Carolina Moon

bent down to pick up his ruined glasses. He began to walk, with the young cotton between them. “One step at a time, Tory,” he said quietly. “I’m a patient man. You look around here, pay attention, you can see how patient. It took me three seasons to turn the farm around to where I wanted it. To what I believed in, and I did that against a couple of generations of tradition. There are people who still point and snicker, or grumble and curse. All because I didn’t go the way most are comfortable with, that most understand. And what people don’t understand usually scares them.”
    She looked at him, then away. The charmingly careless man who’d chuckled at her temper had a line of steel running through him. It wouldn’t be wise, she mused, to forget it. “I know that. I live with that.”
    “So why don’t we just consider ourselves two misfits, and see where that takes us?”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about. No Lavelle’s a misfit in Progress.”
    “You think that because I’ve yet to bore you senseless with the wonders of organic farming and the beauty of green cotton.” Casually, he lifted her hand, kissed the back of it. “But I will, as I haven’t had a new victim in months. Tell you what, you go on home. I need to clean up some. I’ll come by and get you in about an hour.”
    “I have things to do.”
    “God knows there isn’t a day goes by there aren’t things to do.” He opened her car door. “I’ll be by in an hour,” he told her as she slid behind the wheel. “And Tory? Just so there’s no confusion. This is a date.”
    He closed the door, then, tucking his hands in his pockets, strolled over to his truck.

10
    “O h, don’t be mean, Cade. I’m just asking one little favor.” Faith stretched out across her brother’s bed, her chin on her fists, and aimed her most winsome look.
    She’d developed the habit of coming into his room for company after Hope had died and being alone was unbearable. Now she most often dropped in when she wanted something.
    They both knew it, and he didn’t seem to mind.
    “You’re wasting those eyes on me.” Stripped to the waist, his hair still damp from his shower, Cade pulled a fresh shirt from his closet. “I’m using the car tonight.”
    “You can use it anytime.” She tried a pout.
    “That’s right, I can. And I’m using it tonight.” He gave her the smug smile reserved for irritating siblings.
    “I’m the one who did the marketing for the food you stuffed in your mouth.” She scrambled up to kneel on the bed. “And went to the dry cleaners to pick up your stupid clothes, and all I’m asking is to borrow your damn car for one evening. But you’re too selfish.”
    He slipped on his shirt, began to button it, with that same satisfied smile on his face. “And your point would be?”
    “I hate you.” She yanked up a pillow, heaved it, and missed by a good foot and a half. She’d never had decent aim.
    “I hope you wreck the goddamn car and end up trapped in a heap of twisting, burning metal.” The next pillow sailed over his head. He didn’t even bother to duck. “I hope glass gets in your eyes and you go blind, and if you do I’ll laugh when you walk into walls.”
    He turned away from her, a deliberate and calculated insult. “Well then, I guess you won’t want to borrow what’s left of the car tomorrow night.”
    “I want it now!”
    “Faith, my treasure …” He tucked the shirt in, picked up his watch from the bureau. “You want everything now.” Unable to resist, he picked up the keys, dangled them. “But you can’t have it.”
    She screamed, a primal war cry, and launched herself off the bed. He could have sidestepped, but it was more entertaining to brace and catch her arms before she could use those pretty, lethal nails on his face.
    Besides, if he’d nipped out of her way, she’d have plowed straight, blind with temper, into his dresser. “You’re going to hurt yourself,” he warned, dancing with her as he held her trembling arms high.
    “No, I’m going to kill you. I’m going to rip your eyes right out of your head.”
    “You’ve got a real obsession with me going blind tonight. You rip my eyes out, how can I see how pretty you are?”
    “Let me go, you bastard. Fight like a man.”
    “If I fought like a man, I’d just coldcock you and be done with it.” To infuriate her, he leaned down to give her a quick kiss. “It’d take less energy.”
    She slumped, eyes tearing