No More Secrets: A Small Town Love Story (The Pierce Brothers Book 1) by Lucy Score Read Free Book Online Page A

of work boots. Strong arms lifted her up despite the protest in her lower back.
    Carter held her by the shoulders until she found her footing, which took longer than it should once she realized he was shirtless. Ripped did not do justice to the chest and torso she was staring at. Broad shoulders and an expansive chest tapered down into a six-pack that would make most of the male underwear models Summer knew cry. His jeans rode low on his hips revealing those exquisite twin creases that directed her eyes lower still. There were scars, too. On his shoulder and his chest.
    Her hand raised to touch them before she stopped it.
    Summer’s cheeks flushed and she brought her wayward hand to her hair. “Why are we stopping?” She willed herself to look only at his face and tried not to sound so out of breath.
    “We’re done.”
    She looked around. What had been a green field hours before was now empty. She’d been so absorbed in the labor, focusing only on the next head of romaine, that she hadn’t realized how much had been accomplished.
    Beckett and Colby were loading the last of the crates into the back of the pick-up.
    “We’re done,” she repeated.
    Carter relieved her of her knife and work gloves. He pressed a fresh water bottle into her hands. “Drink.”
    Gratefully, she obeyed.
    The cool water slid down her dry throat like a deluge after a drought.
    To think that he did this every damn day of his life. She stole a glance at him. Dirt and sweat streaked across his forehead and did absolutely nothing to make him less attractive. His work gloves were tucked in the back pocket of his jeans. The slight sheen of sweat that coated his chest and back made her lick her lips before she realized what she was doing.
    It was clear that nothing about the work had left his body weeping the way hers was.
    He waved Beckett off as the pickup pulled away heading in the direction of the little barn.
    Carter flipped over an empty crate and dropped it on the ground behind her. “Sit.”
    “Why?” Summer asked, even though her entire body begged her to obey.
    Carter merely advanced on her until the backs of her calves met the crate and she sank down.
    “I’m fine,” Summer muttered.
    He crouched down to her level and his broad shoulders shrugged. “I didn’t say you weren’t.”
    Annoyed, she picked at the lace of her boot. “I’m just not used to this.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Yet.” His lips quirked at her stubborn promise.
    “You did a good job today. Not everyone can spend three hours harvesting lettuce.”
    “It was harder than I thought it would be,” she admitted. It was harder than it should have been, she corrected herself, and that made her mad.
    “Anything worthwhile is.” He tugged at the leg of her jeans. In addition to the dirt-caked knees there was another hole now, this one near the ankle. 
    “I missed a head and got my jeans,” she confessed.
    Carter’s long fingers probed the hole looking for a wound. The line between his eyes was back.
    “It’s fine,” Summer sighed. “I just got denim. No flesh.”
    “No blood, no foul. You ready to go?”
    “Where are we going?”
    “Don’t you get tired of asking questions?”
    “No,” she said primly. “Where are we going?”
    “Home.” He tugged her to her feet.
    “Are we done for the day?” Summer tried to sound nonchalant, but there was nothing she wanted more in the universe than to be done.
    “We’re done, but we’re going out to dinner. Can you be ready by six?” He kept his hand on her lower back as they walked toward the Jeep. It still felt nice. Steadying. It gave her something else to think about besides the grating pain radiating from her back.
    “What time is it now?”
    He smirked. “Four.”
    “That’s two hours from now. Are you being a smart ass?”
    “Not entirely,” Carter grinned. “Who knows how long it takes you city girls to wash the farm off of you?” He picked a leaf out of her