Since the bell in the store went off every minute, Ali didn’t bother to look up when she heard it again. A minute later she felt a tingling at the base of her neck telling her she was being watched, so she glanced up and met the stare of a pair of sweet brown eyes watching her, then smiling and sending her a wink. Her body instantly filled with a warmth that could put a nice wood burning fireplace to shame on a cold Vermont winter night.
She returned his smile, finished ringing up another customer and acted like he was just someone shopping, being friendly.
Only he wasn’t just being friendly. He was there to take over the business...and maybe sneak a kiss later on when no one was looking. She hoped.
It didn’t take long for her mother to come over and pull her aside, having another employee jump in. “Ali, this is Liam Sullivan.”
She reached her hand out to his and he grasped it, sending her a look that said he was remembering their kiss last night just as much as she was. Their little secret for the moment. It felt exhilarating at a time when she thought everything else in her life was falling down around her.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. If her voice seemed husky to her ears, she hoped it didn’t to anyone else’s.
“The same.” His voice had a hint of softness to it, one she liked hearing even though there wasn’t much soft about him at all, at least not in his physique. His hand was big and he was strong; she knew personally because he’d held her that way. Tight, secure with a touch of “what I really want to do is control you, but I know I better not try it now.”
Surprisingly, she was fine with those thoughts, not that she’d ever admit it to him or anyone.
“Isn’t Liam much younger than you thought he’d be?” her mother asked her.
“I never thought one way or the other,” Ali said back, wondering what caused her mother to make that statement. Liam only grinned at her.
“Are you single, Liam? I never asked. I just knew that your mother was interested in the bakery. Any wife or kids? A girlfriend, maybe, that might be coming around wanting to see how things run too?”
Holy cow, her mother was matchmaking. That was what this was about. She’d seen it before when her mother would find some suitable mate and try to pair Ali off with him. Like they lived in ancient times and she could wheel and deal her daughter for livestock.
She looked up to see how Liam would respond. Would he be annoyed over this? Would he think her mother only agreed to sell the farm because she thought Liam would be someone that Ali could be introduced to?
She wasn’t sure if she was embarrassed that she was being put in this position or annoyed that Liam might think this was all a trap to find Belinda’s daughter a husband.
Talk about her self-confidence self-destructing around her feet.
“No wife, kids or a girlfriend. Though I do have my eye on someone,” he said, holding her stare. Her mother grinned but didn’t say a word. Maybe not self-destructing, but definitely imploding without much control on her end.
She decided it was time to take control of this situation. “Mom, what did you want me to show Liam today?”
“Actually, if you don’t mind,” Liam said. “I’d like to look around the store a bit and make some notes on repairs.” He turned to Belinda. “You originally approached me, looking for a quote on things that you felt needed some attention. Do you want to let me know what they are?”
“That’s at the house,” her mother said. “I’m sure you’ll see things around here, but at this point, since it’s going to be yours, you can make those decisions on your own. I’ll write up any concerns I’ve got, but I’m sure you’ll find them yourself.”
Ali watched as her mother’s smile never left her face. When was the last time her mother had looked this happy? Ali was trying to figure out if it was the excitement of getting rid of the responsibility of the farm or something else.
Best to not worry about it right now. “Liam, if you’d like, I can bring you to the house now, then later we can come back to the store when it’s not as busy for you to look around.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Good to see you again, Belinda, but I’m sure I’ll be in good hands with Ali.”
“You will be. Ali is the best. She knows just as much as I do. Well, she probably knows more about the farm itself since she spends most of her time there. She’s a pretty tough girl.”
Ali rolled her eyes. Just what she needed, her mother boasting about her characteristics. Especially ones that lent her to being a tomboy and not a woman.
“I bet she takes right after her mother,” Liam said smoothly.
Her mother giggled. Seriously? Ali didn’t even giggle, though she wanted to right now with Liam here holding his grin like he had two women eating out of the palm of his hand.
“If you’re all done now, Mom, I’ll take Liam over to the house to look around.”
“That’s fine. Take your time. I’ll catch up with you two kids later.”
Her mother raced away like a mouse being chased by a cat. Ali turned to look at Liam. “I’m so sorry. I had no clue she’d do that.”
“What? See if I could be husband material?”
Crap, he did figure out what her mother was doing. “This just makes things even messier.”
***
Liam pulled Ali outside before they had more of an audience in the store. He needed to stop her train of thought before she fell off the track and then sent him scurrying after his luggage that was scattered about.
“Don’t think anything of it, Ali. My mother is the same way. It’s harmless. I’m interested in you and you know it has nothing to do with the farm. Right?”
