Love So Unexpected (The Lawson Brothers Book 6) (3 page)

However, Sofia wasn’t the type to wait around. So, she’d emailed Iona to let her know that she was moving her way as soon as possible. Only nothing worked out the way she’d planned.

But had it ever?

*

A
fter a quick shower and a fresh change of clothes, Sofia felt more like her old self. She set off for the kitchen, letting her nose lead the way. The smell of bacon and biscuits grew stronger with each step.

“Good morning,” she said as she pushed open the swinging door that led to the kitchen. “What can I do to help?”

Dinah smiled at her. “You can sit down and eat. Later on, I’ll need your help fixing lunch to carry out to the fields.”

“Of course,” she said, sitting at the table. There were four place settings already, three she knew were for her, Dinah, and David, but the other... “Are you expecting company?”

“Just my son, Caleb. He should be here any time.” Dinah moved to the window over the sink. “Ah, here he is, and David, too.”

Nervous energy flowed through Sofia’s veins. It was bad enough to explain her circumstances to Dinah and David, and now she’d have to endure the inevitable barrage of questions that their son was sure to have.

The back door opened. David walked in first, a smile on his weathered face. Like his wife, the lines he wore were from laughter. And just like his wife, Sofia had taken to him immediately. He didn’t have much to say, so when he spoke, it meant something. She admired that about him and admired the way they complemented one another.

“Morning, Sofia.” He moved to his wife, placing his hands on her hips and kissing her cheek. “My beautiful bride.”

Dinah blushed a little, but it certainly wasn’t from embarrassment. She fairly preened at the compliment. “Wash up and join Sofia at the table before breakfast gets cold. It won’t be fit for the cows to eat.”

“The cows aren’t that picky.”

Dinah tilted her head to one side. “
I’m
that picky.”

“Yes, you are, and I’m flattered.” David winked at Sofia, and she smothered a laugh as he playfully scooted Dinah out of his way to get to the sink.

The door opened again and she assumed it was Caleb who walked inside, his tall, lean form blocking out the morning sun streaming in. Her skin pricked with awareness before she even got a good look at him.

He turned slightly, his eyes meeting hers. With dark hair, tan skin, full lips, and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, this man was something out of a magazine. Except she was sure a man like Caleb wouldn’t pose for a camera. The few lines around the corners of his eyes weren’t from laughing. No, they were from a sadness so deep it hadn’t left him.

“Sofia, this is my son, Caleb. Caleb, this is Sofia Nogales. She’s staying with us until she gets back on her feet.” Dinah placed a large platter of bacon, eggs, and biscuits in the center of the table.

“Nice to meet you.” She smiled, mentally bracing for the look of pity and onslaught of questions laced with a bit of accusation. Only, none of that happened.

“Nice to meet you, too,” was all he said before he replaced his dad at the sink.

She blinked. That was it? If a stranger had shown up at her parents’ house, she wouldn’t be so ...
quiet
about it. But maybe his first reaction was the calm before the storm.

Finally, they all sat down to the table, said the blessing, and began to pass around the plates of food. Surreptitiously, she watched Caleb. He barely said a word to anyone while he ate.

A-ha. He’s pissed.

“Caleb, your parents tell me that you’re a farmer,” she said, knowing how ridiculous her statement sounded. After all, they were on a farm, and he was most definitely dressed for work in his jeans, faded shirt, and boots.

He paused, his brilliant blue eyes fixed on her face. “I am.”

“What do you farm?” she asked, determined to draw him out.

“Corn, wheat ... soy beans. We have cows, too.”

Dinah and David’s gazes bounced from her to Caleb. Sofia felt her face grow warm, but that didn’t stop her from continuing their conversation.

She smiled at him. “What’s your favorite crop to grow?”

He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Don’t have a favorite, but I enjoy freezing corn.”

“Why is that?”

“Because everyone shows up to pitch in and help.” He smiled a little, and her body warmed to it. “Plus, I enjoy eating all day.”

“Sounds fun.” She had no idea what he meant by all that. Why would they eat all day while freezing corn?

He nodded. “It is. Maybe you can come when we do it next month.”

So much for being pissed off. “I’d love to.”

