Laughing, Eli shook her head. “Doubtful. We’re not exactly a desirable destination.”

  “I don’t know, I came here on a whim, and I’ve enjoyed all of my time here so far.”

  “Truly?”

  “Truly what?” Sarah’s eyes widened. “Enjoyed it?”

  Eli nodded, innocence spilling over her face.

  “Yes, I have. Maybe not the first night with the storm, but everything since then.”

  “I feel like a poor host.”

  “What would make you say that?” Sarah reached out, her hand finding Eli’s and giving a squeeze. “You’ve been exemplary.”

  “You are not a typical guest.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I think you’ve cooked me more meals than I’ve cooked for you.”

  “I enjoy cooking. It helps relax me sometimes.”

  “Yes, but you are on vacation.”

  The curl on Sarah’s lips was unexpected. “Vacation doesn’t mean I sit on my ass day and night, trust me.”

  “Oh, I’m aware.” Eli drew in a sharp breath. “I can’t even remember the last time I took a vacation.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Farmers don’t typically leave the farm.”

  “Like ever?”

  “Rarely.”

  Sarah’s brow furrowed. “Why’s that?”

  “Who would take care of my cows? This is a full-time job. Finding someone else to do it for me, even for a short time, is hard enough.”

  “I guess I hadn’t really thought of that.” Sarah brushed her thumb along the backside of Eli’s hand, not wanting to lose that contact. With every day that passed, she felt more drawn to Eli and the urge to be close to her got harder to resist, but still, she didn’t want to give in to it.

  She was still a mid-list singer and songwriter who had connections and money, whether she wanted to admit it or not. She kept her life largely low-key, but that didn’t mean her life wouldn’t interest others in ways she didn’t want them to be interested. Sarah licked her lips, curious what it would be like to have Eli lick them instead of her.

  Heat boiled in her stomach, moving lower, and she slid her gaze from their connected hands up Eli’s arm to her chest, where she paused briefly, before staring straight at her lips. The kiss between Bridget and Eli came back into her mind, only this time she was curious about it. What would it feel like to have Eli press against her, push her into the wall, Eli’s body covering hers, hands roaming?

  Eli cleared her throat, and Sarah’s eyes shot straight into the light brown orbs in front of her. Heat tinged her cheeks as embarrassment caught up with her. They were both exhausted, Eli more so than Sarah, and she had to stop going down that rabbit hole.

  Sarah’s breath hitched when Eli flipped her hand over, folding their fingers together and giving a tight squeeze. Sarah didn’t stop the tender touch. Instead she moved it to the skin at Eli’s palm, marveling at how her strong hands and arms could be so soft at the same time.

  She was completely and utterly entranced, under a spell she was pretty sure Eli didn’t even know she’d cast. One week in, and she was lost to the wonder and curiosity that was Eli, the conundrum that was this woman who seemed so strong on the outside but so warm and gentle on the inside.

  Leaning in, Sarah followed the pull of her body as she scooted even closer. Eli’s hand rested on her curled up leg, their hands still melded together. Perhaps a quick fling wouldn’t be the end of the world. Perhaps it would do her some good in the scheme of life, give her something happy to think about as she spent the next six months locked on a bus with her crew.

  She let out a shuddering breath, about to test the waters, when Eli’s head jerked up with a start, her eyes wide, and Sarah was pretty sure riddled with fear, but she was so uncertain in her ability to read people. Eli stood up sharply, the distance between them a stark difference to what had been just moments before.

  Sarah’s lips parted in surprise as Eli backed away from the couch and from her. “I’m…going to take a long nap. I’m beat.”

  “Yeah.” The word left Sarah’s lips on a breath, her heart racing, just trying to keep up with everything in the moment.

  “I’ll uh…see you later.” Eli turned on her toes and left the den.

  Sarah didn’t have time for a response as she heard the basement door open and shut and Eli go downstairs until all was quiet. Sitting back on the couch, Sarah turned to stare out the bay window and gnawed on her lip. She had no idea what had just happened, but she was pretty sure it had all been her fault.

