Page 61 of The Payback Adventure
It was going to roll.
Adrenaline surged. Henry took a step toward the shore but couldn’t move farther because of the suction pipe in his hands. If he let go, it could seal the fate of the tractor and…
“Elisabeth.”
Fear clawed at him. He’d never felt so useless, so helpless in his life. If she got hurt, it would be his fault. The drizzle turned into a downpour. Rain bombarded him and blurred the sight in front of him.
The engine revved, then almost stalled, but she didn’t give up.
“You can do it,” he yelled.
The water level rose, inch by inch. The continuous revving of the tractor engine prevented it from slipping again and rolling. Kept it from killing them.
A louder roar erupted when the tractor lurched forwardand pulled the pipe. Henry waded to shore with it, flashed her a thumbs-up, and returned to the irrigation equipment. They weren’t finished yet. But the rest of the equipment came out easier.
As Elisabeth jumped out of the tractor, Henry climbed the muddy bank toward her. “You did it,” he said.
A smile erupted on her face. “We did it.”
Pride shot through him.
Elisabeth made her way to him. Her clothes were drenched and clinging to her.
Her gaze met his. Only falling rain and wet clothing separated them.
Henry took her into his arms, the way he’d been dreaming of doing for days, and kissed her. Long and hard. They were wet and muddy and sweaty. She’d never tasted so warm, so sweet.
He shouldn’t be kissing her. Logically, that might be true, but only his mind told him to stop. His heart wanted to kiss her forever.
Forever?
No, for right now.
Elisabeth kissed him back with the same enthusiasm as she did everything else.
Holding her in his arms and kissing her was the best thing he’d done in a long while. Well, at least since he’d first kissed her. But this…this was better than that kiss. Everything about Elisabeth kept getting better. He wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to spend every minute with her.
He wanted to keep kissing her like this. He loved it.
Loved…
Henry tore his mouth away and stepped back. Elisabeth’s flushed cheeks and swollen lips made him want to kiss her again and again. He stared into her eyes, eyes filled with desire and longing for him. She was perfect in every sense of the word.
The rain continued to fall on them. Drops ran down her face, resembling tears.
Reality came crashing back.
Henry wasn’t looking for perfect. He wasn’t looking for forever. He wasn’t even looking for right now.
But if he were, he’d found it at the berry farm.
* * *
The following day, Elisabeth dragged herself out of the Suburban. Two shifts at the bistro had worn her out. She wanted to shower and go to bed, but that wasn’t going to happen. Henry had picked up the kids from school and watched them for her. She appreciated his help, but she had no doubt that total chaos would await her inside.
Standing with her hand on the back doorknob, she tried to muster an extra ounce of energy. Her night was only beginning. She would have to clean up the kitchen, straighten up the living room, stick a load of laundry in, and…
Her shoulders slumped. She didn’t want to think about everything she needed to do.
