5. Lyra

5

LYRA

T wo days had passed since Waylen started working on the garden, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't help but watch him whenever he was around.

Today, especially.

I tried to focus on the herbs in front of me, carefully plucking the dried leaves from their stems and placing them in the small spice jar, but my thoughts kept drifting back to him. Every time he crossed my mind, I glanced out the window, and there he was—his broad back hunched over a patch of weeds, working his way through the overgrowth.

It drove me crazy how my heart insisted on skipping a beat every time I looked his way. I barely knew him, and yet something about him kept drawing me in. I frowned, irritated, as my owl perked up at the thought of him, making the situation even more unbearable.

She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

I pretended not to notice her and reached for another sprig of dried oregano to remove the leaves from. Ignoring my owl didn't stop my thoughts from drifting back to Waylen, though.

Why did he have such a magnetic hold on me?

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake myself free from thoughts of him. And it wasn't just his presence that reeled me in either, part of it was the fact that he genuinely knew what he was doing in the garden beds. His efforts out there were paying off, because things were starting to look under control again.

"Good grief, stop mooning over him," I scolded myself, tearing my eyes away from his muscular back for the millionth time in the last hour.

I didn't have time for this—for him.

There was too much to do around here. The last thing I needed was to be distracted by a man who was, at best, a temporary worker, and at worst, someone I didn't even know. Plus, there was still something about him that didn't quite add up.

It felt as though he was hiding something.

"Are you going to be grumpy all day, or are you finally going to lighten up?"

I jumped, startled by Granny's voice. I hadn't even heard her come into the kitchen. She stood by the doorway, giving me one of those knowing looks that made it clear she could see right through me.

"I'm not being grumpy," I said, but I was sure the heat that crept up my neck gave me away.

She didn't look even the slightest bit convinced. "Well, grumpy or not, I know there's something bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me." I sighed. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Like a certain someone working out in the garden?"

I shot her a glare, but it lacked any real bite. "Granny."

"Just remember, dear, life's too short to let good things pass you by. Now, come help me with these tinctures, and try to keep your mind on the task at hand, hmm?"

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, even though a small smile tugged at my lips as I followed her to the dining room table, where she'd been working on her tinctures.

Was she right, though? Was Waylen something good I shouldn't let pass me by?

As the morning wore on, I found myself moving back and forth between the garden and the kitchen, my hands busy with tasks I knew so well—cutting herbs and stringing them up to dry.

"Ready to share what's gotten into you today?" Granny asked, pulling me from my thoughts as she made her way into the kitchen.

I grabbed a few more sprigs of rosemary and tied them together to be hung to dry.

"Nothing has gotten into me today," I said with too much bite etched into my words. She made a noise, and I knew I'd better watch myself. Granny could be a bear when she wanted to. I cut another piece of twine and wrapped it around the stems of the rosemary I'd gathered together. "I'm fine."

"Suit yourself," she huffed, clearly unconvinced by my response. "It's nearly noon. Why don't you go ask Waylen if he'd like a turkey sandwich for lunch."

I froze, knowing that if I went out there, I'd only be feeding into the curiosity gnawing at me about him. Still, offering him a sandwich was the polite thing to do. After all, he'd been working in the garden all day. He was bound to have worked up an appetite.

"All right," I said, trying to compose myself. "I'll be right back."

As I stepped outside, my eyes immediately gravitated to Waylen and my owl instantly perked up. I nudged her to the side, not wanting to deal with her antics right now, and started toward him. He was still shirtless, his toned back muscles soaking up the sunlight, while he continued to work in the bed he'd been in nearly all morning.

Exhaling a slow breath, I remind myself that I was only out here to offer him a sandwich, I wasn't out here to ogle him. However, as I approached, he stood to his full height and turned to face me. I blinked once, caught off guard by how ripped his abs were.

The man didn't have a six-pack—he had an eight-pack.

"Hey," he said, flashing me a wide smile. "What do you think? It's coming along nicely, isn't it?"

I crammed my hands into the back pockets of my jeans and tore my gaze away from him to the garden, hoping I wasn't drooling over the sight of his muscles. "Yeah, it looks good." I lifted my gaze to lock eyes with him. "We're making some turkey sandwiches for lunch. Do you want one?"

