple of good stock choices and a herd of furry teddy bears provided all of this. I tried to keep myself preoccupied by watching a home and garden show that was on the television, but it just annoyed me.

I found myself rolling my eyes at what the people said as they toured a really lovely home. It had always struck me as odd what tiny part of a house people would pick on when visiting potential listings, especially when they were on camera. Was it true that someone wouldn’t buy their dream house because the walls had wallpaper? I guessed I’d never know.

Jake really needed to hurry and get back down there before I started getting grumpier at the couple on TV. I finished my glass of water and wandered over to the water dispenser. I mimicked what I saw Jake do, but absolutely no water came out. I pushed a button with a blue LED light and waited.

Still nothing.

After the fourth attempt, I set my glass on the counter and started wandering along the kitchen, running my hand along the granite. The cool-toned colors and stainless appliances were a beautiful and soothing combination, but once I stood at the sink, I realized the star of the room was the view out the window. It was breathtaking. To the right, the pastures went as far as I could see, and when I looked toward the left, the water sparkled in the distance. The skies had turned. Storm clouds circled, and it wouldn’t be long before a summer storm would hit.

I leaned against the counter and took in the beauty, not even realizing Jake had come into the room until he stood behind me and took in a deep breath.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked, his voice low.

I nodded and turned around slowly, only to have him inches away from me. I felt the electricity run between us, and the large room suddenly felt tiny.

“You look absolutely amazing,” he said softly.

“You’re somewhat irresistible yourself.” I looked into his eyes, and my mind cleared of every little worry and hiccup that could stop me from moving forward with Jake. I just wanted to enjoy the moment and forget about finding a love that might not even exist.

Jake’s gaze took me in, and I saw a flicker of longing run through this eyes. He cupped my chin and slowly tilted my head as he pressed his mouth down to mine. A gentle sweep of his tongue, and the soft feel of his lips against mine melted me into his arms. He had such a way of making me feel sexual and alive with a need I’d done so well at hiding from myself. His fingers tangled through my hair as our kisses deepened, and heat spread through my entire body as I let myself fall into him.

I ran my fingers up his chest, feeling the hardness of his muscles underneath my fingertips before looping my arms around his neck. He slowly lifted me onto the counter and peppered soft kisses along my jaw to the tender skin behind my ear. A wave of shivers passed through me as he swept my hair aside and trailed more kisses along my neck. A moan escaped my lips, and I felt his mouth smile against my neck.

I ran my fingers through his hair and felt the stubble graze along my skin until he brought his mouth back to mine and kissed me with a hardness I craved, his tongue circling mine, teasing me for more, and I was willing to give so much more.

If only he’d ask.

His kisses slowed, and he broke his lips from mine. I opened my eyes and took in a deep breath, seeing possessiveness flash behind his gaze. I knew we’d barely scratched the surface.

He sucked slightly on his lower lip as he debated something.

“I don’t want to push you into anything you’re not ready for,” he said softly.

My eyes widened as I tried to think what I did to give him that impression. I was more than ready. In fact, I was probably too ready. My gaze fell to the floor, and I took in another deep breath.

“You’re not pushing me into anything. I want this, whatever this might be or wherever it leads,” I told him, bringing my eyes back to his. A surge of anticipation shot through me as I saw a glint of satisfaction dart through his gaze, and I readied myself for more.

Only more never came.