He's Got Her Goat (11 page)

“Thinking about me, I hope?” Joe’s voice invaded her dreams, and she opened her eyes to find him in front of her.

He seemed a poor consolation prize. “Oh, hey.”

“Long day?”

“I’m exhausted.” He must have taken her lack of enthusiasm as fatigue. “Joe, do you have extra room in your car?”

“Of course.”

“Could you give me a ride home? My car’s with a friend.”

If his grin had been any wider, her might have hurt himself. Her took her hand, not even asking for details and Paige wondered what she’d gotten herself into.

AS JOE PULLED UP TO HER HOUSE
, she let out an audible sigh of relief. “He’s here.”

“Who?”

She sensed jealousy in his tone and realized he’d expected to be invited in. She better set him straight. “Joe, we need to talk”

He cut the engine, stretched out his elbows and put his arm around the back of her seat. “Finally.”

She clutched the offending appendage and directed it back to his side of the car. “I know you have feelings for me. And, I have to admit, I love you like the brother I never had. It’s only­­—”

He leaned back. “I don’t know whether to zero in on the love part or the brother part.”

She brought up a knee and shifted in her seat, so she was facing him, but it kept him on his side of the car. “Ever since Uncle Bill got sick, you’ve been there for me. I’ll always be grateful. You’re so good and kind and . . . pure.”

“Pure? Paige, the things I want to do with you are anything but pure.” He gripped the steering wheel.

“Joe, you’re so handsome.” She could feel him deflating. “Any girl would be lucky to have you.”

“But not you,” he said. He was quiet for a long time. When he spoke, he wouldn’t look her direction. “You know, you saved me from making the worst decision of my life. Julie wanted me to quit the farmers’ market once we married. I almost agreed, and then it hit me, the only reason I loved it so much was because of you. Of all the girls I dated, none have really been my friend. The thought of us as a couple blew my mind. I’d marry you right now, if you’d say yes.”

“I’m sorry.” Paige had guessed as much.

He turned to her then. “You have nothing to feel sorry about. It was all in my head. I should be apologizing to you for pushing you into something you didn’t want.”

Paige knew it wasn’t fair for him to think that. “Joe, you’ve been there for me when no one else was. When I needed help, you were the only one I considered calling. I hope it can still be that way.”

He shook his head. “If I’m around you, I’ll want to date you.” He studied her, a bit of hope still left in his eyes. “Is that stupid?”

“No.” She appreciated his honesty. “That’s the same conclusion I came to.”

“And hence cowboy man runs defense for our dinner last night.”

She was happy he was finally getting it but sad too. She’d miss him.

His voice broke into her thoughts. “Could I ask one last thing, and then I swear I’ll never bring it up again.”

“Anything,” she said without reservation.

“Can I have one kiss? I’ve dreamed of it the whole time I was building your booth, maybe longer.” He ran the back of his hand across her cheek. “Please?”

Her chest tightened, and it was hard to breathe. She wanted to say no and run from the car, but it seemed such a small request. He’d done so much for her, and they’d been friends for so long that she dipped her chin in assent.

That tiny movement was enough for him. He moved closer and slid his arms around her, pulling her near him. It was awkward, and the gearshift pressed against her hip. As he leaned in, she wanted to turn her head but thought it would be unkind. His lips pressed against hers. In response her mouth clenched tight. Moist and reaching for more, his lips pulled at hers and slathered around her face, while his hands slid up and down her back as though he was applying suntan lotion through her shirt. She endured it for what was probably less than a minute, but it felt like an eternity. Paige was on the verge of shoving him away when at last he gave up and retreated.

Seconds later, she had the door open and stepped from the car, feeling like she wanted to vomit. She had nothing to say.

He tried to catch her eyes. “Good bye, Paige. I’ll always love you.”

She slammed the door and focused on her Wellingtons until she heard the car rev and peel out onto the street. Spitting in the grass, she turned to the house. Not one light was on. The sight was a relief. Sterling must still be sleeping after working so hard all night long and that morning. She worried that entering the house might wake him. Besides, how could she face him after what just happened in the car?

The solution was simple. She headed to the barn to check whether the goats had been milked but found them all quiet and happy. She counted. They were all there, too. Lifting the freezer lid, she noticed he was getting a higher yield than she had for the last few weeks. It must be his milking technique. When Blanche milked the goats, it was horrible, like she was working a stress ball. But Sterling's hands were so gentle yet strong that he rivaled even her ability. Secretly, she wondered if the goats preferred him to her. The subject of rivals made her also wonder how kissing Sterling would compare to Joe.

She laughed at the thought as she slid a blue plastic crate from the pile in the corner while allowing her mind to wander. It wouldn’t be difficult for Sterling to come out ahead there, too. She started throwing frozen gallons in the crate. All he’d have to do was not kiss like a fish or dig her hip into the gearshift. Letting the freezer lid drop with a thud, she knew it was more than that. Could her feelings for Sterling be what made kissing Joe so unpleasant?

