Free Among Wildflowers by Stella Rose

and offered him her sweetest smile. “Would you mind if I took some photos of your house? Our readers would love to see what a lovely home you have.”
    Ryland looked at her for a moment. “Of course.”
    “Thank you,” Macy said.
    Helen was beside her in an instant. “Let me get those dishes for you. Can I get you two anything else?”
    “No, thank you, Helen. It was delicious as always.”
    “Thank you, Macy.”
    “Lane, why don’t you head back to the cabin and check in with the office while I get some shots around here?” Macy wanted to put some space between Lane and Ryland. They had to get a good story while they were here, and that wouldn’t happen if the two of them were butting heads.

CHAPTER TEN
    Ryland watched Macy closely as she wandered the main floor of his house, snapping pictures. She stayed a long time in the spacious living room, getting a lot of shots of the spectacular fireplace and overstuffed couches that made the room warm and inviting.
    “Take a seat here,” she said softly, gesturing to one of the couches.
    “You’re going to take a picture of me?”
    She rolled her eyes and gave him a smile that made his chest tighten slightly. “Come on, Ryland Quinn. I’ve seen your music videos and Google is plastered with shirtless photos of you. I doubt you’re very shy. Now have a seat.”
    He couldn’t help but grin. “Have it your way.”
    She sat on the couch directly across from him and brought the camera to her face, snapping a couple of quick photos as he settled into his seat.
    Ryland leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees and clasping his hands together. He smiled naturally as she took a few more photos. He was surprised at how little she spoke. He had expected her to pick up where Lane had left off.
    “Thank you,” she said, smiling. She wandered into the kitchen where she took another few photos. “I would die to have a kitchen like this. You could practically fit our whole apartment in here.”
    Ryland simply grinned, shoving his hands inside his pockets. He was unsure why he felt shy around her—bashful almost.
    “Can I get some outside?”
    “Sure.” He followed her as she grabbed her jacket and headed out onto the porch where she took some pictures of the view. He appreciated the fact that she had her back to him so he could unabashedly look at her. Her long blond hair lay loosely around her shoulders. Her sweater and jeans hugged her body in such a way that he couldn’t stop his gaze from traveling to her backside. When she started to turn around, his eyes immediately darted away as he coughed and rubbed the stubble on his chin.
    “You must never get tired of this view. I’d be out here all the time if I lived here.”
    He grinned and stepped closer, nodding. “I love it here.”
    Macy looked around the porch. “These rocking chairs are gorgeous.” She stepped closer to them. “I’d love to get a picture with them. Do you think we could dust this one off?”
    “Don’t!” he barked, as her hand moved towards the pile of wildflowers on the seat of the chair. He cleared his throat and offered an embarrassed grin. “Um...I’m just going to move this one out of the way for now. Helen can take care of it later.”
    “Oh… okay,” Macy said, her voice laced with confusion.
    Ryland picked up the chair, carefully holding it perfectly upright so as not to disturb the flowers, and deposited it on the other side of the porch before returning to where Macy stood.
    “Would you like me to sit here in the chair?”
    “Yes, please.”
    Ryland sat down in the rocking chair, suddenly overcome by a shyness that he wasn’t accustomed to. Macy stepped closer and crouched down before him, and he caught himself staring at her full lips as she looked down at her camera and fiddled with the settings. She looked back up and his gaze was met with the most stunning green eyes he had ever seen. He felt mesmerized and blinked back to reality when she began snapping. She