I turned around. “I’m not mad, Mason.”

“I know, but I can still be sorry about worrying you.”

“You really are determined not to sleep with me, aren’t you?” I asked.

Resolve filled his eyes. “Not yet.”

“What are we waiting for? Because I want this, no regrets.”

“When I make love to you, I want to give you my full and undivided attention. I don’t want to be worried that someone is going to sneak up on us and kill you.”

“Or you. Crocker’s after you too.”

“True enough.” He searched my face. “You have to know that resisting you is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I have to put your safety above my own needs.”

“I know.” Reluctantly, I stepped out of his arms and grabbed plates from the cabinet. “Perfect timing. Dinner’s ready, as simple as it is.”

I scooped up three plates and, since we didn’t have any dog food, a small one for Muffy. I put our two plates on the table and then picked up the third. “I’m going to take this out to Deputy Miller and check on Muffy. She wanted to stay out there with him.”

He gave me a soft smile. “Okay.”

Muffy was lying by the deputy’s feet, but she jumped up when I opened the front door. “I brought you some spaghetti. And there’s plenty more if you’re still hungry.”

Deputy Miller’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “Thank you, Rose.”

Muffy followed me inside and I went to the kitchen. Mason had gotten us glasses of water and was setting them on the table.

“I’ll bet Deputy Miller was thrilled to see you,” he said.

“I can’t let that poor boy starve. You should have seen the way he devoured the cookies I took him earlier.”

He gasped in fake shock. “You took him cookies and didn’t give me any? I’m feeling slighted.”

“Please,” I scoffed, sitting down. “You yourself told me that Henryetta’s single women were dropping so many baked goods off at your office that you could have had your own bake sale.”

“I didn’t ask for that.”

“And who knows how many free pieces of pie or cake you’ve gotten at Merilee’s. You get most of your meals there, which is why all the waitresses have a crush on you.”

His eyes widened. “No they don’t.”

I laughed, twirling spaghetti on my fork. “Hello, Mr. Henryetta’s Most Eligible Bachelor. For someone who’s so observant, in this instance you are so not.”

“You know I don’t encourage them, Rose.”

“I know, which is why they all think you’re gay now.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help straighten that out for you. If you live up to my expectations.”

His eyes lit up with a smirk. “Is that a challenge?”

“Take it as you will.” I tilted my head and gave him a saucy grin.

Before I realized what he was doing, he had grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of my chair and into his lap. His mouth found the nape of my neck, trailing kisses up to my ear. “I accept your challenge. If you intend to make my wait difficult, I can make it just as difficult for you.”

I laughed. “You play dirty.”

“You have no idea.”

Butterflies flapped in my stomach and I took a deep breath. “Then I call uncle because I don’t have the will power you do. If you keep this up, I’ll be begging you.”

With a groan, he pushed me off his lap.

We needed a neutral subject and the farm seemed like a safe one. “I don’t think I want to sell this place.”

He looked surprised.

“I’ve been thinking about it since this morning.”

“Well, you don’t need the money for the nursery anymore. The SBA has already deposited the money for the grant into your business account.”

Thinking about the grant reminded me of Joe. The memory of him begging me to take him back nearly brought me to tears.

Mason picked up on my mood, although not the reason for it. “It’s a big decision, and I know this place is bittersweet with all its reminders of the life you didn’t have, but I can’t help but notice the way you’ve been lighting up as you investigate the house. I can see how much you love it.”

“But it’s so far from Henryetta.”

“It feels remote, but it’s only twenty minutes to your nursery.” He stabbed several noodles with his fork. “Rose, I’m not telling you to move here,” he said after a moment. “But you feel unsafe in Henryetta and you said you can’t afford to move somewhere new. I just think it’s something you should consider.”

I’d add it to my ever growing list.

Chapter Seventeen

After we finished eating, Mason helped clean up and then disappeared into the office to continue going through his files. As I headed upstairs to make both beds, my cell phone began to ring. I dug it out of my pocket, gasping when I saw the name on the screen.

Joe.

Turning the ringer off, I sank onto the top step and stared at the still-vibrating phone. Part of me wanted to answer to find out why he was calling. But most of me wanted him to leave me alone. If I was moving toward a future with Mason, I needed Joe to remain in the past.

The phone stopped ringing, but I stared at it for several more minutes, taking several deep breaths to calm down.