  Her nerves worked into her stomach, twisting and tightening with every second she allowed them to take over. She’d thought she was reading the mood right, but perhaps she had been entirely wrong. Eli had gone from warm and open to closed off faster than Sarah could snap her fingers.

  Confusion was the least of her concerns, though. Sarah was pretty sure she had offended Eli beyond repair with her unwanted advances, a moment she had behaved recklessly and thought only of herself, not of Eli. Berating herself silently, she wondered if she’d ever be able to make it up. When she got nowhere with that line of thought, she gave up and climbed the stairs to her own room, hiding until she thought it might be safe to come out again.

  Eli knew she’d gone to bed abruptly, that she’d left Sarah confused about what had happened, but frankly, Eli was just as confused, if not more confused, than Sarah herself. She wasn’t quite sure, because they still hadn’t talked about it, which Eli was perfectly fine with. She’d gotten up and done her middle-of-the-night check and had promptly come back and fallen asleep, but waking up for her morning chores afforded her no more understanding or peace of mind than she’d had when she’d left the afternoon before.

  Sarah had been scarce from the main areas of the house, not that Eli had lingered either. And as she had snuck around the kitchen for coffee and morning snacks, since she wasn’t about to cook a meal if neither of them were going to eat it, Eli hadn’t come to any further resolution.

  She’d been pretty sure if she’d stayed where she was the day before, Sarah would have kissed her. Eli had panicked. Her heart had been in her throat, and every muscle in her body had been tense with fear and confusion. In that moment, she hadn’t been sure if she’d wanted to kiss Sarah or not.

  Was she even attracted to Sarah or was it simply a fangirl crush?

  Stumped, Eli moved to the bed of her truck and hooked up the water for her cattle. They heard her coming a mile away and all congregated around the trough. She patted Carmen’s head and scratched behind Buddy’s ears. Eli checked on the other cows while she filled the giant steel trough.

  As soon as she had a moment to stand and wait, her thoughts went right back to Sarah. Whatever had happened between the two of them yesterday was something else. They’d only known each other a week, and yet it felt like so much longer. She’d learned more about Sarah and shared more about her life than she had with anyone in years. Probably because everyone in town already knew everything about her—well, almost everything.

  She’d thought at one point Bridget could be that person. Sighing, Eli pulled herself up on the tailgate and sat to wait while the trough continued to fill. She and Bridget had been friends first, the only two who were semi-out in school growing up, more so Eli than Bridget. They’d gone away to college and come back like nothing had ever changed between them.

  But whatever was with her and Sarah, it felt radically different. Whereas Eli always felt Bridget was there, no matter what, Sarah wouldn’t be, but the pull to her was stronger than anything she had ever felt. Eli stared up at the house as she sat on the back of the truck. She could, in theory, walk into that house and see if Sarah felt that same pull—if she wanted to.

  After yesterday, she was pretty sure Sarah felt something, but she had no idea what that was. Swallowing hard, Eli got off her truck and stopped the flow of water. The cattle drank while she moved to the next trough in her lower fields. The question remained, did she even like Sarah?

  Well, she liked her, but liked her beyond a guest, beyond a potential friendship they had tentatively begun to make, beyond her musical abilities? Eli flicked one of her braids over her shoulder as she hooked everything up to fill the empty tank.

  On the one hand, Eli was curious as to what might happen if she were to take that risk with Sarah, and on the other hand, she knew exactly what would happen. They would hook up for the rest of the week Sarah was there, and then she would never see her again, and if it ended poorly, there was always the risk Sarah could ruin Indigo by giving it a bad word—though, after getting to know Sarah, she didn’t think that would be likely.

  As much as Sadie Bade had been a mystery to her, Sarah was not. Eli clenched her jaw and shook her head. Could she do it? A week wasn’t long, and it would certainly satisfy her curiosity. They could have a quick fling perhaps, neither of them expecting it to last beyond Sarah’s initial time spent at Indigo.

