Page 52 of The Payback Adventure
He could barely breathe, let alone think. “Thought what?”
“That you kiss better than Gabe.” She rose from the couch. “Good night, Henry.”
He sat there, stunned.
There was nothing good about tonight.
Henry had left the evening up to fate, but Elisabeth had grabbed the reins.
The result? Chaos.
She’d turned everything upside down by looking so gorgeous. By going out with the flower-toting Gabe and kissing him. And by ending the night kissing Henry.
He wanted to be in control but didn’t want to take responsibility. Tonight proved he couldn’t control Elisabeth, yet he couldn’t help feeling responsible for her, either.
Henry didn’t like it.
He was supposed to be her fairy godfather, but that was the last thing he felt like right now.
All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her. He wanted to shower her with diamonds and pearls and sapphires. He wanted to show her how wonderful life could be if she didn’t have the responsibilities of the farm and her siblings.
But his wanting those things made no sense.
Henry wasn’t there for the long haul. He didn’t believe in the long haul. He wasn’t the man she thought he was. He wasn’t even close. He would never be good enough for her. He would never be the type of man she loved. No, not loved. Wanted.
And that hurt. More than he thought possible.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The following afternoon, Elisabeth sat in the passenger seat of Theresa’s car, staring out the window at the passing scenery. Early morning chores, a car that wouldn’t start, and the busy Saturday lunch shift at the bistro had worn her out. Not to mention a restless night.
She had dreamed Henry was staying on the farm. Not just until Manny returned but forever. In her dream, she’d been euphoric at the news.
Too bad her life didn’t have room for fantasies, daydreams, and romance. Her shoulders sagged.
“You okay?” Theresa asked.
“I will be. Nothing a hot shower and a nap can’t fix.” Elisabeth straightened. “Thanks for the ride home. I hope Gabe fixed the Suburban.”
“He was working on it when I left to pick you up. If itcan be fixed, he’ll do it, but the Suburban is almost as old as you are. You need a new car.”
What she really needed was a new brain.
No wonder she dreamed about Henry afterthe way she’d kissed him last night. Kissing him the first time had been bad enough, but twice? She couldn’t even blame it on the wine; she’d had one glass at dinner and half a glass while listening to the band.
The fault lay entirely with her.
She’d kissed him only to prove to herself she’d magnified his kiss to mythic proportions because she hadn’t been kissed in such a long time. After Gabe’s pleasant good-night kiss with no zings or tingles or fireworks, Elisabeth had figured Henry’s kiss would be the same—nice but uneventful. She would be able to distance herself mentally and forget about his kisses and him.
She’d been wrong. He hadn’t even taken her in his arms, but his lips against hers were all she needed to realize she hadn’t blown his kiss out of proportion. To be honest, kissing him had been better than she remembered. Much better.
Elisabeth leaned her head back against the seat. “I need a new everything.”
Theresa turned on her playlist, and a romantic ballad played over the car speakers. “Does that include a new farmhand?”
“Henry’s doing better.” If only he was as great at farming as he was at kissing, they could turn the farm around. “He’s not making as many mistakes. Though the other day when I asked him to bring a chicken for dinner, he thought he had tokill one.” Her insides had melted when she saw him holding on to a hen and petting it, an ax on the ground outside the chicken coop. “Luckily, he couldn’t do it. He was so relieved when I showed him the freezer where we kept the frozen chicken.”
“Henry’s a great guy,” Theresa said.
