Chapter Eight
Liam
I WIPE MY HANDS ON my jeans as I walk up to Mrs. Turner’s house. It’s been days since I dropped off Leni’s surprise, and I’m so anxious to see how she liked it. I’ve been so busy helping my dad move cattle this past week that I’ve hardly been able to spend any time on my land.
I gently rap on the screen door, and Mrs. Turner opens it up for me.
“Morning, ma’am. Is Leni available?” I ask.
“She sure is,” she says with a smile. “She’s up in the studio.”
“The studio?”
“Oh, yeah. She did some rearranging after your generous gifts. Has barely come down to eat in three days.” She takes my hand in hers and squeezes. “Thank you, Liam.”
“It was nothing.”
She shakes her head. “No, it was a whole lot of something. Thank you.”
I smile to her and head toward the steps leading up to the bedrooms.
“Liam?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Maybe try to get her to get out for a bit. I know she’s in her little paradise up there, but the girl has to eat.”
I chuckle. “Will do.”
I follow Leni’s humming to one of the bedrooms. The door is open, and I peek in. My heart swells at the sight of her. I lean against the doorframe to take her in. She’s in short shorts and a tank top. Her hair is pulled high on her head in a messy bun. She’s humming to some song that is playing through her headphones, though I can’t make out what song it is. She is sitting on a chair in front of a canvas and painting. She radiates happiness, and the vision of her this content is utterly mesmerizing.
After a bit, she must feel my stare because she looks over her shoulder. Her smile goes wide when she sees me. She drops her paintbrush and rips the headphones from her head as she runs over to me. Throwing her arms around me, she pulls me into a hug as she squeals loudly.
“Liam! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she says into my neck.
I hug her back and kiss the top of her head. “You’re welcome. I’m so glad you like everything.”
“Oh my God, I love everything! This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. It had to cost a fortune. I don’t know how to repay you.”
“No repayment necessary. It’s a gift, Len. I did it because I wanted to. I don’t expect anything in return.” I stare into her green eyes that appear to shine brighter today.
She has some errant loose, wispy locks of hair that fell from her bun, framing her face. She isn’t wearing an ounce of makeup and looks so innocent. I tuck one of the pieces of hair behind her ear. She has a smear of white paint across her nose, and it’s so goddamn sexy. In fact, this entire look that she has going on is hot as hell.
“Are you happy?” I ask the only question that really matters.
“So happy. I didn’t realize how much my art brings me to life. I missed it more than I realized.”
“Happiness looks real good on you, Len. Real good.”
She releases her arms from around my waist. “Oh, I have something for you!” She skips over to a pile of completed pieces.
I follow her into the room. “So, I know it’s not much, compared to what you did for me, but I made you something.” She hands me a large canvas. “It’s the very first painting I did.”
In my hands, I hold a painting of the farm. I love it here and think this land is stunning. Yet this painting makes it even more so. The way she blends colors and textures together . . . it’s fascinating. For a minute, I’m speechless.
“You’re really, really good,” I finally manage to say.
“So, you like it?” She stares up to me with an expectant smile.
“I love it. It’s amazing.”
“I thought you would like it for your house someday.” She shrugs.
“Absolutely. This beauty needs a proper frame, and then it’s going up on the wall.”
“Yay! Great.”
“Can I see what else you’ve done?” I ask.
“Absolutely!”
Leni shows me her other paintings, and they’re all equally as captivating. I don’t know a lot about art, but I know that Leni has some serious talent. I have no idea why her pieces didn’t sell up north because they’re better than any painting I’ve ever seen.
After she’s done showing me her work, I ask, “So, what are you up to today?”
“Just this.” She shrugs, pointing to the easel.
“Well, actually, I would like you to repay me for everything.”
She flinches slightly and looks confused. “Um . . . okay . . . I’ll have to—”
“I don’t want any money,” I clarify. “I want to take you to town to eat.”
She puts her hands on her hips and squints her eyes toward me. “You want me to repay you for all this awesomeness by allowing you to take me to get some food?”
“Yep. Those are my terms.”
She shakes her head with a laugh. “Okay. I suppose a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
She’s so incredibly fascinating; I can hardly think straight around her.
I step toward her. Without thinking it through, I lick my thumb and wipe it against the paint on her nose. Her eyes go wide. My heart races as my thumb glides across her skin. I slowly drop my hand and allow my thumb to slide over her lips. Her sharp intake of breath halts my action, and I pull my hand away.
I clear my throat. “You had paint . . . on your . . .” I do a circular motion in front of her face. My mouth suddenly feels dry, and I swallow.
She takes a second. “So, the best course of action was to rub your spit on me?” she says, breaking the awkward tension.
I laugh and move a step back from her. “Yeah, not my best move.”
“Probably not.” She winks. “Let me go get cleaned up really quick.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re in my truck, heading to Miss Mayes’s diner in town. The air around us is light and carefree—a complete one-eighty from the last time I had Leni in my truck.
“Hungry?” I laugh as Leni shovels French toast into her mouth.
“Oh my gosh . . . yes! I didn’t even realize I was so hungry. I guess I’ve been kind of obsessed with my new studio the last few days. I haven’t eaten as much as usual.” She grabs a napkin and wipes her mouth.
“It’s awesome that you’re in your little artist world . . . but you still have to participate in life. Stuff, like eating, is kind of important.” I lean back in the booth and shoot her a smirk.
She playfully rolls her eyes. “I know. I’ll be better.”
She finishes her plate and puts some cream in her coffee. “I love this place. It reminds me of my summers with Mimi. We’d come a couple of times a week for breakfast.”
