I knock on Elias’s door and wait. We’ve gotten so much done over the past week. We weren’t supposed to meet until later in the morning, but I’d finally been able to get in touch with a friend of my dad’s, and I need Elias to go with me to his farm. My head is still spinning with all we have to accomplish before the big day.

His door opens. I smile and open my mouth to explain all this, but then my eyes and thoughts disintegrate when Elias’s hard, wet chest greets me. Somewhere in the far, far reaches of my mind, I may have heard someone speak, but I can’t be bothered with hearing or understanding what is said. Instead, my steady, singular focus is on counting and memorizing each defined muscle before me. I blink and could swear I see actual steam rising from his smooth skin.

My panties are wet, and I may have drool seeping from the corner of my mouth. He’s tanned, like he works outside without his shirt on. And why wouldn’t he? Broad shoulders that I couldn’t have wrapped my arms around are at least half a foot above my head. His pecs are bulging and rounded, and my hand wants to reach out and discover if they’re as hard as they appear. I swallow as my mouth begins to water. My gaze moves lower, taking in his flat, pebbled nipples, which are a few shades darker than his bronzed skin. His rippled abs have so many peaks and valleys that need to be explored, caressed, kissed.

Lower my eyes travel. I want to snarl at the hand gripping the edges of a towel covering the parts I really wanted to see. And if I’m not mistaken he’s… My gaze snaps to Elias’s as he intently watches me turn what I am sure is flaming pink. I lower my eyes and try to take a deep breath to restart my brain function. Don’t look. Don’t look.

“Good morning, April. What gets you up so early?” he says, an amused twinkle in his eyes at his play on words.

“Um…I need wood,” I blurt, and cringe when I realize what I’d said. I close my eyes and rub my temples, needing to get things back on a professional track. I’ve been having an increasingly difficult time remembering that lately. Every day we spend together, it gets harder and harder to remember he’s my client.

Elias chuckles and leans against the door jam. “Really?”

“Stop,” I beg. “Could you put some clothes on? You’re… distracting with all that.” I wave an imaginary Z-shaped line with my finger over his muscles, but I keep my eyes averted.

He fights a grin as he steps back. “Of course. Would you like to come in?”

“No!” I shout, then clear my throat and calmly answer, “No, thank you. I’ll wait out here.” A much-too-wide smile is frozen on my face. I hold my breath when it looks like he is going to say something, but then he nods and closes the door. My breath leaks out as I fall forward, hitting my head on the door. I’m toast.

We’re a few miles outside of town, and I’ve been weighing my options the entire time. I could apologize for ogling him, or I could ignore the incident entirely. Maybe he didn’t even notice me staring. Then I dismiss that idea. He knew.

“So where are we going?” Elias asks.

Good. That’s good. Ignore for the win. I take my eyes off the road for a moment to glance his way. “We’re going to a Christmas tree farm up the mountain. Mr. Barner is a friend of my dad’s. He’s going to cut tree disks for us to use as centerpieces for the tables and serving platters,” I explain.

“That sounds interesting.”

“I was going through some bride magazines last night for ideas. I saw them in a photo and really liked the look for Belinda’s reception. However, the cheapest I could find was two hundred apiece. That’s just ridiculous when we can cut them ourselves. We’ll have to put a food-grade varnish on the ones we’ll be serving food from, but the ones we use as centerpieces will be fine to leave natural.”

“April, you know that you could have simply ordered them. I don’t care how much they cost.”

I give him an affronted look. “This is much more fun than placing an order. Plus, we know what we’re getting, and they will mean more to your sister knowing that you had a hand in creating them. Just because you have the money to spend doesn’t mean you should.”

Elias looked mildly intrigued. “You are a very unique woman, April White.”

I glance his way. I still can’t believe Elias Holt is in my old, beat-up truck. “What do you mean by that?”

He stretches his legs out and rests his left arm across the back of the seat. His fingertips are mere inches from my shoulder. “I’ve just never known a woman like you.”

I cut my eyes toward him, not pleased with his statement. “A woman like me…” My tone may have been a bit brash.

He chuckles, “Calm down, tiger. I mean that in a good way. For example, I’ve never known a woman who owns a pickup truck.”

I don’t suppose trucks are the choice for California women. That’s understandable. “I used to have a SUV, but when we bought White’s Manor, it made more sense to have a truck to haul what we needed. Plus, we get a lot of snow and ice in the winter so it just makes sense.”

