Free His Tempest by Candice Poarch Page B

his head. “I never thought my never-take-a-man-seriously sister would fall for a guy so fast.”
    Noelle just sighed.
    â€œI’m going to pick out something for dinner. There’s nothing to eat at your house,” he added.
    â€œWe’re going to stop by the grocery store next and I’m cooking dinner tonight. You deserve one of my home-cooked meals.”

    The paint was barely dry by the time Colin came over and helped Gregory move in the kitchen and living-room furniture.
    True to her word, Noelle prepared dinner and Colin stayed to eat with them. Afterward, Gregory escaped upstairs to watch a DVD on the television in Noelle’s room. Colin made a fire in the living-room fireplace, and sat in front of it on the rug.
    â€œSorry I’m so grungy, but I didn’t have time to change before I left,” he said.
    â€œI’m not Miss Pristine, either.”
    She looked good to him, Colin noted as he watched her backside when she leaned over to put cups of hot chocolate on the coffee table. She sat beside him and he pulled her close.
    â€œMy father said there was some good furniture stored in the basement. I have to look down there to see if I can use anything. I’m hoping they have a desk.”
    â€œYou might fix up that space one day to add to your living area.”
    â€œI doubt it. I don’t need more room. Plus it’s so dark and it needs rewiring. And the views from up here are breathtaking in every direction.”
    â€œI think I like that most about the farm.” He was really thinking that she was breathtaking.
    He should go home and get some sleep, but he couldn’t force himself to leave. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around how she’d thrown him for a loop or the fact that he wanted to spend every spare second with her. As much as he loved the thoroughbred business, she gave him added incentive to work even harder so he would be able to offer her something. Never had he considered the big M word before, but now all he could think of was having Noelle for himself. Of how he wanted to pay off the farm’s debts and save something for their future. Every morning her face was the first one he wanted to see. And the last thing he wanted was for her to leave after summer camp to work someplace else for the rest of the year. He wanted her near him. God, he wanted her in his home.
    But he couldn’t make any promises yet. He’d wait and see how his life played out. First he’d have to get his father off his back about selling the farm. With that threat over his head, he couldn’t begin to think about marriage. It hadn’t mattered before. But now everything, his whole life, had changed in a couple of weeks.

    The next afternoon Colin took some time off from the farm to hunt down Carp. He drove into the yard with the carpenter, who was one of the best in the area, that is, if you could get him sober enough to get the work done. He still did odd jobs at the farm, but someone always had to keep a close eye on him to make sure he didn’t sneak a drink. They couldn’t allow drunks around the horses.
    Carp’s father was a carpenter and he’d started working with his father when he was young. The older men would tease him about being a little carpenter and called him Carp. The nickname stuck and nobody called him by his real name, Benjamin.
    â€œCan’t believe Epps’s granddaughter is back,” Carp said. “Thought the daughter would eventually sell that place.” He shook his head. “That good land going to waste. What a shame.”
    â€œAt least it’s going to be put to good use now,” Colin said, dodging a pothole.
    â€œBeen so long, place couldn’t be in any kind of shape. Don’t keep up a building, it goes to seed.”
    â€œExcept Epps built sturdy buildings. I think it held up pretty well.”
    Carp grunted.
    â€œI’m counting on you getting those buildings in