“Miss Mayes definitely has the best breakfast menu.”
The bell atop the door jingles, and my friend Gunner and his very pregnant wife, Ellie, walk into the diner. Gunner notices me and heads over to our table, holding Ellie’s hand, who very cutely hobbles behind him.
“Hey, man,” he greets me.
“Hey, Gunner, Ellie,” I greet them both. “This is my friend Leni,” I introduce them. “She’s Mrs. Turner’s granddaughter. She just moved back from New York.”
“Oh, yeah. Emma said something about Mrs. Turner’s granddaughter coming back to stay,” Ellie says.
Leni looks up to her in question.
“There isn’t a lot of exciting gossip in this town. You moving back was big news. Your grandma talks about you every time I see her. Don’t worry; it’s all good things. She’s very proud of you.” She smiles at Leni.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Leni smiles. “When are you due?”
Ellie rubs her belly with her free hand. “Next month. I can’t wait.”
“Do you know what you’re having?” Leni asks.
“Nope. We’re going to be surprised.” Ellie grins wide.
“This week, we feel like Little Bear is a boy, but next week, he’ll probably be back to a girl.” Gunner chuckles before addressing me, “Did you and your dad get all the cattle moved? Did you get a good price?”
“Yeah, it was a long week, but we’re done. We did really well. I can’t complain,” I answer.
“You ready to get started on your house?” Gunner asks.
I smile. “Not yet, man. Soon. I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, sounds good. Looking forward to it.” He faces his wife, and they exchange a sweet look before he kisses her on the top of her head. He turns back toward the table. “Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Leni. I’ve gotta go get my wife some food. She’s having some serious Miss Mayes cravings, and what my sweetheart wants, she gets.” He winks toward Ellie.
“It was nice meeting you,” Leni says. “And good luck with the baby.”
“Thanks,” Ellie says.
“Call me about your house,” Gunner says to me again.
“I will. See ya.”
We watch as they make their way to a booth. Gunner gets Ellie situated on her side of the table before taking a seat.
“They seem nice,” Leni says.
“Yeah, they’re good people. Gunner actually went to UT as well. I didn’t really know him then. He moved back to Mason after college and runs his grandfather’s ranch now. He’s helped my dad and me out some and vice versa.”
“He’s really sweet to his wife. What’s in the water here? You guys are so nice, nothing like the guys I dated in the city.”
I hate to think of her dating other guys. “You couldn’t have dated any decent ones then. It’s just normal to be sweet to your girl when you love her.”
“Huh.” She looks at me with an odd expression. “So, what house plans was he talking about?”
“He’s an architect. He designed the house he and Ellie live in. He’s going to design mine when I’m ready to get to building it.”
“You’re building a house?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’m hoping your grandma will be around for a long time, so her house isn’t available, and I don’t want to live with my parents forever.” I chuckle. “I had a small room and bathroom built in the barn since I’m there so much. So, I stay there sometimes. But, eventually, I want to build my own place . . . somewhere on the property.”
“What are you waiting for?” she asks.
“I’m not really sure. It just doesn’t seem like the time.”
I don’t tell Leni, but truthfully, I don’t see the point of building a big, new house right now if I’m the only one who’s going to be living there. I don’t need much, and the room in the barn is plenty sufficient for me.
Leni nods in understanding. “Well, if I’m still here when you do, maybe I can help you decorate. I took some interior design classes in college, and I have an eye for it. It would be fun.”
“Absolutely. I have no doubt that you’re great at that sort of thing. I, on the other hand, suck at it.”
We finish our meal, I pay, and we head out to the truck. The conversation is light on the way back to the farm.
“So, ranch work has slowed down a bit for you?” Leni asks.
“There’s no shortage of work to be done. But I’ll be around more, if that’s what you mean.”
“Yeah, that’s what I meant. Well, that’s good. I think I’m going to go into town someday this week and see what jobs there are to apply to. I can’t just mooch off of Mimi forever.” Her arm is hanging outside the open passenger window as she waves her hand through the air.
“I guarantee you that Mimi doesn’t think you’re mooching. I know she loves having you there,” I tell her.
“Oh, I know she does. But, still . . . I have to do something. I’m no longer a child, and this isn’t summer break. I have to contribute somehow.” Her hand goes up and down through the outside air, making a wave-like motion.
The words come out of my mouth before I really think about them. “You could come and work for me.”
What? What in the hell could Leni do on the ranch?
“Really? What could I do for you on the ranch? I don’t know anything about that type of stuff.” Her concerns echo my own.
I think for a moment before answering, “Well, a lot of the stuff is easy to learn, like putting out feed and water for the cattle. You could easily pick that up. Then, you could help me with the books, paying bills and stuff. Are you any good with numbers?”
“It wasn’t my favorite subject in school. I know how to use a calculator though.”
“It’s pretty basic stuff really. I’m sure you’d be fine. You could organize my office. My filing system is more like stacks of papers from the past couple of years. It needs attention pretty badly. It’s just not high on my list of things to do, you know? Your hours could vary; it doesn’t have to be full-time. Then, you’d have plenty of time to work up in your studio.” As I talk everything out, Leni working for me makes more sense. Plus, I can’t say that I don’t love the fact that I’d see her every day.
She doesn’t say anything for a beat. “Well, I suppose I could . . . even if just for a while until I figure something else out. I could set you up with a sweet office space. That could be fun. The rest, I can learn.”
“Great. Plus, you can’t beat the commute.”
She laughs. “No, I definitely can’t! Okay . . . sounds like a plan.”