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He dug around until he found an amber, and with one move, twisted the top off on his forearm and took a pull from the longneck.

While he sipped his beer, he watched Paige outside with her brother. His imagination went rogue, picturing her compact frame beneath him, his head bent down to kiss her…

Fuck.He shook his head, feeling the altitude and a light beer buzz. This was the wrong fucking time and the wrong fucking place to get interested in a woman.

He turned to leave for real this time—it was high time he started the repairs the owner had ungraciously left for him—when the patio door slid open. Warm air brushed against his cheeks reminding him of the heat that he’d be working in.

Did he really want to start work like that?

Brad walked through the door, a wane smile on his face, his puffy eyes damp and lined with red. Paige followed behind him, longneck in hand, and grinned at Owen when their eyes met. It was all he could do to keep his eyes on hers and not trail his gaze down her body.

Brad cleared his throat, cutting the tension.

“Hey, Brad.” Owen called back his military-to-civilian training. State your name, your purpose. Give them a chance to do the same. “Not sure if you remember, but I’m Owen Johnson. We met last week at your folks’ place.”

“Sure. Former Army, right? Good to see you again.”

Owen shook Brad’s hand. The guy was stronger than he looked, like he’d done some work on a farm himself. Owen was pretty sure Brad said he was a teacher last week, but now Owen couldn’t recall. He’d met a lot of folks over the past six days.

“Marines, but yeah. Decided whether I could fight a few wars, how difficult could farming be? Boy, was I wrong.”

Both men laughed. Owen’s heart skipped a few beats with the way Paige looked up at him. Her eyes twinkled independently of the fluorescent tube lights that lined the ceiling, reminding Owen of the small fireflies he’d seen at dusk on a training op in Georgia.

“You should ask my dad for help. He’s a nice guy, and he’s forgotten more about farm life than most of us will ever know,” Paige said, sidling up next to her brother, her hand extended to Owen. He shook it, and marveled at how soft her palm was despite her strong grip. Both of these siblings surprised him, something that didn’t happen often in his line of work.

“I’m Paige,” she added, “Brad’s sister. His much younger sister.” She bit her bottom lip, and his heart beat against his rib cage. When she broke out in a grin, a swelling pressed against his jeans.

Granddaughters and barn walls evaporated from his thoughts.

“I’m Owen.”

He didn’t let go of her hand until she released his. The indescribable need to be close to her, to feel her skin on his, overwhelmed him and no amount of self-checking his priorities could make that feeling dissipate.

He was, as his Marines would say, fucked.

“I heard,” Paige said, her cheeks pink atop the tan. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”

When she slid her hand through her short hair, he imagined what it would feel like to have those soft, spiky tendrils tickling the space between his fingers.

Jesus.

His guys would eviscerate him if they heard his internal monologue. They’d already called him a pussy for getting medically sepped from the Marine Corps. He couldn’t let civilian life infiltrate the places the service had made him strong.

But when she smiled up at him, then bit her lip, all of that went to shit.

“So, what do you think of our humble town?” she asked. “I’d be happy to show you around while I’m here if you need a guide.”

Though he couldn’t imagine not being able to navigate the one-stoplight town on his own, he found himself agreeing to her proposal. That he was at half-mast after a few words with her didn’t hurt the situation.

“I’d like that. A welcome back is in order, I hear,” he said, waving his arm over his head towards the gaudy pink banner above them proclaiming, “Welcome home, Paige!”

He got the impression she didn’t appreciate the party much either, especially when she rolled her eyes at the banner.

“Yeah, I guess so, but it isn’t really a ‘welcome back.’ It’s more a quick visit to see family before the next adventure.”

Just like that, Owen’s erection faded along with a hope he didn’t know he was clinging to.

She was leaving?