Unsure of herself, Paige carried the bagged ice milk back to the house. She’d only cook half a batch tonight, and let Sterling sleep. Flipping the interior lights on, she carefully laid her burden on the counter so as not to make too much noise. She wasn’t ready to face Sterling tonight, but tomorrow would be a different matter. She might even flirt a little.

IN THE OTHER ROOM STERLING LAY ON THE BED
, staring at the ceiling. How stupid could he be? Of course someone as accomplished and creative as Paige would be spoken for. He thought of how familiar Joe had been with her, touching her face when they spoke. Did Paige look on him as some charity case? Or worse, had he only imagined her interest in him? Paige told Julie their relationship was just business. It had been a while since he’d found someone who interested him. Could he be that out of touch?

Her car keys were still in his hand, and he chucked them on the bedside table. He had almost made it to the door when Joe’s car drove up. From the front window he could see what was happening since the vehicle’s interior was backlighted by the floodlights from the barn and the house was dark. At first she seemed to resist his advances, but he must have worn her down. Even in the dark, it was pretty clear the lip lock was a mutual decision.

Though it surprised him to see her with Joe like that, the bigger surprise was his own reaction. He was seriously upset. Probably because he’d dreamed about that goodbye kiss, which would have been a lot better than the peck Joe dished out. Or could it be more? He hadn’t realized his feelings for her had gone so deep. He cleared his throat and rolled over on his side. Maybe he should be thanking the hick for saving him from himself. He didn’t need any of this. He had a life, and it was time to get back to it.

Chapter Thirteen

S
UNDAY MORNING THERE
was no breakfast.

Paige awoke while Sterling was working in the barn and helped bag the last of the milk, but he didn’t say a thing. She figured he was embarrassed about leaving her to fend for herself the night before. She didn’t want to make him feel worse, so she kept quiet.

At the farmers’ market there was a steady stream of customers. Sterling went back to washing feet, even though she told him he didn’t have to, while she collected the money. The half day was over before she knew it. As the market officials closed the gates, she turned to Sterling, who was wiping up the area around the pump.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

“No. I’ve got to get back. It’s been an educational weekend for me.” His words were clipped.

“I understand.” But she didn’t. She thought he had liked her, at least a little, but he was pushing her away. There was nothing else she could do. Or was there? “Sterling, is there any water left in the pump?”

He stood. “A little. I’ll empty it out.”

“Wait. You know, I’ve seen you wash all those other women’s feet today, but you haven’t done mine. Would you mind?” She sat in the cedar chair, wondering if she were being too brazen.

“I think I would…” Sterling bent over near her. “…mind.” He lifted the bucket and carried it off to empty without another word.

She could feel her eyes start to mist and stood. It really was over. At the counter she counted out the money. Once she paid him, he’d be gone, and right now that couldn’t be soon enough.

She put an even thousand in the envelope and handed it to him on his return. “If you ever need work, you can always find it with me.”

He gave her a wry grin. “Not likely.” Turning on heel, he strode away.

Paige put a hand to her stomach. Perhaps it was hunger. She hadn’t eaten since yesterday’s lunch, but her insides felt empty.

Chapter Fourteen

B
ACK IN HIS HIGH END LOFT
in the center of downtown, Sterling Keller took extra time getting ready that morning. Every hair was styled and sprayed in place. His European-cut suit with a skinny tie was appropriately fashion forward. Finally, he slipped on classic wingtips. In the living room, a large paper bag held his old clothes. He should have burned them a decade ago like he’d planned. Before leaving for work, he went to the kitchen with the bundle under his arm, shoved it in the trash compactor and turned the knob. The hum of the motor brought a satisfied smirk to his freshly shaven face. It wasn’t quite burning, but there were fire laws after all.

Speeding to work, he had one thing on his mind, getting the final numbers for his next project. All that stood in his way was presenting his most recent findings. Once that was done, he’d never think of this weekend again. It was over. Another nail in the coffin of his past that he would never reopen.

The elevator doors slid wide with a ping, and a large modern clock on the wall had both hands pointing at the six. No one would be in for another hour. He had spent most of Sunday afternoon and night typing a detailed report about the little goat girl. Although anyone else in the world would have let him simply email it to them, his boss wanted only one hard copy to be made and delivered directly to her. Every scrap of documentation his boss touched was held to the same standard and meticulously tracked so that her interests were protected, per the advice of her lawyers, Bob Evans and Bob Little. The office dubbed them the Bobsie Twins, but they were anything but comical. Although their methods were a little extreme, his boss swore that she had avoided more than one frivolous lawsuit because of it.

As Sterling walked past his secretary’s desk, he was a little surprised the older redhead was already there and wearing a Cheshire cat grin. “You’ve got an important visitor. Been waiting for almost half an hour.”

He could guess who it was. She sure didn’t waste any time, did she? After having her feet washed, Julie was obviously escalating her efforts. Phone calls weren’t enough anymore. Throwing open the door, he was ready to tell her exactly what he thought of her. Given his current mood, he looked forward to it.