Page 23

WINNOW

G ideon teaches me how to make his favorite sandwich.

It’s not nearly as elaborate a meal as I’d hoped—what he calls a BLTPAM: bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles, avocado, and maple—just a drizzle.

A certain pride fills his eyes when he tells me all the ingredients, including the mayo, were either grown on his land or are from another local farm that even has a large greenhouse operation.

“I’d love to have a big enough greenhouse one day to grow tropical fruits like avocado.

It wasn’t until about two years ago that I was really able to make a comfortable living from the ranch, but I reckon in another year or two, I’ll be able to branch out… ”

Gideon swipes a corner of his sandwich into the dollop of homemade chipotle mayo he has near the edge of his plate before taking a big bite, and I follow suit.

My eyes roll in the back of my head as the sweet, smoky, savoury, and creamy flavors burst across my tongue. A soul-deep groan escapes me as my head tips back in ecstasy. My words are muffled by the mouthful of deliciousness. “Oh my fucking gods.”

Gideon’s mouth tips up in a grin as he chews his food. Eyes twinkling with mirth and something more that makes butterflies swarm in my belly. “Right?”

I shake my head in overwhelm. “How dare you.”

Gideon chuckles around his mouthful.

I take a gulp of the fresh, tangy lemonade we just made, groaning again with mind-numbing pleasure. “How-fucking-dare-you.”

Gideon’s laughter is contagious, but I can’t hold myself back from taking another giant bite of this perfection as I shake my head in awe and dismay.

“You have forever ensorcelled your way into my life. I’ll never be able to live without this now.”

Gideon chuckles, taking another bite, unmistakable joy replacing his usual dour expression as we hold one another’s gaze.

That feeling—the tightness in my chest that only this man has ever managed to summon—heightens further.

It would feel so fucking right to press my lips to his.

To lean against his towering, muscled form and have his arms close around me.

But I have to remind myself that I literally met this man a day ago, and that would be an utterly deranged thing to do.