"Here."

The man smiles as he takes the cash from Rowan's outstretched hand. "That wasn't so hard was it?"

Rowan glares at him.

"Hey, just doin my job, Row. How's your head."

I freeze, the dots connecting in front of me.

"Still attached, how's yours? Still half empty?"

The man chuckles, a gravely, dark sound. "That mouth is going to get you in trouble some day, kid. If your little girlfriend wasn't here, I'd remind you of that."

"Not my girlfriend."

The guy turns. "You want that reminder then?"

"I'm good."

He chuckles darkly as he slips the money into his coat. "Have a good night, Hammond. I'll make sure Rich knows we're good for the month."

The man is around the corner when I whirl on Rowan.

"He hit you?"

He waves me off. "It's just a joke thing."

"Rowan, I'm not an idiot."

"Look," he growls, his face suddenly stern. "You don't need to know about this, okay? Trust me. Actually, no one needs to know about this, if you get my drift."

I nod quietly.

His hand moves to my arm, and my eyes dart up to his. "It's really nothing, alright? Seriously, I've got it handled. Can we just take it five steps back to what we were talking about before?"

"Which was?"

"Your dad having a new guy all picked out for you?"

I roll my eyes. "It's not like that."

"It sounds a lot like that."

"My father just wants what's best for me."

"Right. What proud father wouldn't want to auction his daughter off?"

"It's not like that, I'm telling you." I shrug. "Look I know how this sounds, but it's a good match."

Rowan whistles and takes a drink.

"What?"

"A good match?"

"Well he is!"

"Right. Except this isn't feudal England and you're not the d.u.c.h.ess Apparent ready to inherit your lands and t.i.tles."

I roll my eyes. "Milton is a-"

"Milton?"

I frown at Rowan. "Yes, Milton. He's a good, upstanding member of our parish, good with the church, and strong in the community. He's a business owner, actually. Like you."

"Angel," Rowan suddenly steps closer to me, and I swallow quickly at the nearness of him.

"I'm willing to bet very good money he's nothing like me," he says quietly, the nearness of him suddenly tingling over me, and for a moment - for one brief moment, I find myself caught up in it all.

The handsome man, the easy smile, the perfect lips, the baritone voice that stirs something inside of me.

It's all very easy to get caught up in. But suddenly, quickly, I remind myself who this man is, and I shake the silliness from my head.

"You're right, he's not," I say quickly.

Rowan grins, turning to lean against the truck next to me.

"Not nearly as charming?"

"I was going to say not nearly as untruthful."

He laughs. "What's that mean?"

"It means Milton would never lie to his family about mysterious bruises on his face. He wouldn't have mysterious bruises on his face from big scary guys, actually."

"Well where's the fun in that?"

"Rowan."

"I didn't lie to my family, there's just no need to tell them."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't particularly enjoy making my family worry about me. Trust me, they're better off without this one." He nods at the bottle in my hand. "Are you seriously not going to touch that?"

I give him a look before bringing the bottle to my lips and taking a small sip.

"Atta girl."

We stand like that, sipping the beers and leaning against the side of the truck for a moment.

"So, you know this guy? Milton?"

"I- sort of. He's a little older. My father knows him through the church."

"You're not at all weirded out about having an arranged marriage."

"It's not-"

"It's not like that, I know, you've said that once or five times. I just mean, in the normal world, you meet someone, you click, you get to know them, and get to know what works with each other. You settle into it, and then you get married."

I look at the ground, picking at the label on the beer bottle in my hands.

I didn't know Joseph at all. Not really. I don't know what "clicking" with someone means. He was a strong member of the community and with the church, of course. He had his eye on seminary school.

I really don't know much beyond that my father thought he'd be a good match.

And then, there are parts of marriage that...well. There are parts of the process I'm not exactly familiar with.

Mostly parts that have to do with the wedding night.

I blush at the thought. I should not be having thoughts like that or thinking about things like that around this man. Not when he's standing so close to me like this.

"Well, you sure sound like you know what you're talking about."

He grins. "I'm saying this on observation, not experience."

He smiles at me, and this time, I smile back. "Thanks."

"For?"

I shrug. "For letting me talk about it all. I don't- well, I don't have a lot of people to talk about this sort of thing with."

"You mean arranged marriages."

I roll my eyes, grinning. "Not what it is, but sure. Yes."

"You and Chast.i.ty don't have long talks into the night about this?" He chuckles before I can even answer that one, before glancing at his watch. "You know what, I should get you home before the good Pastor Ellis sends out a search party. Let's go get the last few boxes."

Back in the storeroom, Rowan drags a mini ladder out and props it up against one of the shelves.

"Last of the paper cups," he says with a shrug as he starts to steady it.

"Oh, I can get that."

"Nah, I got it."

"I'm smaller," I shrug. "Plus you're stronger, so you hold the ladder, I'll climb."

I slip past him before he can say anything else and start to climb up.

"Whoa, easy," Rowan mutters, leaning in to steady it. "Careful, this thing is slippery as-"

And just like that, with a shriek, I go skidding right off the step. The world goes still, my heart skips a beat, and the air rushes out of my lungs as gravity yanks me down.

I gasp as I land in his arms. My hands cling to his t-shirt and his arms as I let the air out in a whoosh, every single nerve ending in my body firing at once. I jerk my head up, and our eyes lock.

My heart pounds.

His arms cradle me against him.

My fingertips brush his bare arms.

Whoa.

Rowan clears his throat as he sets me down. "Lets, uh-"

"Yeah, okay," I say quickly, stepping back from him the second my feet touch the ground and pulling at the hem of my shirt.

"Let's go ahead and leave that one up there," he says with a small grin. He grabs the last two cases of soda, and I can feel my face pulsing with heat as I watch him effortless lift those as well and walk out the door.

I follow, my heart still pounding.

I get into the pa.s.senger side of the truck as he closes up the back of the truck. His door opens with a creak, and he slides in next to me in the cab and turns the engine on.

"Look, are..." he takes a breath. "I'm not asking you to lie, I'm just asking if you could keep this between you and me." He shrugs. "The whole big dude with money thing."

I turn and smile at him, hoping the ridiculous blush is off of my face by now. "Only if you don't spill about me being a huge klutz back there."

"Oh, trust me, I'm keeping that one to myself."

He winks at me before pulling the truck around, and my face goes bright red all over again as we drive away.

Chapter Nine.

Evangeline