“I made you lose your appetite.” She couldn’t explain why she suddenly felt teary-eyed, as if she had stolen something precious from him. Alanna shook her head to clear her thoughts. “We were having fun. I didn’t mean to spoil the good time we were enjoying.”

“You couldn’t spoil a second of time I get to spend with you.”

Flushing, she removed her hand from covering his. “Did Silas tell you that Ginny won’t get to her shopping tomorrow?” Alanna didn’t give him time to answer. “I won’t be needing you to go to my home to get my things. What Mrs. Bates gave me is more than enough to get me through. I asked one of the women I work with at the real estate company to pack up my personal belongings and put them in storage, and sell the rest, including my house.”

“Silas told me. So, you’re selling your house?”

“Yes, I only moved to Ohio because I was getting away from a bad situation. When my court case is over, I’ll either be in prison or I can go wherever I want to live.”

“Might as well plan to live here. Kentucky is going to steal your heart.”

She had a terrible feeling a part of Kentucky already had. Each time she looked into Matthew’s eyes, she felt as if he was stealing another part of her soul.

“It wouldn’t be hard to do. I’ve only been here three days, and I feel more at home than I ever felt in Ohio and Indiana.”

“Must be me.” He grinned.

Alanna laughed at his shameless flirting. “No, it’s the fishing.” Alanna picked up her fishing pole as if it was the most important thing in the world that she caught a fish.

“You suck at fishing.”

She lifted her eyebrows at him. “Excuse me? Where are the whoppers you caught? I’m not the only one fishless.”

“Fishless?”

She shrugged. “You know what I mean.”

“The fish aren’t biting because the water is cold. The fish are going to the bottom of the pond, where it’s warmer.”

“Then, why have we been wasting our time?”

“I couldn’t think of another way to get you to go on a picnic date with me.”

Alanna met his eyes. “This is a date?”

“Yes, for Kentucky, it’s a normal first date.”

“Really?”

“Well”—he grinned—“it is when your date has to wear an ankle monitor.”

Alanna embarrassedly looked away from him. He had only been joking with her, like he did with the rest of his family. During the two dinners she had spent with him and his family, he had been constantly joking with them.

Matthew tugged on a lock of her hair, making her return her eyes to him. “I even took a picture of our first date.”