“Practical. I like that. I’ve never known anyone to go to such lengths for a stranger, either. You’ve only just met Belinda, yet you were willing to pull this off for her.”

I take my eyes off the road for a second, and our gazes meet. “Well, you don’t know the right type of people.” My lips curl into a grin.

He smiles and nods. “I would agree with you there.”

“Besides, I may have only known Belinda for a short time, but I knew instantly that I liked her. She’s so sweet, and so in love with Wes. How could I not help her?”

The rest of the thirty-minute drive goes by fast as we make small talk about movies, favorite books, and our pet peeves. We both agree loud chewing and people who are chronically late drive us nuts. Mr. Barner is waiting at the top of his driveway. I pull in slowly and cut the engine.

“Good morning, April,” Mr. Barner calls as he shuffles out to meet us.

I jump down from the truck and shut the door. “Good morning, Mr. Barner.” I walk right into his waiting arms for a hug. “Daddy says to say hi, and he’s waiting on you for a corn hole rematch.”

Mr. Barner chuckles. “We’ll just have to be seeing about that soon. Who’s that you’ve got there?” He nods toward Elias.

“This is Elias. His sister Belinda will be getting married at the Manor.” I’m sure Mr. Barner has no idea who Elias Holt, is but I leave his last name out anyway.

“Nice to meet you, young man.” He shuffles a few steps and holds out his hand in greeting.

Elias shakes Mr. Barner’s hand. “Nice to meet you, sir. Thank you for helping out.”

“My pleasure. I put a tree in the hopper, so let’s get to it.”

We work as a team for the rest of the morning. We each take a turn at the saw, and Elias seems to enjoy the time we spend there. However, he has a strange look on his face when I work the sawmill. I suppose he never knew a woman who could work a saw, either.

Close to noon, we are on our way back down the mountain with the bed of my truck filled with wooden disks.

“So, what’s next on the agenda?” Elias asks, wiping his hands on a rag I keep in the truck. I reach over and open the glove box to fish around for the wet wipes I keep on hand. I accidentally brush his knee, and I hear his breath catch. “How about lunch?”

“Thanks.” He pulls a wipe from the box and cleans his hands. “That sounds good. I’m hungry.”

“How do you feel about a picnic?” I make a turn and head in a slightly different direction than we came.

Elias pauses in thought. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on a picnic.”

“That’s just sad. We need to change that.” I signal and make a left turn. When I planned our day, I’d hoped to show Elias one of my favorite places. The picnic just sounded like a good idea. Now I’m glad I did.

Elias grabs hold of the door as we bump down the rutted road. “Should I be scared that you’re taking me down a dirt road?”

I smile as we hit a dip. “You should be safe.” I could have taken the paved road that tourists use, but this way we get to walk through the woods and experience the wonder of where we’re going.

After a jarring fifteen-minute ride, I pull off onto the grassy side of the road and grab a tote bag from behind the seat. “You don’t mind a short hike, do you?”

“No. Not at all. This is beautiful country. I don’t think I’d ever tire of living here.”

I toss the tote over my shoulder and head into the woods. There’s not a true path, but I’ve been so many times, I know what to look for. “You might change your mind in the winter when there’s several feet of snow on the ground. Of course, I can’t imagine living where you do and not having seasons. I’d really miss them.”

Elias ducks a low-lying branch. “California has its perks. I can walk out my back door and jump in the ocean anytime I want.”

I try to imagine how wonderful that must be. “That would be incredible. I try to get to the beach once a year, but it’s about a five-hour drive. Do you surf?”

“I do. At least, I used to. Lately, I’ve just not had time.”

“As a loyal viewer, may I thank you? Do you film year-round?”

“No. We only film for six months, but the other six months are filled with preparing for filming. Sometimes it seems never-ending.”

I’m picking up a negative vibe. “Do you enjoy what you do?”

He doesn’t respond right away. “I know how lucky I am to be doing what I do. Being on television was never in my plans, though. I enjoy the actual work, but I could do without all the insanity that comes with being a public figure.”

He never actually answered the question. “What did you want to do?”

“I wanted to play football. I had a full ride to college. But I don’t regret my decision to stay with Belinda. I’d make the same choice today. What about you? Did you always want to be a florist?”

“No. Not really. I mean, I love what I do, but it all came about by accident. I have a business degree, and I’d planned to work for a large financial company. Then the Doctor told Grammy she needed to slow down, and she turned over the shop to me. I was the logical choice.”

