Stained Heart by Crystal Joy

Author:Crystal Joy [Joy, Crystal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crystal Joy

8

Grace opened the oven door and pulled out the charred cherry pie. Smoke spiraled all around her, stinging her nostrils. She turned on the ceiling fan to air out the kitchen. Not the best way to start a Monday morning. Was the oven repairable or broken for good? She’d have to call an electrician to find out for sure.

A laugh bubbled in her throat because if she didn’t laugh, she’d cry.

“What happened?” Caleb walked into the kitchen, wearing shorts and a camo T-shirt that fit snugly around his biceps.

“I was baking a pie, and the oven started smoking. I turned it off as soon I smelled the burnt crust.” She yanked the oven mitt off her hand and tossed it on the counter. “It’s one broken thing after the next. This place is a money pit.”

“You need a break. Which is perfect because I came down to see if you’d want to go out for that day of fun that I promised you.”

She shook her head. “I have a million things to do. First and foremost, I need to get a hold of an electrician.”

“You have a million things to do?”

“Maybe not a million, but stuff that should get done today.”

He smirked, making the dimple in his cheek more pronounced. “Now you’re changing the story. Call an electrician and then meet me outside in fifteen minutes. You won’t be gone all day, and you can finish that to-do list of yours when you get home.”

She bit her bottom lip. Getting away for a while did sound nice. Mom could let the electrician in and the rest of the chores could get done later. “Okay.”

“Great.” He rubbed his hands together, a mischievous spark lighting in his sky-blue eyes.

“I don’t like that look. Where are we going?”

“I’ll put it this way; I’m willing to bet it’s something different from anything you’ve done before.”

He had that right. His something different was a helicopter ride. An hour after their conversation, she sat in the parked aircraft, her stomach doing flip-flops at the thought of going up hundreds of feet in this thing. “I’m afraid of heights.”

Caleb took her hand and squeezed it. “Think of this as ‘me time.’ You work hard. You deserve to have a little—”

“Fun,” she finished. “So, you say, but I’m beginning to realize your idea of fun and my idea of fun are not the same.”

He laughed—a rich husky sound that soothed her nerves.

“Let’s go before I jump out.” Her heart raced as she buckled her seat belt.

Grinning, he pressed several buttons on the console. The engine purred to life. He handed her large padded headphones. “Put these on.”

She adjusted them over her ears as the aircraft vibrated, then rose into the sky. She clutched the sides of her seat. Her stomach somersaulted. How had she let him talk her into this?

He glanced over at her and winked. “Stop worrying and look down.”

Look down? She swallowed hard and glanced out the window. Lush green farmland stretched as far as she could see.

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