Charlie was the first to speak. Of course. But he grinned as she said, “So…”
He didn’t respond, knowing she would go on anyway.
“You don’t seem like much of a hugger. But you’re really good at it, for the record.”
“I’m not much of a hugger, no,” he agreed.
She tightened her arms around him. “Thanks for making the exception for me. I really needed this.”
“You have a lot of people in this town who would happily hug you, Charlie.”
She nodded, her cheek moving up and down against his chest. But she didn’t let go. “I do. And they always make me feel better. But this”—she squeezed him slightly—”is officially my favorite hug.”
It was a stupid thing to feel proud of, but the Landry clan was a very touchy-feely bunch. There had been lots of hugs in Charlie’s life. If he could out-hug Ellie Landry, that was something.
“Well, you have a way of making me willing to make a lot of exceptions.”
He realized giving that knowledge to a woman like Charlie—someone who epitomized the saying “give her an inch, and she’ll take a mile”—was dangerous. But it was true. And if she didn’t know it already, she was surely starting to figure it out.
“You mean like owning a sloth?”
He smiled against her hair, but said, “Like not getting attached.”
That made her lift her head from his chest and look up at him. Her lips, right there, were tempting, but he knew she was going to use them to ask him a bunch more questions, and even if he kissed her now, those questions would come up. It was maybe better to have this conversation first.
“You try not to get attached?” she asked. But it didn’t really sound like a question. It sounded more like a clarification.
He nodded. “I do. I try not to get attached to people or animals. Anymore.”
“Because of what happened in the past? At the zoos?”
“Yes. It felt like getting invested and pouring a lot of emotion into things ended up making me overreact and eventually lose everything.”
“But you know the things you did were the right things to do,” Charlie said.
“I don’t regret doing them,” he said. “Just like you don’t regret what you did to get fired. But that doesn’t necessarily make it easier to have lost those things that mattered.”
“The animals?”
“Yes. I was very attached to some of them. But I also lost all the work I put in, the potential for the programs, and my respect and trust in the people that I worked with. I thought I was on the same page with my colleagues and bosses, and they put other priorities ahead of my expertise and beliefs.”
“So you came here, to what you thought would be a simpler job, to work with Tori—who you knew you could trust—and figured there wouldn’t be as many animals and people to get attached to and be disappointed by,” she summarized.
“Exactly.”
“But now you are getting attached?”
“You know Autre. It’s pretty hard not to get attached,” he said.
She nodded. “Of course, I’ve never tried not to get attached.”
“Trust me when I say it’s impossible. Especially with your family.”
“And with otters and goats who fall in love with you and pigs who are scared of thunder?” She smiled up at him.
“Yeah, all of that too.” His voice was rougher now as he looked into her eyes.
“And Ellie’s gumbo?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
“And now you have lemurs.”
“Yep.”
She wet her lips again. “Anything else?”
“Definitely. In spite of my best efforts and better judgment.”
“You don’t want to be attached?”
“I didn’t.”
“But you’re changing your mind?”
“I’m starting to understand that falling for things in Autre, Louisiana, is different than getting attached to things other places. For one, here, it’s deeper. I also realize that things here last. People do what they say and say what they mean here. And people do the right things for the right reasons. Or if they screw up, they say they’re sorry and do better next time. And everyone still has their back. That’s the kind of place I want to be.”
He could tell by the look in her eyes that that touched her and that she was very pleased that was his answer.
“So, you’re attached to my family, the otters, Ellie’s gumbo, the way everyone is fully accepting of everyone else—even when they screw up—and now you’ve got lemurs,” she said. “Is that the full list?”
He needed to tell her that he was falling for her. It would be dangerous. Charlie already knew that she had him pretty well wrapped around her little finger when it came to this new animal park idea. Knowing that she was working her way into his heart as well would make her even more brazen about the big, crazy ideas she brought into his life.
But he suddenly wanted big and crazy.
Actually, he’d always wanted big and crazy. The big and crazy ideas had once been his. But he’d let circumstances rob him of that creativity and joy.
It was back now. Because of this woman. Of course, he was falling for her, and he was willing to take the risk of admitting that to her. No matter how much that was going to turn his life upside down.
“If I was another guy, here is where I would say something sexy and flirtatious,” he told her, dropping his hands from her lower back to her ass and pulling her closer to him. “But I’m not. I’m pretty straightforward. So, I’ll tell you that the number one thing on the list of things I’m getting very attached to is a sassy, sweet, larger-than-life hot blonde who has no idea what the word ‘no’ means and is, for some reason, insisting that I need to be happy.”
Her eyes widened slightly and then, much to his chagrin, filled with tears.
“Jesus, Charlie,” he said, loosening his hold on her. “I’m sorry if that’s too much.”
She immediately tightened her arms around him, holding him close. “No, no, it’s not too much. Or, maybe it is, but I feel the same way.”