Caleb pushed back his chair, and picked up his plate, utensils, and glass. “Thank you for breakfast. I have to go into town to get some seed from Walter. Nice talking with you Sofia.”

“You, too, Caleb.” Sofia resumed eating, savoring the homemade biscuits and smoked bacon.

Once he left the kitchen, Dinah grabbed her hand. “Do you suppose you could do that again?”

“Eat?” she asked, thoroughly confused.

“No.” Dinah shook her head. “Get my son to talk.”

*

B
y the time Caleb pulled into the parking lot of Walter’s Feed and Seed, he barely remembered how he got there. He’d driven the entire way, but his body had been on autopilot because his mind had been on the dark-haired beauty sitting at his parents’ kitchen table.

Man, she was pretty with her shiny hair and brown eyes. They seemed to laugh while she spoke, but not at him or anyone else. She seemed to be a naturally happy person. Full of life and curiosity ... about him, of all people.

He exhaled.

Although, she could be polite, merely making small talk at a table that was basically full of strangers. Besides, his answers were lame.

Corn freezing.

Maybe you should come.

Who invited a woman to a family event that was a month away?

“Could’ve been worse,” he muttered. He could have driven all the way into town for nothing. Which was exactly what he’d done. There wasn’t anything he needed at Walter’s Feed and Seed.

“What could have been worse?”

Caleb swung his head toward the window. Preston stood there, a smirk on his face.

“Nothing.” Caleb got out of the truck. “What are you doing here?”

“Picking up flowers for Mom’s garden.”

“Bugs getting bad?”

“A little,” Preston replied, falling into step beside him.

One of the things he liked about his cousin was that he didn’t press him to talk or answer his questions.

“Seriously. What could have been worse?”

Okay, so he
used
to not press him. “Met a woman. Invited her to a Lawson corn freezing.”

Preston’s brows shot up his forehead. “Like a date?”

“I guess.”

“Good for you.” Preston opened the door to Walter’s. “Age before beauty.”

Caleb rolled his eyes. “You’re not that much younger than me.”

“But I
am
way prettier.” Preston nodded to the owner. Caleb did the same. “Where did you meet this woman?”

“At the kitchen table.”

“Dude, you’re not supposed to date family.”

Caleb gave him a look. “She’s not related to us.”

“And while I’m okay with older women, dating one of your mother’s friends seems ... a bit extreme.”

“She’s our age.”

“Oh.” Preston leaned against a shelf. “Do I know her?”

“No,” Caleb replied tersely. “She’s new in town.” He didn’t know everything about Sofia, just the bare minimum his dad had shared. “Her mom was friends with my mom in college.”

Preston clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll stop giving you a hard time, man.”

“Good.” Caleb selected a jar of cotton candy corn and shook it. “Not sure what possessed me to tell you about Sofia in the first place.”

“Everyone talks to me, because they trust me.”

Caleb glanced at Preston. “Really?”

“Yeah. Pretty sure it’s my uniform.” He jerked his thumb at his shirt. “Not just a pretty face.”

“That’s the second time you’ve complimented yourself.”

“Spent the morning in Apple McCoy’s company,” Preston grumbled. “She had lots of questions about the Hyde incident.”

If anyone could ferret out a story, it was Apple, but Preston hadn’t been working that night. “What of it?”

“Family’s suing for malpractice. Don’t blame them, really, but the guy was dead when they arrived on scene.” Preston stood. “All around bad situation, but Apple seems determined to report both sides. She mentioned something about restoring the reputation of good journalism to the Daily.”

Although Caleb hadn’t spoken to Apple in years, it still gave him a jolt to hear about her ... or to see her, which is why he studiously avoided any place she frequented. He wasn’t in love with her, never had been, but he harbored major guilt over what had happened with Iris and her.

“You and Apple talk a lot?”

“Only if I can help it. I figure opportunity doesn’t happen but so often, so why not go for it, you know?”

His cousin had a point; only, opportunity wasn’t knocking on his door.

No, it sat at your parents’ kitchen table and smiled at you.

You mean Sofia?

Now you’re catching on.

“Are you interested in her?” Caleb asked.

Preston’s light blue eyes turned stormy. “Is that a problem?”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“Excellent.” Preston grinned. “Good seeing you, cuz. I need to get those flowers now.”

