They walked further, hand in hand. Ridley tilted her face up to the sun and took a deep breath. It was the perfect day to tour a farm. The fields spread out before them as far as she could see, rolling acres of lush green and golden hay. They stopped near a fence and Jackson climbed up and sat on the edge.

“Are these berries?” Ridley knelt and peered at a bush laden with black fruit.

He chuckled. “Yes, those are blackberries. We can pick some later if you like. They look ripe.” He hopped down and pulled one from the bush, then popped it in his mouth. “Yeah, they’re definitely ripe. Really sweet, too.”

“Did you just eat that? Without washing it first?”

Jackson chucked her under the chin. “I can tell you’re a city girl. Trust me, I’ll be fine. My grandmother used to pull apples off that tree right there and bite them as she worked. She got one with a worm once and just ate around it.”

She laughed and allowed him to drag her toward the edges of the property. Looking back at the house, Ridley felt a tingle of anticipation. At this distance, she and Jackson essentially were alone.

“Where are you taking me?”

“The barn.” His one word answer told her more than what he actually said. He walked faster until they reached the open barn door. The smell of hay hit her first, a warm, sweet smell redolent of earth and nature.

As soon as they were out of sight of the house, Jackson lifted her until she melded against his body, chest to chest, with her legs wrapped around his body. He nestled into the hot space between her thighs. Pressing harder, he was rewarded by a tiny whimper in the back of her throat.

Trailing a line of kisses down the delicate column of her neck, he sucked at the base.

“I thought you were showing me around?”

“I am. This is the barn. Say hello to the horses. Tour over.” He toyed with the edge of her earlobe with the tip of his tongue.

“Jackson! Ridley!“

They pulled apart reluctantly at the sound of his mother’s voice in the distance.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been busted making out with a girl in the barn. Feels like old times.”

“Oh, is that right?” She pinched him and he laughed, grabbing her hands before she could do any more damage.

“Yeah, you saw what a lady-killer I was back in high school. With my mullet.”

They tried to stifle their laughter as they straightened their clothes, but it was nearly impossible. After they looked somewhat decent, they joined hands and snuck back to the party.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

THE NIGHT SEEMED to drag on. Jackson was desperately trying to keep his mind on the conversation, but he just wasn’t interested in hearing about his brother’s latest business deal. He was probably being rude but at the moment he could care less.

His mother had grabbed Ridley after dinner and offered to show her some of the crops they’d just planted. They’d come back a little while ago carrying small baskets of blackberries. Ridley had been smiling from ear to ear.

Now most of the family had migrated out to the large back deck and his dad had brought out a small stereo. His cousin, Laura and her husband were twirling around, dancing like they were the only two people in the world. Chris and Jase ran back and forth across the lawn with Laura’s two girls, chasing fireflies.

It would be as perfect a summer night as any if Ridley wasn’t all the way on the other side of the lawn deep in conversation with his parents.

It was taking all of his willpower not to storm over and drag her back out to the barn. Now that it was almost dark he was about willing to take his chances with getting caught.

“Why don’t you just put us all out of our misery and go over there?” Nick grumbled.

“Am I that transparent?” Jackson couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he realized just how obvious his thoughts had been. Everyone had probably noticed him ogling Ridley all night. Not that he cared. If he had his way, his family would be seeing a lot more of her.

He grinned and clapped Nick on the shoulder before setting off across the yard. He could only hope his parents hadn’t told her anything embarrassing. Knowing his mother, she had probably already offered to show Ridley the family photo albums.

As he approached, he smiled to himself watching his mom and dad interact. Even after thirty years of marriage, they still held hands and could finish each other’s sentences. His father hugged his mother to his side with a possessive arm around her waist. Jackson looked at Ridley and his chest tightened. He could definitely see himself chasing after her like an old dog for the next fifty years or so. The biggest surprise of the night?

It wasn’t as scary of a thought as he’d expected.

“I just wanted to see if I could steal this beautiful lady away for a dance.”

Jackson surprised himself by leaning down and dropping a kiss on her cheek. His mother’s eyebrows shot up under her bangs. Considering how his mother was beaming at them, he was sure she definitely wouldn’t mind.

“Well, we’ve kept these two kids apart long enough. Now I want to dance with my beautiful wife. Come along, Julia. Laura and her husband have been putting us to shame. Let’s show these kids how we two-stepped back in our day.” He nodded at Jackson and whisked his wife off with a flourish.

“Alone at last.” Jackson held his arms open and allowed Ridley to settle herself against his length before gently swaying to the music. He could barely keep up with the rhythm, he was so distracted by the feeling of Ridley’s heart beating against his. “I’m so ready to go.”