Page 14 of Someone to Hold

“Not exactly. I’m just not a fan of animals with giant teeth.”

There’s a beat of silence, then he chokes out a laugh. “She’s not a tiger, Molly.”

“I got bitten as a kid.”

“Did you provoke the horse?”

My fingers tighten on the scooter’s handlebars. “Do I look like the type of person who goes around provoking animals?” His grin widens in a way that feels almost wolfish. Talk about wild animals.

“For your information, I was minding my own business in my grandparents’ barn. The horse reached over the edge of the stall and tried to take a chunk out of my shoulder.” I rub my shoulder like it was yesterday.

“Fancy isn’t going to bite you.”

“Damn straight, because I’m not getting close enough for her to reach me.”

He laughs again. “You’re funny.”

“Being bitten by an animal isn’t funny.”

“The way you describe it is kind of funny.”

“You’re a dick,” I counter.

“Kindof a dick,” he agrees.

For some reason, that makes my lips twitch. I don’t want to beamused by this tall, handsome cowboy. I don’t want to be anything by him.

“Fine on keeping your horse here. Fair warning, the barn hasn’t been used for anything but storing tools and equipment in years.”

“I can take care of any repairs.”

“Like you took care of the sink,” I say, then force myself to add, “Thank you for that.”

“It was as much for my benefit as yours.” He gives me a slow wink that does funny things to my insides. “It’s been a few years since I attended a wet T-shirt contest. Best part of my morning, but I’m guessing that show is a one-and-done.”

My cheeks instantly color in response to his words. “You shouldn’t notice that, let alone talk about it.”

“I’m only human,” he offers like some sort of explanation.

The slow smile he gives me is like a match to a flame, and it’s my lady parts catching fire. Allowing Chase Calhoun into my life is a bad idea. The worst.

I shake my head to clear those thoughts. I need help if I’m going to buy the farm, and he’s my best option. “I need to get back to work.”

“What do you need from me?”

Everything, my body chants like a refrain. “Nothing right now,” I say. And do you hear how calm and unaffected I sound? Well done, Molly.

Another nod. “Then I’ll grab my stuff from my sister’s and move the trailer and Fancy here.”

I nod. “The school bus drops off around three-thirty. If you could come back after that, I’d like to talk to the twins about the arrangement before you get here.”

Laurel won’t mind, but Luke isn’t going to like it.

“Yep,” he agrees, and I have a feeling he knows exactly why I’m making that request. “I’ll be back later.” With a final nod, he turns and walks out ofthe greenhouse.

Alone again, I draw in a deep breath. The earthy, familiar smell of the greenhouse calms my nerves, but underneath it, there’s something new. The lingering scent of the man I just agreed to depend on for the next few weeks.

A man who makes me feel like I’m more than just a single mom juggling too many responsibilities. Who looks at me like I’m a woman worth the kind of attention that has nothing to do with school pickups or grocery lists. Chase Calhoun makes me want to upgrade my underwear situation, even though I’d bet my life he’s never going to see them.