He paused, searching her eyes. “You’re getting attached too?”
She smiled. “You really can’t tell?”
“It’s been a while. I’m pretty good at keeping people at arm’s length.”
“Except my family. And me,” she said with a grin.
“You people have no respect for emotional boundaries,” he said. “Thank God,” he added with a smile.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to apologize for that.”
“Good.” He lowered his head and took her mouth in a kiss that started soft and sweet.
But she unlinked her fingers from behind his back and slipped her hands under the bottom edge of his shirt. Her hands on his bare skin made heat arrow through him. Just that simple touch, and he wanted to devour her.
The kiss turned hot and dirty quickly, and before he knew it, he had her backed up against the otter enclosure door. Her hands came around the front, running up over his abs to his chest. He slipped his hands under her shirt as well. Her skin was hot and silky, and he stroked it greedily, loving the way her stomach muscles tensed under his touch, and goosebumps broke out as he stroked his fingertips up her sides to cup her breasts.
They made out against the door for several delicious minutes but were soon noticed by the otters.
The furry family came scampering over to meet the new girl and ask Griffin if this was the one he’d been pining for over the past couple of months whenever he came to the enclosure to talk.
They really needed to stop making out where there were animals around.
He pulled back from Charlie, chuckling as the otters surrounded them, slipping between their feet and going up on hindlegs on Charlie’s calf, welcoming her to their home.
She looked down, her eyes wide. “Well, hello there.”
“Charlie, this is Gus and Gertie and their kids. Snickers, Skittles, Rolo, Hershey, and Ba
by Ruth.” He named them off, pointing to each in turn. He didn’t even feel like an idiot telling her they were named after candy. “Everyone, this is Charlie.”
“Nice to meet ya’ll,” Charlie said, grinning widely at their names and playing along with the introduction.
“They’ve heard all about you,” Griffin told her.
“Yeah, Mitch said that you and the otters have regular conversations,” she teased, running her hands up and down his sides again.
Even with a family of otters looking on, his desire for her hadn’t cooled a bit.
“You can’t believe everything Mitch tells you.”
“Actually, I think I can. Mitch is one of my nicer cousins. And, frankly, you talking to otters is really not that hard to believe. I’m sorry if that ruins your tough-guy image.”
Griffin’s hands were resting on her hips now, and he slid a hand to her ass and gave her a little pinch. “Good thing me being an animal nut is such a turn-on for you.”
“It really is,” she said sincerely.
“And you think that you can still be into me if we go back to my house instead of having sex in a barn?”
She laughed. “I think it’s worth a try.”
Griffin wanted nothing more than to spread this woman out on his bed, lick her from head to toe, make her come at least three times in a row, and then keep her there all night.
That would seal his fate, he knew. Having Charlie in his bed would make it so that he would never want another woman there.
And still, he knew that was exactly how this night was going to go.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said.
“But—” she said, actually looking disappointed.
“But?”
She looked at the otters. “I’ve done yoga with them, but I haven’t really had a chance to pet them and feed them… Or have a deep, meaningful conversation with them.”
“You want to stay and hang out with the otters for a little while?”
She shrugged. “I mean, we’re already here. It would be rude for me to leave after just meeting them officially for the first time.”
Griffin looked down at the otters and back to her. He narrowed his eyes. “Okay, fine. We’ll stay for a little while. But if you think you’re going to make them like you more than they like me…” He blew out a breath. “It’s very possible that could happen.”
She gave him a bright grin. “You really think so?”
He pushed back from her, catching her hand and linking their fingers. He shook his head. “I really think so. You are, after all, quite delightful.”
* * *
Baby goats in pajamas were probably the cutest thing Charlie had ever seen.
She’d hung out with the sloth and lemurs for the past five days, learning about them and how to handle and feed them from Griffin. And they were awesome for sure. But the cute award definitely went to the tiny goats that were now prancing around the barnyard. In pajamas.
She’d stumbled across a video of goats in pajamas when she’d been researching the animals. She’d immediately come up with the idea for the party and had thrown it together in just two days. But it was going very well. Ticket sales had been higher than they’d expected, and everyone involved seemed to be having a good time.
Well, the visitors seem to be having a good time. The staff looked a little harried, and the animals looked a little confused.
That was fair. Charlie was feeling a little harried and confused herself.
Why wasn’t she enjoying this more?
The pajama party was going off exactly as she’d envisioned it.
Families had been invited to come to the petting zoo, also in pajamas, to watch a kids’ movie and enjoy some snacks with the goats.
The kids were thrilled, the parents were all grinning, and the money from the event was going to be at least double what Charlie had spent on supplies.
The movie was being projected on the side of the goat barn, and the guests were sitting around the pen on hay bales or blankets spread out on the ground. The kids were eating raisins, strawberries, carrots, and celery, all of which they were able to share with the goats. All, of course, were Griffin-approved.