  Eli wasn’t sure she could do it. She really wasn’t built for quick relationships. That had been her doom in every relationship thus far, except with Bridget. She’d thought it was going to last longer, that it was going to have a potential for a future. Some of the women she’d been with had obviously thought the opposite. Bridget—well, she was Bridget.

  Back in her truck, Eli drove toward the barn. Everything in her life was damn near perfect. She didn’t need someone in it to complete her. She had what she wanted—her farm, her cows, her businesses she ran on the side. She made her life what she wanted and what she needed. Eli didn’t need anything beyond what she already had, but that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach told her she was still missing something.

  It wasn’t that she had given up on love. Finding someone to share her life with just wasn’t a priority anymore, not like when she’d first moved back to town. That had been her first mistake with Bridget. They’d both brought so many expectations in to the relationship, there was no way it was going to succeed from the outset.

  Relaxing in the seat of her ancient truck that probably shouldn’t even be running, Eli let out a long sigh. She wouldn’t do it. It wouldn’t be good for either of them, she was sure, but particularly her. She would fall too hard too fast, and she wouldn’t want to give Sarah up. But she’d have to. No, Eli would stick to her life, living it as she best knew how.

  She could maintain distance. She could be the best hostess and still keep a wall up between them. She’d been short with Sarah the day before, and she’d have to apologize for that, but she wasn’t planning on explaining everything. As she got back to the barn, Eli parked the truck and headed inside. She’d promised Bill she would help him check out one of his calves. While there was a vet in town, he said he trusted her even though she didn’t have the degree. Eli had just rolled her eyes but had agreed to check his calf over.

  She knew it was most likely a way to get her to the house so his wife could check in on her, and he could report back to her father everything she was up to. She’d have to watch out on that one—definitely the biggest disadvantage to living in the same small town she’d grown up in. There was no hiding anything, including the fact that Bridget was obviously not done with their relationship, as much as she had been.

  Loading up in her new truck, she took it toward the highway and to the fork in the road. Instead of turning toward the highway, she turned sharply north and headed toward Bill’s house. If she was going to help him out, she’d watch her tongue, she’d make nice, and she’d see if she could find out as much from him as he was going to try to find out from her. It was their norm for sure, but at least he couldn’t complain about Cassie this go around.

  Snickering at the genius of how they’d fixed the fence, her stomach pulled when she remembered it was Sarah who had helped her. It was going to be a long week, but Eli knew she could make it through. It’d be tough but not impossible. Stepping harder on the gas, Eli drove and shoved all the thoughts of Sarah she could out of her mind and focused on the task at hand.

  Chapter 14

  Sarah hadn’t seen Eli in over twenty-four hours, and since they were technically living in the same house that week, it was odd. She had a feeling Eli was avoiding her—that, or she was really busy with the farm—but she wasn’t sure what else Eli could be doing. She’d seen traces that Eli had come and gone from the house, food rearranged in the fridge, the biggest tell being the ever-changing amount of coffee in the pot and how many times it was set to run throughout the day.

  She had to distract herself, but she wasn’t quite willing to take her car and drive to town by herself. Sarah’s sense of direction was nil and she knew finding her way back to the farm was going to be harder than it should be, so she didn’t even want to attempt it. Grabbing the music she’d written, Sarah sat at the piano and started in on the accompaniment.

  But the music didn’t flow. She sat at the keyboard for hours, pecking at keys, trying to make it sound good, but nothing worked. Sarah grew more frustrated with every passing hour, and by the time it was nearing dinner, she was done trying to make it work. If it was her piano, she would have slammed the lid shut, but since it wasn’t, she stood up and growled, spinning on her toes as she turned to face the large window.

  A storm brewed, darkening the sky. Sarah gnawed on her lip, wondering if it was going to be as bad as the one the day she’d arrived. She wondered briefly if there was any sort of backup generator at the farm, so they wouldn’t be completely left in the dark should a storm take out the power. Immediately, Sarah shook the thought from her head. Eli would no doubt have a backup plan for that, if only Eli showed her face.

