There were several cars parked outside the farmhouse. Neil parked next to a silver SUV. Then, before I had the chance to do it myself, he was at my side, opening my door for me.
“Thanks,” I said, my eyes flicking up to meet his before both our attentions were drawn to the house. The front door flew open, and a tall, burly ginger appeared. TheBigSix, or Adam, certainly lived up to his online name. He was well over six feet tall and had one of those husky bear physiques. He wasn’t what I’d call fat, but he wasn’t thin either. He wore jeans and an open work shirt with a T-shirt underneath, and a giant smile spread across his face as our eyes met.
Before I could react, he strode forward, picked me up, and surrounded me in a tight hug. “You made it!” he exclaimed, his Scottish accent rumbling through me. “Look at the wee size of ye. I didnae know you’d be so tiny in person.”
I pushed him off, scowling playfully. “I’m not that small. You’re just a feckin’ giant.”
Adam gave a boisterous laugh. “Aye, true. It really is good to see you. I’m only sad Winona couldn’t make it.”
“Winona?”
“Yellowshoes. That’s her real name,” he explained.
I smacked my forehead. “Right. I forgot. Well, she was hardly going to fly all the way over just to spot a few UFOs. You know she’s not into all this stuff as much as we are.”
“At least her flight wouldn’t have been as long as my drive. It took me the guts of a day to get down here,” he said, and his attention finally fell on Neil. I glanced at my friend and found him staring at Adam as though he was trying to figure something out.
“And who’s this?” Adam asked.
“This is my friend, Neil. I think I’ve mentioned him to you a few times. Neil, this is Adam.”
Adam nodded as he stepped forward, holding his hand out to Neil in a friendly manner. A beat of silence fell before Neil took it, and they shook hands, both eyeing one another as though trying to get the other man’s measure. “It’s good to meet you, Neil.”
“And you,” Neil replied, his demeanour a little stiff.
Adam stepped back. “Well, come on inside and say hello to the others. You two are the last to arrive, so we’ll head out to set up camp soon.”
Neil fell into step beside me while Adam led us inside. “He fancies you,” Neil murmured with his hand at my elbow.
“What makes you say that?” I asked. I’d suspected Adam’s crush for a while, but I’d always considered it harmless, mostly because I never expected to meet him in real life. But now, well, now we had met. I wasn’t sure what made Neil spot that he fancied me, though. Aside from scooping me into a hug, Adam had behaved perfectly ordinary.
“I can just tell,” Neil replied, a slight rumble in his voice that I hadn’t heard before. I couldn’t say I hated it. A thrill went through me at the thought of him being jealous.
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if he makes a move,” I said, testing the waters of his possible jealousy.
He frowned hard. “He better not.”
“Why? It’s been a while, and I deserve some action.”
Something ticked in Neil’s jaw. My God, he had to be jealous. This was priceless. I loved how intense and broody he’d suddenly become. “Because we’re sharing a tent,” he grunted. “And I don’t wish my sleep to be interrupted.”
I reached out to touch his arm. “Relax, darling man. Your beauty sleep won’t be interrupted. Whatever Adam feels for me, it isn’t reciprocated. I only see him as a friend. If he makes a move, I’ll kindly inform him of that.”
Neil’s gaze fell on me, and I tried to read his thoughts, but his expression was too hard to decipher. His only response was, “Good.”
We entered the farmhouse, and Adam introduced us to the rest of the group. Some of them I knew from the internet, while others were new to me. There were twelve of us in all. After the introductions were made, we lugged our camping gear across several fields to the spot where we’d supposedly have the best view if any UFOs were to make an appearance.
Neil carried our tent, his backpack, and the rest of our belongings, only allowing me to carry the sleeping bags, which weren’t very heavy. When we arrived at the camping spot, he spread a blanket out on the grass before handing me a water bottle from the cooler box and instructing me to sit and take a load off. He was treating me all special, and I was quite overcome. If he wasn’t careful, I might swoon.
I watched as he read the instructions before going about erecting our tent. He’d taken his jumper off, leaving him in a plain navy T-shirt that gave me a good view of his biceps and forearms. The way they flexed as he held a metal pole in each hand before inserting one into the other. Oh, no, a swoon was upon me. It was happening!