“I guess,” she said, not really looking at his face.
He gripped her chin in his hand. “I want more than guessing. I got your number before I knew who you were. You had your arms wrapped around my neck and your tongue down my throat before you knew who I was.”
She gasped and he laughed at her. “Fine. I know.”
He looked around and didn’t see any wandering eyes, then lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. “Good, because I love the taste of you and am hoping to get some more of it in the foreseeable future.”
She laughed back at him, then shook her head. “You’re here on business, so let’s get to it. We can talk about tongues and tasting off the clock. The two are completely separate.”
“Deal,” he said, not wanting to argue with her at the moment. She brought him to the main house and opened the back door. “You don’t lock the house?”
“No one comes around here.”
“First things first, I think the doors need new locks, which I’ll install and I’d like it locked at all times.”
Once word got out that he was buying and fixing the place up, he’d have equipment and other stuff here that he would want protected. He was shocked they didn’t think of that themselves.
“My mother will be fine with it. I think it’s a habit to not lock it during the day. Sometimes she and I are running back and forth and it’s easier to not carry keys.”
He nodded his head. “I’ll install a touchpad lock to use rather than keys. Will that be easier?”
“That would be your choice,” she said. “Why though?”
“Because I think once your mother moves out I’m going to need someone to run the farm full time. This house could be part of their salary, and they won’t have to worry about having keys to carry around either. I’ll do it with the barn that holds all the equipment too.”
“Makes sense. Do you have anyone in mind that you want to run the farm?”
“I was hoping you or your mother could recommend someone. Maybe someone that is currently employed and I could work it out with them. Otherwise I’ll end up renting this house out for income if the person that I find to oversee everything doesn’t want to move.”
“I’ve got an idea of someone, and I’m sure my mother is thinking the same way, but it’s her business, not mine, so you’ll have to work it out with her.”
He didn’t notice any sarcasm with that statement, just a matter of fact tone, and accepted it as her way of separating things again.
“Tell me about the house.”
“Meaning what’s in it?” He nodded. “Four bedrooms, two full baths, one upstairs and one downstairs. It’s cut up kind of choppy, but I think most old homes are. As you can see, the kitchen is huge but outdated. There is a dining room off of it, a living room and then a den on the first floor. Everything seems ancient in here,” she said.
“Oh yeah,” he said, pulling a pen out of his pocket. He’d been carrying a small pad with him.
“What are you writing down?” she asked.
“Everything I think needs work and prioritizing it as major or cosmetic.”
“You’re pretty efficient, aren’t you?” she asked, with a cruise boat full of humor in her voice.
He laid the pad and pen down, then pulled her into his arms and slanted his mouth against hers until she yielded so easily against him he could almost forget the outside world and any complications other than her body against his, the taste of her mouth, and his jeans getting snug. This was probably a mistake knowing there were beds close by, but he couldn’t help himself.
He finally ended the kiss, picked his pad back up and said, “Was that answer enough?”
“Yep,” she said, but her voice was shaking.
They finished walking through the house with him marking down everything that needed to be done in each room, trying to take his mind off that smoking hot kiss.
There was a lot of work to do here, but he was thinking that most could be cosmetic with the exception of the kitchen and baths. The hardwood floors all needed to be refinished, but it was better than installing new ones. The roof was good enough for a few more years and though he’d like to replace all the windows, they’d be fine for now too. Projects for the future. This wasn’t a flip and he had to keep that in mind.
“Okay, show me the barns now.”
As they walked the whole property, he found there was a ton to do that he hadn’t even considered. Everything was workable for the most part, but just in need of some repair. He could do a lot of it easily enough but imagined that if he didn’t offer to buy the property, it would be falling down around their feet in another year or so. Thankfully he had the means and the crew to do it all.
“We’ve looked at all the buildings. So now what?”
“When do you start getting ready for the haunted house?” he asked. It was the last barn they walked through. At the moment it was pretty empty.
“Next week I’ll really start working on it. I’ve got a design all set up on paper that I’ll look over one more time. I do it differently each year, or at least try to blend parts from previous years and come up with one or two new elements.”
“I’d like to help you this year if I could. I’m a pretty handy guy to have around,” he said, his hand searching for hers and holding it for the minute. He just needed to touch her. Something about being on this land with her was reaching a part of him he hadn’t expected or knew existed.
“I guess that will give me a sample of how good you are with your hands if I let you help.”
He laughed. “I’m really good with my hands and anytime you want a sample before next week, just let me know.”
She laughed, leaned up and gave him a quick kiss, then said, “Let’s walk the orchard now.”