  Her heart picked up enough that she could feel the hard thumps against the inside of her ribcage. It didn’t hurt, but Sarah also knew she wouldn’t be able to sustain that level of anxiety for long before it took its toll on her body and mind and she’d have to find a release somehow.

  The sound of the door slamming surprised her. Sarah spun around, her hand against her throat as she stared at Eli, her work jacket on her shoulders, stray strands of hair pulled out from her braids and stuck to her face. Her skin was damp. Sarah could see it even from across the house as Eli stood just inside the front door in the main living area.

  “Did it start raining already?” Sarah chided herself for the stupid question. Of course, it was raining. She could see it outside, but she’d been at a complete loss for words at the beauty of the woman who stood before her.

  “It’s going to come down good.”

  “Like the other night?”

  Eli cocked her head to the side. “Yeah, if not more.”

  “All night?”

  “That’s what the forecasters say, but I rarely trust them.”

  Neither of them had moved, and Sarah was confused as to why. She couldn’t bring her feet to step toward Eli, and Eli had stood frozen and rooted just inside the door.

  “You can start a fire,” Eli stated bluntly.

  “I…uh…” Sarah glanced over her shoulder at the fireplace. “Is it gas?”

  “Hell no.” Eli stared her down before pulling off her gloves and shoving them into her pocket. She walked in her socks toward Sarah, and Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. Sarah was going to have to figure out how to put a stop to the reactions her body had anytime Eli was near her lately. Every muscle in her tensed when Eli rounded her, making sure not to touch her.

  Eli knelt in front of the fireplace, shoving logs and some paper into it before she lit it. Sarah watched with rapt attention, although she wasn’t sure why. Everything Eli did she wanted to know about. Gnawing on her lip, Sarah stared at the lines of Eli’s back, the way her arms moved as she piled another log on top, the curve of her ass as she shifted to reach for something. She gasped when Eli turned suddenly and glanced up at her, a flush rising to her cheek.

  Eli stood up and pulled the zipper open on her jacket, shucking it and hanging it over her arm. Sarah couldn’t tear her gaze away from every move Eli made. Her voice caught in her throat again, and she wasn’t sure what to say. Eli’s hair was still damp from the rain, but her skin was far dryer than it had been before.

  “I’m going to get some tea. Do you want some?” Eli asked.

  “Yeah.” Sarah let out a breath. “That’d be lovely.”

  She followed Eli into the kitchen, where Eli dropped her jacket onto a stool and grabbed the kettle on the stove to fill it with water. She leaned against the counter while it heated, their eyes locking.

  “We’re supposed to get hail, so I’ll have to go check on the cattle again once it’s stopped.”

  “How bad?”

  “Large hail.” Eli raised her eyebrows. “Can be dangerous.”

  “I imagine.”

  The tea kettle shouted its temperature, and Eli took it off the burner, pouring it immediately into two mugs she’d brought over. She grabbed a wooden box and set it in front of Sarah. “Take your pick.”

  Sarah moved through the different flavors of tea, choosing her favorite when she saw it was in there.

  Eli took the box after checking on her selection and grinned. “That one is my favorite.”

  “Mine too,” Sarah whispered.

  “Come on, I’m sure the fire’s going good by now. It’s going to be a long night.”

  They walked together through the kitchen and around the corner to the den. Sarah settled on the couch as Eli checked the flames before sitting next to her. The tea was still too hot to drink and not quite steeped enough, but as the heat from the mug seeped into her fingers, Sarah relaxed into the moment.

  “Did you see Buddy today?”

  Eli snorted. “Yes, I saw your cow.”

  Sarah grinned. “And how is he?”

  “Spritely.”

  “Spritely?” Giggling, Sarah shook her head.

  “Your cow is fine.” Eli sighed. “I promise.”

  “Shouldn’t he be in the barn or something if it’s supposed to hail?”

  Eli shot Sarah a glare. “No. I can’t possibly fit all my cattle in the barn.”