Rustic Hearts

I chuckle. “I guess because he had a beer. Safer to let Myer drive them.”

“But he’s okay to drive Myer’s truck?”

“It appears so.”

She looks at me as it dawns on her. “Oh. Ohhh. Does Dallas know?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She narrows her eyes at me.

I ignore her look as I start folding chairs and toss them into the barn. She grabs the one she was sitting in and folds it up before following me.

She gets the heel of her shoe caught in a hole near the door and starts to buckle, and I reach out and grab her around the waist just as she begins to fold.

“Whoa,” I say as I take her weight into my arms and steady her.

She lets out a little cry of pain as her ankle gives.

I quickly pick her up off her feet to keep her from twisting it further, and she wraps her arms around my neck as I take her off-balance.

She buries her face into me, and her hot breath slides down my neck, sending a shiver up my spine.

I hold her against me for a couple of beats, and then I rasp out, “You okay?”

She nods her head while still hiding her face.

“You sure?”

She looks up. “Just embarrassed,” she admits.

“That’s why you shouldn’t be wearing those shoes out here. They might be sexy as hell, but you’ll break your neck.”

She sternly looks at me. “I’ll have you know, I can run down ten flights of stairs and dodge traffic in these shoes without so much as stubbing my toe. It’s the moonshine.” She sticks her bottom lip out at me in defiance.

“You’re probably right. Not the ridiculous shoes. It’s the liquor to blame.” I instinctively tighten my grip on her and focus my attention on her mouth.

She leans toward me, and just as I’m about to do something foolish, a throat clears behind me.

“Hi, Daddy,” she says over my shoulder.

Shit.

I turn with her still in my arms to see Jefferson and Emmett standing behind us.

“I twisted my ankle, and Braxton caught me before I fell.”

He nods his head. “You still falling?”

She gives him a quizzical look. “No.”

“Then, maybe he should put you down.”

“Oh,” she says as if just realizing she still has her arms around me.

She disengages from my neck and hops down.

“You okay? Does it hurt?” I ask as I steady her shoulders.

“No. It’s good,” she says as she wiggles her foot and puts all her weight on it. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

She faces the other men and says her good nights before heading off in the direction of the main house.

I start loading chairs again.

“Thanks for watching out for her, Braxton. I appreciate it, son.” He claps me on the back and walks off behind her.

Emmett grins at me and winks.

Fucking Emmett.