Page 28 of Keep My Heart (The Haydon Falls #1)

‘Where’d you come from?’ Mom asks, getting up. ‘I didn’t hear you come out.’

‘I’m sneaky that way.’ He smiles and gives her a kiss.

‘You feeling better?’ I ask.

‘I’m not a hundred percent, but I’m better than I was this morning. I think all that party planning wore me out.’ He stands at the end of the table, looking at Matt and Lyndsay. ‘What are you two doing here?’

‘They’re helping us out,’ Mom says. ‘Matt’s helping Nick in the fields and Lyndsay’s helping me clean up the barn from last night.’

‘Why are you putting these kids to work?’ Dad says to Mom. ‘I told you I’d take care of all that.’

‘And I told you I wanted you to rest,’ she says, patting his chest. ‘You haven’t been feeling well all week and working in those fields isn’t going to make you better.’

‘I needed the workout,’ I say, knowing Dad has a hard time admitting he needs help. If I make it about me, he’s more likely to be okay with it. ‘I haven’t been to the gym for days.’

‘And I haven’t been in years,’ Matt says, which makes everyone laugh.

‘We made it about halfway down the hill,’ I tell Dad. ‘After lunch, Matt and I will keep going and hopefully make it down to the property line.’

‘That’s almost a third of the orchard,’ Mom says. ‘You boys are fast.’

Dad nods. ‘Thanks for helping out.’

‘Anytime, Mr. Kanfield,’ Matt says.

Dad chuckles at Matt calling him that. ‘So what’s this talk about a party?’

‘We’re thinking of having a graduation party for Lyndsay,’ Mom says. ‘She got her associate degree.’

‘Congratulations.’ Dad smiles at her.

‘Thanks, but it was five years ago.’ She laughs. ‘I really don’t need to celebrate.’

‘Chris didn’t throw you a party?’ Matt asks.

‘No, we went to a convention out of town that weekend.’

Matt glances at me.

I keep my focus on Lyndsay. ‘If you don’t want to do this, it’s fine. We can still go out like we planned.’

Lyndsay’s gaze goes to my parents. I can tell she’s struggling with what to do. She thinks it’s silly to have a party, but she doesn’t want to disappoint my mom, who seems to really want to do this.

‘If it’s not too much trouble,’ Lyndsay says, ‘then yes, I’d love a party. But I insist on helping with it and I’m sure my mom will want to bring dessert. You know how she loves to bake.’

‘Wonderful!’ Mom claps her hands. ‘I’m going to go call her. It’ll be nice to see her again. It’s been forever since we’ve had a chance to sit down and chat.’

‘Lyndsay, can I talk to you a minute?’ I say.

‘Sure.’

We get up and walk around the side of the barn where my parents can’t see us.

‘Are you really okay with this?’

‘Of course. It’s so sweet of them to offer. I just feel bad making your mom have to go to all that work.’

‘She was going to make dinner anyway and this gives her a chance to have my brothers over and your mom. She wants to do this. You saw how excited she was. And if you want to go out after dinner, just the two of us, the offer’s still open.’

‘Don’t you have to leave early tomorrow?’

‘It doesn’t matter. I can be up late.’

‘Then yeah, maybe, if you’re not too exhausted from working in the fields.’ Her eyes dart down to my arms, then my chest, before returning to my face. Okay, that time she was definitely checking me out, and I even put a shirt on.

‘I should get back out there,’ I say.

‘Yeah.’ She smiles and walks back to the table.

‘Matt!’ I yell at him as I head to the fields. ‘Let’s go!’

‘What was that about?’ he asks as we walk through the orchard. ‘Your little private chat with Lyndsay?’

‘I was just making sure she’s okay with the party.

She didn’t even want me taking her to dinner to celebrate.

She thought it’d been too long since she graduated, but I told her it didn’t matter.

She had to have worked her ass off for that degree given how much she struggled in school, and Chris didn’t even let her go to her graduation. ’

‘He’s always been a selfish bastard. You know that.’

‘Yeah, but she was his wife. He can’t miss some stupid convention to go to his wife’s graduation? That’s bullshit.’

‘Yeah, well, that’s Chris. He hasn’t changed.’

We’re back at the place where we left off. I pick up the rake and get back to work while Matt moves the ladder to another section of trees.

‘You taking her out later?’ Matt asks.

‘Maybe. If she wants to.’

‘I’d say that’s a yes.’

‘Why?’ I look up at him on the ladder.

He chuckles. ‘She fucking wants you, dude. Didn’t you see how she was looking at you?

I only got that look from Tessa when we were dating, and when I did .

.?.’ He shakes his head. ‘Those were some damn good nights. Not that the sex isn’t good now, but you know how it is when the relationship’s new and hot and you haven’t had to clean up kid puke together in the middle of the night. ’

‘I’m glad to say I’ve never had to do that.’

‘You will, and let me tell you, it sucks, but it’s part of having kids. Anyway, going back to Lyndsay, she totally wants you. Too bad you’re leaving tomorrow. But hey, you still have tonight.’

‘We’re just friends. How many times do I need to say it?’

‘You can say it all you want, but you two are not just friends. You both want each other. You just refuse to act on it.’

‘Because I’m leaving, and so is she. Now can we stop talking about this and get to work? We don’t have much time left.’

We work until three, getting as much done as we could. I would’ve liked to do more, but I wanted to have time to clean up and get ready for Lyndsay’s party. I have some errands to run before it starts, like getting the cake I promised her.

I’m not ready to say goodbye to her, especially knowing it might be the last time I see her.

Reconnecting with Lyndsay this weekend has really messed with my head.

This trip was supposed to just be a quick trip home for my mom’s birthday but ended up making me reevaluate my life.

Seeing Matt with his family and my parents so in love .

.?. it really got to me, which is odd because it usually doesn’t affect me.

I’ve been here plenty of times and never felt this way.

But this time was different. Seeing Lyndsay again and having these feelings for her has made me think about how much I need that in my life .

.?. someone to love the way Matt loves his wife, or the kind of enduring love my parents have.

I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever find that, or if I already have, with Lyndsay.