Page 3 of Stripped Down at the Fair (Sweetheart County Fair #2)

CATE

O ur kids would have blue eyes. That was the weird thought I had as I sat on the grass, enjoying the most delicious piece of meat I’d ever put in my mouth.

Delicious piece of meat. That thought made me blush. What was wrong with me? I kept having thoughts that weren’t like me at all. My fantasies had always been PG-rated at worst, but this guy had taken me all the way to X-rated. Maybe I was just long overdue for turning into a pervert.

“This is great,” I said, staring at the kebab, which was loaded with chicken and veggies. “How did you know I hadn’t already tried it?”

“You bring your lunch.”

Those words widened my eyes as I looked over at him. Had I heard what I thought I had?

“I haven’t been stalking you,” he said. “I just noticed the first day when I was fixing the Tilt-a-Whirl that you pulled out a lunch bag and ate a sandwich between customers.”

Holy cow, that was a lot of noticing. “I didn’t think you even saw me over there. You seemed pretty absorbed in your work.”

“My peripheral vision is alive and well.”

Funny, considering he wasn’t looking at me now. He was staring straight ahead. Did that mean he was watching me slide chunks of meat into my mouth?

There I went again. My mind was firmly in the gutter.

“I’m trying to save money,” I said.

Why had I admitted that? It wasn’t something I was proud of, but I shouldn’t be embarrassed either.

I was twenty-three, and I’d never been college material.

I just didn’t like being shut in a room for hours at a time.

I barely made it through high school without losing my mind.

Unfortunately, that limited my career options.

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” he said. “I had to start working when I was fourteen to support my family after my dad died. The military was the only thing that saved me. Even now, I would scramble to pay the bills if the cost of living here wasn’t next to nothing.”

I felt bad about how much better that made me feel.

I didn’t have to struggle at all as a kid—financially, anyway—but growing up in an abusive household was no walk in the park.

Finally, Mom left, and even though we had no money for daily expenses, let alone college, our lives were so much happier when we didn’t have to live in constant fear.

“There’s a farmer’s market,” he said.

He looked over at me, his eyes filled with that intensity again. This time, it wasn’t the fiery passion I’d seen before. No, I saw excitement. It was barely a glimmer in his eye. Someone walking by probably wouldn’t have noticed, but I was homed in on him right now.

“Farmer’s market?” I asked.

Why would he be so excited about that? I must be missing something.

“Every Saturday, on the square,” he said. “Lots of fresh produce and home-baked bread. But they allow other booths too. It might not be worth the drive, but if you have family here…”

He let his voice trail off as he turned his attention back to his food. I set my kebab down.

“We may have something like that in Springfield,” I said. “I’m sure the booth fees are really high, though. I should check out the one here.”

Really, I just wanted a reason to come back to Sweetheart Bend. The problem was, I didn’t have family here. Just the friend of my cousin’s who’d agreed to let me stay with her for the week. She definitely wouldn’t want me back. She didn’t seem to want me here now.

But I liked the idea of drawing caricatures at the farmer’s market. Any excuse to return to this town. The change of scenery would be good for me, especially if I could make some money.

“Do you have any grocery stores here?” I asked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a strange expression flit across his face. It was almost a frown of confusion, but not quite.

“Yes,” he said. “We don’t live off the land like some people think mountain folk do.”

Mountain folk. That was an interesting way to put it. It was exactly the way someone who lived in the mountains would word it, actually.

“I work as a cashier in a grocery store,” I said. “I figure I can always get a job doing that while I wait for…”

My voice drifted off there. Wait for what? I had no idea. Waiting for my “caricature artist” ship to come in? That was unlikely to happen.

I was so caught up in my thoughts, it took me a second to realize he was looking at me. And now, it was like he was seeing me for the first time.

“If you don’t want to stay with family, I have a spare bedroom,” he said. “You could stay with me. If, that is, you wouldn’t feel…uncomfortable.”

I laughed. “My dad would roll over in his grave if he knew I was staying with a guy who wasn’t my husband.”

“Oh,” he said. And that one syllable gave away his disappointment. “Sorry about your dad.”

I shook my head. “No, trust me. It’s not a big loss.” That sounded cold, so I rushed to cover it up. “It was just that he was super strict. I kind of like the idea of rebelling. I should have tried it when I was younger.”

“So do it,” he said.

I met his stare straight on. “Do what?”

“Stay with me. Starting tonight. Give your family a break.”

I wasn’t staying with family, but I didn’t know how to explain my situation. My cousin’s friend had been so cold to me, I’d been avoiding her. Every night, I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sat in my bedroom alone, watching TV on my phone.

I shook my head. “I couldn’t impose.”

“I insist.” He picked up his phone, which was on the ground next to him, and programmed in my phone number. “I’m texting you directions to my place. I’ll grill steaks for dinner.”

My stomach jumped to attention, despite the fact that it was full right now from the chicken kebabs. How long had it been since I’d had a decent meal? I’d been living on mostly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for months.

“Are you sure?” I asked, still having serious doubts about imposing.

He was a gentleman, so of course he’d offer to help out, but the last thing I’d want to be was an inconvenience. Even though I was clearly inconveniencing the woman I was staying with.

“Positive,” he said. “And if you need my help scandalizing your family, I’m here for you.” He tossed his empty wooden skewer in the bag and pushed himself to his feet. “I have to get back to work. I’ll walk you to your post.”

I shook my head. “I’m going to finish up first. I’m kind of enjoying hiding out back here.”

In truth, I just needed to get my thoughts under control before I returned to work. Because what this guy was doing to me would make it hard to focus, and I had to focus. One way or another, I needed to shore up enough money to move to this adorable small town for good.