"Sure, thanks." His grin grew, and he leaned toward me, causing my heart rate to spike. "Think I could get two? I'm starved."

My owl went wild at his sudden close proximity, throwing me off balance, but I quickly recovered. "I'll put in a request, but I make no promises," I said, before walking back to the cabin to help Granny with lunch.

Once inside, I closed the front door behind me and leaned against it for support. Closing my eyes, I exhaled a slow breath.

"You didn't invite him in to sit at the table and eat with us?" Granny's voice cut through my thoughts.

"I didn't think about it, no," I admitted, pushing off the door and heading for the kitchen. "He did say he'd like two sandwiches, please."

I peeked out the kitchen window, watching as he collected the tools he'd used and headed toward the shed. The moment his eyes met mine, I ducked out of sight, my heart racing in my chest.

Enough, Lyra. You can't let yourself get distracted like this .

I pulled in a deep breath, trying to steady myself, and then I focused on helping with lunch. Once the sandwiches were made, along with a fruit salad, I carried everything to the small dining room table Granny had already cleared off. Before I could step outside to tell Waylen lunch was ready, she'd already called him in.

A wave of nerves washed over me as I heard his footsteps walking through the cabin.

When he entered the dining room, my owl stirred at the sight of him and my heart kickstarted inside my chest. I dropped my gaze from him to the plates I'd been setting out, mentally scolding myself and my owl for our reaction to him.

He was a distraction—one we didn't need right now.

What we needed was to focus on Granny's herbal business and get those garden beds back in order so they were easier to manage going forward. Dating wasn't anywhere in there.

It couldn't be.

Not right now.

"Thanks for inviting me in for lunch," Waylen said, his voice caressing against me in the small dining room. "I appreciate it."

Why was his voice so damn sexy right now?

Granny waved a hand dismissively. "Nonsense. You're working hard out there. The least we can do is feed you. Now, sit down and eat."

I moved to take a seat across from Waylen, but Granny gave me a pointed look and nodded toward the chair beside him. "Sit there, Lyra. It's closer to the fruit salad, and I know you'll want more than one serving." She shifted her attention to Waylen. "It's her favorite."

I paused for a moment, but knew there was no point in arguing. Granny clearly had her own agenda. With a sigh, I took the seat next to Waylen. Instantly, I could feel the heat of his presence beside me. It settled my owl like nothing ever had.

"Help yourself," Granny said, motioning to the food on the table, a wide grin spreading across her face.

Waylen didn't hesitate. He grabbed himself two sandwiches from the stack in the center of the table and flashed us both a smile.

"Thanks," he said. "You know, I think that garden out there is secretly trying to kill me. Those wild blackberries are vicious. The thorns tore my hands up today."

"And here I thought you were supposed to be a garden tamer," I said, keeping my tone light but not letting him off the hook.

Something passed across his face—was that unease?

"I am," he replied, taking a big bite of his sandwich. "But I swear those blackberry plants have a mind of their own. Every time I pull one up, two more pop up to take its place overnight. It's like a bad magic trick."

Granny chuckled, clearly amused by his words. I pressed my lips together, fighting the urge to smile, but it was becoming harder with every word he said. I couldn't let him get to me—I couldn't afford to let my guard down any more than I already had.

My owl ruffled her feathers in frustration, and I could almost sense her glaring at me.

"I'm telling you," Waylen continued, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. "If I disappear one morning, it's because those blackberry bushes finally did me in."

The ridiculous image of him wrestling with blackberry plants made me laugh before I could stop myself. I tried to cover it with a cough, but it was too late—Waylen had caught it. His eyes lit up with satisfaction, and my heart fluttered in response.

No guy had ever looked so pleased to make me laugh.

Something about the way he found joy in the smallest moments pulled me in.

Granny made a noise—one of her knowing hums that had me glancing her way. She gave me a look that made it clear she could see right through me. It was like she knew I was losing the fight to keep my distance from him, even if I hadn't fully admitted it to myself yet.

The connection between us felt inevitable. Magnetic. I wasn't sure how much longer I could resist it—or if I even wanted to anymore.

But with everything going on in my life, the last thing I needed was more complications. Waylen was here to help with the garden. That was it.

At least that was what I kept telling myself.