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Through the cutout window, Manuel sent them a grin, then turned back to creating his next batch of deliciousness.

Jolie worked hard to keep her mind on the conversation. Ford sat beside her in the booth with Troy on the other bench.

Ford’s strong thigh brushed against hers occasionally and she needed to focus so that she didn’t lean into him.

Ridiculous. She was completely ridiculous.

“Do you scuba dive?”

Troy’s question brought her attention back. “Yes.”

Ford nodded. “I wondered when you said you might dive to the bottom of the pond earlier. I wonder if there are places to dive around here.”

Scuba diving with Ford sounded like an excellent date. “You dive, too?”

He nodded. “All part of the training in the army.”

Which again hinted at special forces. Like her brothers, these men were impressive in so many ways.

Troy grinned. “We don’t have tons of shipwrecks here in eastern Vermont, but there are great sites in Lake Champlain if you want to spend a weekend there sometime.”

Well, that sounded perfect.

Instead of saying that out loud, Jolie nodded.

Ford turned to her and smiled. A smile that seemed to agree that it sounded like a great idea.

Them. Together. Weekend.

How was she supposed to remember it wasn’t a date when he looked at her like that?

Chapter7

Duck Hunt

Ford wanted to reach around the back of the booth and settle his arm around Jolie’s shoulder. Like a teen at the movies trying to let the girl know he was interested while appearing casual.

Instead, he gripped his hands together for a moment. She was his buddy’s little sister. Which was supposed to make her off-limits.

Except, who were you going to trust more than your buddy? Knox knew Ford wasn’t an asshole. He knew he wouldn’t take advantage of Jolie in any way.

If things went wrong, it would screw everything up. He didn’t want to make a mess of things, but he wanted Jolie more with each conversation, each smile, each moment.

He couldn’t stop picturing him and Jolie together. Driving across the state. Scuba diving during the day. Sharing a room at night.

Maybe he shouldn’t have slid into the same side of the booth as her, but he had. And he’d do it again. Not that he was concerned about Troy. The man was totally in love with Piper and had no interest in Jolie. Ford didn’t want anyone else sitting beside her. He preferred to torture himself with her closeness.

Jolie broke into his thoughts when she spoke up. “Do you know anyone in town who raises ducks?”

He grinned at Troy’s expression. His friend looked at him and then back at Jolie. “Ducks?”

She nodded. “Ducks. I want to get a small flock. They’re going to help control the snail population.”

Troy grimaced. “Do I want to know more about how that happens?”

Ford shook his head. “No, you really don’t.”

Troy gave an exaggerated shudder. “Okay. Not asking for details. I don’t know anyone with ducks, but I bet Kimi would know. She’s our local veterinarian. She and Scooby run a petting farm and a therapy center on their property. They were at the Annie movie the other night.”