Page 4 of Enamored with the Mountain Man (Mountain Men of Apple Falls #5)
CHAPTER FOUR
Lainey
“You have loads of options! You could plant some cucumbers right there, some potatoes there, and of course you gotta have carrots, maybe some tomatoes, and I love growing herbs too! We can start a small one in the house and bring it out here when it gets bigger,” I explained to Chase as we walked around his garden patch.
It might only be a bunch of weeds and dirt right now, but I could envision a blooming green garden in no time.
“You’re adorable, you know that?” Chase winked at me, and heat flooded between my legs. I tried hard not to swoon for the sexy mountain man, but it was no use. He had me hook, line, and sinker.
“I’m excited to help you! By the way, I researched apple trees and read some tips on how we can bring them back to life.” I pointed at the two trees in the corner, desperately looking like they needed help.
“You did?” Chase ran a hand through his hair, the curls such a handsome feature of his. Small, tight curls filled the top of his head, with the sides buzzed shorter.
“Of course. That’s what I’m here for, right?”
“According to sources, such as my two-year-old, yes.” He winked again, and my panties dampened. Damn him.
I walked toward the apple trees, the burn of his intense stare felt through every part of my body.
“The most important thing is to prune, prune, and prune some more. They need good air circulation and lots of sunlight. The more sunshine, the bigger the apples. Anything dead, including leaves and branches, can go, and we can also add some fresh soil.”
“Wow, you did do your research. I’m impressed.” Chase followed me and stopped beside me when we reached the trees.
I smiled up at him, his tall frame so sexy in all the right ways.
Suddenly, a little girl’s cry rang through the air. Chase pulled out a baby monitor from the back pocket of his jeans. “Looks like Ivy’s up from her nap. Want to go meet her?”
“Sure. We’re gonna need a few things from the store before we can start out here. Why don’t we do some planning?”
“Sounds good to me. But Lainey?”
“Yeah?” I lost myself in his gaze.
He took my hands in his, and his touch sent a flash of sparks up my arm. Why did I ever think I’d be able to do this?
“You’re here to relax, so that’s what I want you to do. I can book you a day at the spa. There’s one in Appleridge, the next town over. Or I can show you around town, or you can take off yourself. Or you can hole yourself up in your room and not come out. Whatever works for you.”
His sweetness melted my heart into a big puddle of goo. “Aren’t we sleeping in the same room?” I teased, a hint of flirtiness in my tone.
“Is that what you want?”
I paused, but then the word tumbled out. “Yes.”
“Then you got it. I promise to keep my hands to myself in bed.”
“No need.” I grinned, and butterflies swirled in my stomach. Sex was part of relaxation, wasn’t it?
Ivy was the cutest two-year-old I’d ever seen, and I saw a lot of cute toddlers at my dance studio.
“New fri?” Ivy said when I met her in the kitchen after Chase retrieved her from her crib.
“Yes, new friend.” Chase accentuated the word friend. I giggled to myself thinking Ivy called me a fry. “She’s here to help us with the farm.”
Ivy clapped her hands and smiled.
“You are too cute!” I tickled underneath her chin, and she giggled, the sound infectious and joyful. “How would you like to learn some dance moves?”
Ivy wiggled out of her father’s arms and when he placed her on the ground, she began to shake her hips.
“Oh my! You already know how to dance? I’m so impressed!” I spun around while waving my arms in the air. “Woot woot!”
Chase looked at us both with amusement on his face. “Should we put some music on and get this party started?”
Ivy jumped up and down. “Yes, Da Da! Yes!”
“You got it. Alexa, play the baby shark song.”
The song filled the air, and Ivy squealed and danced around. Chase and I joined in, and we were in hysterics by the time the song ended. I’d never laughed so hard in my life.
After a delicious dinner, and Ivy insisting I help with every part of their nighttime routine, Ivy was fast asleep in her crib, leaving Chase and me alone.
“Want to watch a movie and have a drink? Or we can soak in the hot tub?”
My mouth fell open. “You have a hot tub? Why are you just now telling me?”
Chase’s eyes sparkled, and he wore the sexiest smile, desire coiling deep in my belly. He shrugged like it was no big deal. “I didn’t think you’d care to know.”
“What? I’m here to relax my weary bones from all the dancing I do. Of course I want to soak in a hot tub!”
Chase laughed and held his hands up. “Okay, okay, point taken. I’ll go get it set up. Did you bring a bathing suit, or are we skinny-dipping?”
My cheeks flushed at the thought of him naked. I’d been eyeing his muscles since I got here, the dips and ridges not lost on me. I was dying to see what was underneath his clothes, and my fingers itched with the urge to touch his skin. “I brought a suit, naughty boy.”
“Anything to see you naked,” Chase teased, followed by another one of his panty-melting grins. “See you out back in a few.”
I sprinted upstairs, eager to strip out of my clothes and put on the slinky bikini I brought. It barely left anything to the imagination, which was exactly what I wanted.
Chase had carried my bags into his room earlier, and I quickly located my suit, changing into it while tossing my clothes on the floor. With my hair in a messy bun on the top of my head and a fresh application of deodorant, I walked back downstairs and out to the back porch.
I had a feeling my bikini wasn’t going to stay on for too long.