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He nodded. “I don’t imagine there’s any way to tell how long Cyril’s been down there?”

She shrugged. “Not without getting him out. But I’m out of energy and ideas for today.”

With a grin, Ford lifted her to straddle his lap. “I’m not out of ideas. And I think some of them will restore at least a little of your energy.”

She laughed as she wrapped her legs and arms around him. “You have the best ideas.” And then his lips locked onto hers.

It wasn’t long before her energy revved back up to normal and way up beyond that.

She wanted to be brave and take the next step with Ford, but she wasn’t quite ready. Not with her past experiences eroding her trust and with her worries about Knox’s reaction to their relationship.

When Ford slowed the kiss, he rested his head on her forehead. “We’ve got some time before dinner. What to help me with a project?”

She laughed, knowing he wasn’t implying sex. But her imagination spun in that direction.

He waggled his eyebrows and leaned in close to whisper. “The paint I ordered for the Quack Mobile is here.”

Laughing, she kissed his lips with a loud smack. “That’s perfect. Are you going to share the design yet?”

After another kiss, she climbed off his lap, and he popped up to his feet. He gestured at the coop and she realized he’d moved it and set a box of supplies next to it. “Did you move the coop when I was recovering from Cyril-induced stress?”

He laughed. “Sure did. No duck poop for us to sit in while we paint.”

He took her hand, and they walked across the field. “I’m glad you’re wearing those boots today.”

She looked down to see her bright blue boots with the yellow duckies splashing in puddles. “Why?”

“You’ll see.”

Ford pulled out a can of paint and pried it open. The color was a perfect match to the blue of her boots. She clapped her hands. “I love it. The Quack Mobile is going to be bright and beautiful.”

He then pulled out a folder and handed it to her. “Check these out for the second layer of paint.”

She flipped open the folder to find sheets of paper. Designs had been cut out of each sheet. Duck designs that were a close match to the ones on her boots.

Tears filled her eyes as he pointed to a smaller paint can. “That’s yellow. And there’s a small one of black we can use to add the details. We’ll have to wait for the layers to dry, but I think your Quack Mobile is going to beduckingfantastic.”

Laughing, Jolie threw her arms around him. Her heart thumped against her ribs, filled with joy. But she kept the words inside. It was too early to tell him she’d fallen head over rubber boots in love with him.

Chapter13

Jolie Good

The next day, rain poured again. Jolie reminded herself she liked rain, and it was good for the farm and her pond. Her plans to retrieve Cyril could wait. She didn’t know how long he’d been down there, so another day or two wouldn’t make much difference in the grand scheme of things.

With a sigh, she checked the time and then called Amber. Her sister’s shift would start in another hour, so she’d be up.

“Hi, Joles. What’s up, baby sis?”

Jolie smiled as her sister’s voice improved her mood instantly. “Good morning, my oh so old and wise sister.”

Amber chuckled. “I guess I deserve that. You’re a highly competent adult, but you’ll always be my little sister.”

Warmth filled Jolie. Probably because of age and gender, of all her siblings, she was closest to Amber. “It’s raining too heavily for me to play with the pond today.”

Amber laughed again. “I’m sorry. That sucks, especially when you had plans to eliminate the evil Cyril.”

“Exactly. I knew you’d understand my mood.”