We wrap up the meal and say goodbye to Lainey before heading back to the house. Lincoln is in the front yard when we arrive, shirtless with an axe in his hand. As I watch, he swings it up overhead and then brings it down with a decisive crack, splitting the log in front of him in half. He grabs one half and sets it back on the stump and then splits that one in half again.
Sweat gleams on his chest and shoulders, and the sunlight makes him look even more appealing, sinking into his sandycolored hair and bringing out the definition in his muscles. It’s impossible not to notice that he’s very attractive most of the time, but he’s always so quiet and tends to linger in the background.
This is the first time I’ve been confronted with the sight of him like this. Even outside, his whiskey and dark chocolate scent is deep and enticing, and I have to stop myself from inhaling deeper to get more of it. Down that road lies madness.
When he brings his arms overhead to split another chunk of wood, I catch sight of scars along his left arm. They look like burn scars, and I wonder if they’re from the fire Lainey mentioned.
Part of me wants to ask him about it and learn more, but I shake that thought out of my head fast. It doesn’t matter what happened. At least it doesn’t matter to me and my goals. Getting too curious about these men and their lives is not what I’m here to do, and it’s a bad idea in the long run. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
Cora pulls on my hand, wanting to get closer to Lincoln, and I walk with her up the rest of the driveway. Lincoln puts his axe down and wipes his forehead with the back of one hand as we approach. He smiles down at Cora and then looks up at me.
“How was your shift?” he asks.
I shrug a shoulder. “Good. Easy day.”
He nods. “Afternoon shift is always the easiest. Not many people drowning their sorrows at two in the afternoon.”
“Lainey came by, and we went to Dolly’s to eat.”
“Did she talk your ear off?” He says it flatly, but there’s fondness in it.
“Not really. She’s nice. Cora likes her.”
Lincoln moves the axe away from Cora’s curious gaze. “She’s a good judge of character, that’s true.”
A truck comes rumbling up the driveway just then, and I recognize it as Cash’s. He’s in the driver’s seat, and Everett is riding shotgun. As soon as Cash pulls up and parks, Everett hops out and walks over to join us, with Cash following behind him.
“Are we having a meeting?” Cash asks, grinning. He ruffles Cora’s hair, and she bats at his hands, but smiles back.
“Just chatting,” Lincoln replies.
Cash nods and turns to me. “Harper, have you heard about the Summer Festival?” His eyes are bright as he brings it up, and I have to laugh. “What’s so funny?” he asks.
“Nothing. Just, someone told me you were really gung ho about this whole festival thing, and it’s clear she was right.”
“Lainey,” Lincoln says when Cash looks curious. “I’d put money on it.”
“Well, she’s not wrong,” Cash admits. “And it’s easy to be excited about it. This is a hard working town, and people like a chance to relax and have a little fun.”
“What exactly is it?”
Cash’s eyes light up even more. “It’s almost like a carnival,” he says. “Lots of games that are almost definitely rigged, stalls selling all kinds of food. Last year there was even a small petting zoo when a few of the farmers brought some of the animals down to socialize.”
Cora’s eyes light up to match Cash’s when she hears that. She tugs on my hand harder, looking up at me with eyes that are pleading. She doesn’t have to use words for me to know how badly she wants to go to this.
On the one hand, we shouldn’t be integrating ourselves into this town any more than we have to. It’s bad enough that I’m working here and Cora is meeting people. Worse that we’re living with these three men and sharing space with them.
But on the other hand, we have to be here either way, and making Cora miserable by denying her experiences isn’t going tohelp her come out of her shell and work through her trauma at all.
She hasn’t had much to be happy about in her young life, and if eating funnel cake and petting some goats will help…
“All right,” I say. “We’ll go check it out.”
Cora claps her hands with excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet. It’s one of the biggest reactions I’ve seen from her in a while, and that’s enough to make me feel like I made the right call.
Chapter 12
Cash