Charlie found him across the goat yard. He was roaming, keeping a close eye on the activities within the pen. For the most part, things had gone smoothly, but she could tell he was on edge.
Maybe that was why she was on edge.
Maybe spending the last five nights having the best sex of her life with him—in an actual bed—had made her even more in tune with him.
“Hey.” Fletcher moved in next to her, leaning onto the fence, mimicking her stance.
“Hey.”
“You okay?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Yeah. Why?”
“Because you’re scowling at a bunch of little kids watching a cartoon movie and a herd of goats in pajamas. Which are probably some of the cutest things ever. If that is making you frown, something is up.”
She definitely shouldn’t be scowling. Because she should like this. But also because it would look bad to any of the parents who noticed.
“This is… not feeling the way I expected,” she told her cousin.
“How so? This looks pretty fun. My kids were really excited about it.”
She looked at him. “Your kids? You have some students here?” She didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to her that he would know some of the kids. Of course, he would.
He nodded. “A bunch of them. About ten of these kids were in my class this past year. And I’ve taught probably half of the older kids here tonight.”
Charlie turned toward him, resting one elbow on the fence. “You’ve taught here for what? Three years?”
“Just finished my fourth.”
“And you love it.”
“I do.”
“And you reached out and talked kids into coming tonight,” she said. It wasn’t a question. She’d just realized it, but she wasn’t surprised.
“I might have sent an email.”
She reached out and squeezed his arm. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
He chuckled. “It wasn’t a have-to. This is a fun event, and I knew they’d enjoy it. Besides, you know we all do our part for family stuff.”
They did. They were all a part of everything everyone else did. That, she was sure, could seem meddlesome, but it was nice.
Yes, working here with the Landrys and very few boundaries or guidelines was definitely different from her past jobs. But she was quickly getting used to knowing that there was a whole group of people who would have her back and believe in her no matter what she wanted to try.
“So, you think it’s going well?” she asked Fletcher.
“I do. Why don’t you?”
“This is the first major event we’ve hosted with multiple children.”
Over the past two weeks, they’d seen an increase in visitors, but all the children had been with parents, and there had been no formal activity.
They had definitely been enthusiastic about the jungle tour hats and the sticker books, but there hadn’t been one big coordinated activity for kids until now.
The other activities she’d tried, including an extra session of otter yoga and a knitting class held in the alpaca yard on picnic tables and using yarn made from alpaca wool—not wool from their alpacas yet, but that was on the research-this list as well—had been a huge hit. But those had been attended by adults. This was different.
This was a much bigger group and included kids from ages four to about ten. The kids were enthusiastic about hanging out with the goats. Maybe a little too enthusiastic. She doubted that anyone could really hear the movie over the excited kid chatter and laughter, and she tried to take that as a good sign. Of course she wanted people participating in their activities to be excited and laughing.
But she was a little bored.
Well, maybe not bored, exactly, but she was feeling restless. While the event had definitely broug
ht more visitors in, it also seemed… gimmicky. The kids were interacting with the animals, but it felt chaotic, and she wondered if the younger kids in the group would somehow be misled into thinking the goats actually wore pajamas to bed.
And that was a sure sign that Griffin Foster was rubbing off on her. He’d spent the past week and a half insisting that no, she couldn’t have an event called Lunch with the Llamas because they didn’t have llamas, they were alpacas.
He’d made changes to nearly every one of the informational signs she’d wanted to put up around the otter enclosure. He’d tried to get her to offer bundles of hay to the guests tonight in place of the fruits and vegetables for the goats and hadn’t seemed at all concerned about the fact that hay bundles were not edible for the human guests.
She knew she was driving him crazy. And, apparently, he’d gotten under her skin as well because she didn’t want kids leaving tonight thinking that goats wore pajamas on a regular basis. She was now more worried about accurate animal facts than she was about their guests having fun and bringing in more business.
But people were having fun, and there was nothing wrong with that, she reminded herself. In fact, if people had fun, they’d be more likely to come back. So, in the future, she could do something more meaningful—whatever that would be—for the same crowd. Tonight was a great kickoff to more community and family activities at Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild.
She’d just started to believe her pep talk when she heard, “That’s enough!”
Charlie straightened immediately. That was Griffin’s voice. That was Griffin’s angry voice. Not that she had experienced a lot of Griffin’s angry voice. She was much more used to his obstinate voice. And his know-it-all voice. And his exasperated voice. But she didn’t have to have direct experience to know that that was most definitely an angry voice.
She located him immediately. He was standing near a family of five who was seated on two hay bales toward the middle of the group.
The father was on his feet facing off with Griffin, and one of the little boys was standing just behind his father’s leg, looking sheepish.
Fall in Love Book Bundle: Small Town Romance Box Set Page 248
