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“Atta girl,” he says, giving me a pat on the shoulder. “If you head just down the dirt driveway and turn left at the cottage down there.” He squints an eye, pointing at my favorite little house on the property. “You’ll run right into the town.”

“Straight then left. Sounds like something I can manage.”

“Perfect!” he beams. “Alright, well I’m off to go pick up some supplies, but I hope we’ll see you for dinner sometime soon. It was nice to meet you, Taylor.” He pats the top of my back on a turn.

“You too, Adam.” I watch him go all the way back inside before turning to face the dirt road ahead of me.

The hill isn’t steep,but it is longer than I expected. Though not nearly as bad without the rain and all my luggage. I make it down to the cottage that I’ve imagined myself living in countless times when I look out my bedroom window, and somehow it’s even more beautiful up close. The white brick with contrasting lavender plants is only broken up by a gorgeous wrap-around porch that overlooksEmerald Browning Cottage. More wildflowers of every color cover the front of the property, going all the way up to the stone-lined entryway. Hundred-year-old trees muffle the sounds of thebirds, and a slight trickle of water slips through the quiet. Had I not stopped to snoop around my favorite little house I would have missed it entirely.

Someone could be home and you’re out here sneaking around like a damn cat burglar. Move along.

Speaking of cats.

I’m halfway back to the main road when a large, fluffy black cat saunters out of a bush near the porch.

“Here kitty, kitty.” I crouch down, sucking my teeth. The cat lifts one paw, hesitating as I continue to coo at the little baby.

Hinges creak and wood on wood slams like a gunshot into the cat distribution system, sending the cat fleeing for its life. I watch him take off before looking up to where Knox is standing at the door, smiling down at me.

“Look what you did!” I yell, but he remains motionless, leaning against the doorframe. One arm hangs in its usual sling, the other buried in the pocket of his dark jeans. His black hat sits backward on his head, dark waves falling out around the nape of his neck. He stands there with that sexy little smirk of his, but still doesn’t say anything. “Well! Aren’t you going to go get your cat?” I throw my hand in the direction it ran off.

“It’s not my cat.”

“Oh…” I squint, despite the lack of sunlight, and let out a long, awkward breath. If I stand here any longer, I’m going to curl up and die. “Alright, well, I’m going to get going.” I hike my thumb over my shoulder, as if I hadn’t made this awkward enough already.

“Where ya headed?”

“I’m not sure yet. I planned on walking until I hit the first sign of food.”

He smiles, pulling the door closed behind him, and takingthe porch steps two at a time until he clears the gap between us. Once again, I find myself craning my neck just to be able to make eye contact. This position is new for me. I’m not a short girl. At least I’ve never felt small in my five-foot-eight frame—but when Knox towers over me like this, a rush of warmth spreads across my body despite the chilly air.

“Let’s go, Nova.”

I inwardly groan, knowing I’ll never live that greeting down, but still, my lips tug upwards at the sound of my name on his tongue.

“Lead the way then, Browning.”

I walk beside Knox, twisting the ends of my hair around my fingertip.

God, he smells good. I’ve never had a desire to grab a man’s chest and bury my face in it before. Better yet, I want to climb him like a tree and inhale straight from his neck.

“So, were you thinking about me?”

“What?” I stop abruptly and look around for the invisible wall I just encountered.

“I’m trying to think of why else you would be poking around my house.”

Oh.

“I wasn’t poking,” I say, jabbing my finger in his bicep. “I didn’t even know it was your house.” His smile is playful—beautiful. It’s carefree and warm, and it makes me forget that I’m supposed to be laying on the charm, not getting lost in his smile. My mask is slowly slipping, and that’s more startling than Knox catching me outside his house trying to scope out the placeandsteal the neighborhood cat.

“You don’t sound like the rest of your family.”

“No?”

“Why?” I square my shoulders and look back at him. Helifts his hat, and his wavy hair goes in every direction when he drags his fingers through it before setting it back down.

“I grew up here with my family but my rugby team was based out of London,” he explains. “I’ve had a home there for the last sixteen years and I’ve been around a lot of different accents over that time, mine appears to be a mix of them now, I suppose.” I wonder if that’s the reason his voice has such an effect on me. “You going to tell me where you’re from now?”