“Getting to stay here wasn’t what I was after ….” The thought hadn’t crossed his mind that she would want him to leave. It for fucking sure should have after the way he had spoken to her.
Setting the pails down, Ginny opened the door to an outbuilding. Reaching inside, she turned a light on before picking the pails up and carrying them inside. “I know what you were after.” Opening a refrigerator, Ginny set the pails inside before turning back to him. “You lost your temper because I was coming on too strong. I can’t blame you because you’ve been telling me you don’t return my feelings. Sadly, I became the very thing I’ve been running from myself.”
He gritted his teeth at her blaming herself. “Stop it, Ginny.”
“I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to back off and give you space.”
Why was it that, when she was giving him exactly what he wanted, Reaper felt as if his heart had just imploded, sucking all the oxygen out of the building.
Striving to maintain his equilibrium, he placed a hand on wooden table, sending the bottles on top rattling.
“Sit down, Gavin. There’s a stool right behind you.”
Drawing a deep breath became impossible.
With a firm hand on his shoulder, Ginny pressed him down. “Wow. Me backing off is that big of a relief?” Her attempt at humor didn’t help.
Unconsciously, he started tearing at his shirt, feeling as if it were strangling him.
Grabbing his hands, Ginny moved between his thighs. Releasing his hands, she then hugged him tightly. Side to side rocking movements had him gripping the stool as he tried to concentrate to get his lungs to work.
“While we’re here, we should go through the freezers and pick out what to have for dinner tonight. How does steak sound? Silas can light the firepit, and we can grill them. Or I can put a roast in the oven. Which one sounds better?”
“Steaks,” he gasped out.
“What would you like for sides? I can make baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, or sweet potatoes. Which one?”
“Baked,” he was able to wheeze his answer out.
“How about dessert?” she asked, pulling his hair back from his face to tuck behind his ears. “We could have ice cream. I saw several flavors in the upright freezer over there.”
Looking to where she was pointing, he saw a white freezer standing against the wall, next to a chest that was just as big. “Fried pie.”
Her hand went to his shoulder to stroke down his arm. “Cherry, peach, or apple? Silas keeps his preserves in here so any of the boys can grab a jar to take to their house whenever they want one. There might be some blackberry on the shelf or blueberry. I can’t tell from here, can you?”
He looked to the shelf that she was nodding at. Narrowing his eyes, he made out the scribble on the masking tape that Silas had used for a label. “They’re blackberry.”
“Which do you want?”
Breathing in a deep breath, he answered, “Apple.”
“I was hoping you would pick that one. Apple is my favorite.”
Taking another deep breath, he lifted his hand to wipe the beaded sweat away from his forehead.
“You’ll have to help me carry everything.” Releasing him, she went to the chest freezer and opened the door to lean over the side. “Want to come help me pick out the steaks?” she urged. “Silas likes rib eyes. I’m going for the sirloin. How about you?”
Getting off the stool, he shakily walked to the freezer, breathing in the cold air as it evaporated the clammy feeling from his skin.
There was a variety of different choices that he could choose from.
“Any T-Bones?”
“Let me see. Those are Isaac’s favorite. He usually hides a couple under the hamburger … or he used to. Let me see.” Moving plastic bags that had been sealed and neatly labeled, Ginny raised one with a triumphant grin. “Found one. Do you mind holding the steaks while I get the potatoes and the preserves?” Ginny went to a basket that was laying on the ground, leaving the freezer door open.
Reaper basked in the cold air, pretending an interest in the array of meat inside while Ginny shoved potatoes in her jacket pocket. Taking a jar of apple preserves off the shelf, she turned back to him.
“You find anything else?”
“No, I’m just amazed at how much is in this freezer. Are the others just as full?” He nodded toward the two other freezers against the other wall.
“Yes. They’re definitely meat and potatoes men.”
“The grocery stores in town don’t have this selection.”
“They butcher two cows a year. There’s a farmer just over the border in West Virginia who sells Silas his pork products. That’s what’s in one of the other freezers, as well as chicken, which he buys from the same hog farmer.”
“What’s in the other freezer?”