Elias stops, turning his head in different directions to listen. “What’s that noise?”

I grin, “That’s where we’re headed.” After walking for another five minutes, we break through the trees. I turn toward Elias when I hear his gasp. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

I turn to take in the waterfall spilling between the mountain rocks sixty feet above us, plumes of spray landing in the rocky creek below. We walk along the side of the river until we are close enough to feel the water misting on our faces. From so close, the sound is almost deafening. I touch Elias’s arm and motion to a grassy area further away.

“What is this place?” he asks as I pull a blanket from my tote. Elias takes it from me and spreads it out on the grass.

I dig around in my bag. “Looking Glass Falls. It’s one of my favorite places. You don’t know how fortunate we are. There’s usually a lot of tourists here.” I pull sandwiches and packs of chips from the bag along with two bottles of water. “I made ham and turkey. You can have your pick.”

Elias reaches for a sandwich, unwraps it, and takes a bite. “Why do they call it that?”

I pull the wrapper off a turkey sandwich. “Because in the winter, the water freezes vertically. When the sun shines on the frozen wall of water, it reflects like a mirror. It’s one of our biggest area attractions. In the summer, you can swim in the pool at the foot of the falls. You can even swim under the fall and sit on a ledge behind. It’s really beautiful to sit back there and watch a curtain of water fall around you.”

We both munch on our lunch and simply enjoy the beautiful day and the calming sight of the waterfall. It’s nice simply to be with Elias. Nice and disturbing at the same time. He’s sitting much too close for me to completely relax.

“I could sit here all day,” Elias says.

I grin. I’m glad he’s enjoying the falls as much as I do. “No can do, buster. We still have lots to do today.”

I toss my sandwich wrapper back in my tote and open my bag of chips. “Why have you never been on a picnic?”

He opens his own chips and stuffs a few in his mouth. “Maybe I have when I was younger, but I don’t remember. I probably should have taken Belinda on some when she was little. She would have loved it here.” He takes another bite of his sandwich and washes it down with a drink of water. “I’m afraid for a long time I only focused on work. I had to.”

I admire Elias for what he did for Belinda. “She deserved a big brother who loved her, and you did that.”

“Enough about me, tell me about you.”

He brushes me off again. I find it strange and endearing that he never wants to take credit for raising Belinda. “There’s not much to tell that you don’t already know.”

“Other than Bob, no boyfriends?” He asks.

My head tips in confusion. “Bob? Oh, you mean Banks. No boyfriends. I don’t seem to have any luck in the dating arena.”

He turns away from the falls and our eyes meet. “I can’t believe that.”

I nod earnestly. Not all of my dates have been difficult but none have made me consider a long term relationship. “Oh, it’s true, all right. There have been many over the years. My last date took me to Asheville, to the Esquire room, one of the most expensive restaurants in town. All was going fine until the bill came and he told me my part came to one hundred and seven dollars. He said he added my part of the gas in, but he did pick up the tip.”

Elias’s eyes bulge, and he chuckles. “Loser. You’re better off without him.”

“Then I tried the dating app thing. Rachael talked me into that fiasco. I met some very nice men. Gene talked about his ex-wife all night long. I hope they were able to get back together. He really loves her. Stanley couldn’t stay out past eleven because his mother needed her medication precisely at eleven-thirty. Paul wanted to introduce me to his parents on our first date. I really think he thought we’d be engaged by the third date. Oh, and Roan…”

Elias snickers and holds up his hand to stop me. “What kind of a name is Roan?”

I grin and shrug. “Frankly, I’m not positive that was his name. We met at a bar for drinks, and he left with one of the waitresses.”

He laughs and it makes me smile. “Men can be jerks. But then, there are those of us that know how to appreciate a beautiful woman.” He scoots closer and traps me with his eyes.

I give him a skeptical look, and I can feel his heat against my bare arm. “Someone like you?”

He nods slowly, his gaze never leaving my lips. “Exactly like me.” He leans a few more inches. “If I were to kiss you right now…”

“Um…” I keep my eyes locked on his lips as they come closer. From the top of my head to the bottom of my crunched-up toes, I want Elias to kiss me. But it’s wrong to be kissing a client…isn’t it? For a fraction of a second, I think about stopping him. But once he closes the gap and his soft lips touch mine, I can’t remember what my concerns had been. My lips part, inviting Elias in. When our tongues touch and tangle, I moan from the shivering effect of his kiss, and I’m lost.