Caleb stood there for a beat longer before he placed the jar of corn back on the shelf. Maybe he should be more like Preston and go for it. He’d already cracked open the door by asking Sofia to—

Son of a gun.

He hadn’t asked her to do anything. He’d said maybe you should go. What kind of pansy ass did that kind of passive talking with a woman?

Unfortunately, Caleb knew the answer.

He did.

C
aleb purposefully avoided the house for the rest of the day. Considering his work kept him busy, and the fact that he didn’t live there, it was easy to do.

He shouldered a cow into a stall, then closed the door behind it.

“Until you’re done healing, you can’t go play with the rest,” he said.

The cow, affectionately called Mule, gave him a look.

“Can she understand you?” Sofia asked as she joined him.

He glanced at her in shock, then his body began to hum, like it was happy to be in her presence again.

Opportunity
, he reminded himself.

Speak. 

“Based on that face she made, I’d say yes.”

“It’s a good thing I don’t have conversations with my food.”

“You’re a vegetarian?” he asked, then remembered she’d eaten bacon at breakfast.

“Only when I cook in a vegetarian kitchen.”

“You cook?”

“Used to.” She nodded at Mule. “Can I pet her?”

“Only if you don’t mind playing with your food.”

She grinned. “I’ll take my chances.” Holding out her hand, she beckoned the cow to come closer.

“You’ll never get her to come to you like that.”

“Really? What’s her name?” Sofia asked.

“Mule—she’s a bit stubborn. Anyway, you have to sweet talk her. Make her think it’s her idea to come to you.” He had no idea why he was saying this, even if it was the truth. Most women would be bored out of their minds, or think he was out of his. Or at least that was what he assumed.

Then again, the last time he was with a woman, she’d only been concerned about what he could do for her in bed. He shoved away the memory.

“Mule,” she said on a laugh. “That’s a first. Do you have a cat named Dog?”

“Nah. Dog’s name is Dog.” He bit back a smile.

“Creative.” She turned to Mule again. “What should I say to her?”

“I don’t know. Maybe something like she’s pretty and you need her to come closer to whisper it in her ear?” Sofia gave him a sidelong glance. He blushed as he shrugged. “Can’t help that it’s true.”

“Fine.” Tossing her head, she said, “Come here, pretty girl. I have a treat for you.”

“Don’t lie to her.”

She dug into her pocket and pulled out a carrot stick. “Your mother suggested I take one of these.”

“For me or the cow?”

“I’m sure Mule will share.” Sofia held out the carrot. “Pretty girl.”

Mule made a noise, then shuffled their way, eating the entire thing out of Sofia’s hand.

“Maybe I should change her name to Selfish.”

Sofia whirled on him, her dark eyes snapping with playful fire. “Don’t you dare.”

He leaned one hip against the stall door and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why did you really come out here?”

“To talk.”

“About what?” He had a sneaking suspicion that his mother was behind Sofia’s visit, on account of that carrot and all.

Sofia waved a hand in the air. “Whatever.”

All right. He’d bite. “Where are you from?”

“Flagstaff, Arizona.”

“Miss it?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t have braved a three-day bus ride to the East Coast.”

“You
planned
to move to Jessamine?”

“Ah, no.” She turned to face him. “Had a few missteps along the way. Should have been in Atlanta by now. Roswell, actually. Ever heard of the place?”

“Nice river rafting down there.”

“Great restaurants, too.”

“Is that why you were headed there?”

She nodded. “That was the plan, but when the unexpected happens in life ... sometimes, you have to change your plans.”

“That’s a good outlook to have.”

“Happen in farming a lot?” she asked.

He considered her question for a moment, wondering if she truly wanted to know or was bored with spending time with his mother. “I depend on the weather every day. You tell me.”

“I’m not here to take advantage of your parents,” she said quietly. “As soon as I get back on my feet and have some money saved up, I plan on finishing the last leg of my journey.”

His heart beat out a funny rhythm. “Didn’t think you were. My parents aren’t stupid.”

“I don’t think they are, but you strike me as a man who loves them and would be concerned.”

He cocked his head to one side, studying her. “I already aired my concerns with them.”