Page 4 of Apple of My Eye

“Shit. Daisy! Where’d you go?” I went after her. Didn’t need her tipsy ass falling down out there somewhere, lost and hurt. Her laughter became my only guide as she moved deeper into the trees.

The orchard at night was its own world. The apple trees stood heavy and rustling, the smell rich and sweet. Fallen fruit had softened against the ground. Wild critters ate them and scattered as I shot down the row.

Somehow I caught up and tracked the shadowy shape of her until I realized the sound wasn’t laughter.

She was crying.

I found her leaning against a trunk, arms crossed over her chest, face tipped up toward the sky.

“Hey.” I came up slow behind her, not crowding her, my fingertips gently reaching for her arms. “It’s okay, Daisy. I’ve got you.”

“Don’t.” Her voice cracked. She moved away. “Don’t be nice to me right now, Knox, I can’t deal with it.”

“Okay.” So I stood like a dumbass, thumbs in my belt loops, toeing the ground. My mother cried sometimes, and Pop always knew exactly what to say and how to hold her. Mysister cried the night before she left for nursing school in Billings. I could handle those two.

Daisy crying nearly killed me. Especially since every instinct I had was to hold her and never let her go.

“I miss them,” she whispered. I knew who she meant in the raw words without her saying so. “Been enough years. Most days I can handle the fact that our parents are gone. But tonight—” She pressed her hand over her mouth. Exhaled slowly through her nose. “I feel so stupid and alone.”

“You’re the most intelligent woman I know. And far from alone.”

“I’m just so tired, Knox, and we need to start picking tomorrow. Look at these trees. It’s probably going to be the best year ever for us, but there’s too many. My sisters and I will never get them all. There are bills to pay and property taxes due. I’m trying hard… but I’m exhausted,” she cried, and wiped her face and kept walking. I fell into step behind her because no way would I leave her now.

A tiny orchard cottage materialized out of the dark, like a miniature version of the farmhouse, complete with gray shutters. Daisy pushed the door open, and I followed her inside, whether she wanted me to or not.

She switched on a lamp, which cast everything in low amber light. One side of the room held an antique wooden desk stacked with leather-bound ledgers. A faded rug covered part of the floor. The other side had a deep couch facing a picture window looking out onto the trees, its brown leather well-worn, with homemade pillows and quilts stacked on one end. Patchwork drapes framed the window.

Warm and tidy, this wasn’t a shed, more like a cozy hideaway.

She dropped onto the couch and peered up at me.

“Thank you for the drive,” she whispered. “But you can go.”

“I don’t think I should leave you alone right now.”

“Okay, then… don’t leave, Knox. Stay.” She licked her lips and patted the seat beside her. Tears gone, in their place was I imagining something more complicated: a line to cross, a decision being made? “Stay with me. Just for tonight.”

The air in the room charged between us.

“Daisy, you don’t mean?—”

“I know exactly what I’m asking.”

I gave her the side-eye. “You’re not thinking clearly. You’ve had too much to drink.”

Her voice dropped to a sultry range I’d never heard from her before. “I just want to feel something other than sad and lonely tonight. Something real. Can you do that for me?” The filled pause hung heavy between us. “Make me forget everything, Knox. Just for tonight?”

Fuck me.The lamplight caught a dangerously flirty flutter of her lashes, daring me past the point of no return. I immediately needed to adjust myself. But I couldn’t take her like this, not with grief and alcohol swirling inside of her, leading to a night she’d probably wake up regretting in the morning. Daisy deserved better.

She shook her head, like she’d heard every word of the war waging in my mind.

“Forget I asked.” She yawned, pulling a quilt over her lap. “Maybe I’ll ask someone else next time.”

I growled and crossed to the sofa in three steps and sat beside her.

“If you need someone, you call me. I’ll take care of you sofucking good, Daisy.” I cupped her face in both hands and hesitated, giving her every chance to pull back. When she didn’t flinch, I pressed her hair slowly behind her ear, her beautiful eyes searching mine.

My heart pounded with the intensity of hiking the tallest peak on the ranch as I leaned in, slanting my head, until we were so close our lips could brush. My pulse kicked up, anticipating the feel of her mouth on mine at-fucking-last. I could easily take everything she was offering and give back more than she’d thought to ask for. But would she remember it all in the morning?