“Humph.” Vance ran a hand along my calf. “You can take your jeans off too. Don’t want you to get sick . . .” Perhaps he wasn’t as good at focusing as I thought.

I popped his upper arm and was going to leave him to float away, but before I could, Vance reclined until he was resting in my arms. I widened my legs to accommodate him, using my body as a chair of support. The back of his head rested against my chest, and I feared he could feel the wild beat of my heart and the quickening of my breath.

Watching him for a moment, I raked my hand through his damp curls to move them out of his eyes, combing through much longer than necessary. Of course Vance didn’t mind a bit. I finally made myself stop touching him, but not before tracing the bronze line of freckles along the bridge of his nose with my fingertip. The tiny specks were only a few shades darker than his skin. I’d never found freckles appealing before seeing them worn by this guy. With him reclined in front of me, the view was much more intimate and everything about him was alluring.

Vance took a stuttered breath, his body tensing, putting my mind back on the reason we were out at the pond.

I picked up the jar from the grass behind us and held it to his mouth. “Here. Drink some more.” After getting a few more sips of tea into him and it staying down, I placed the jar on the ground and started to work on his speckled forearms, where most of the gum had been collected.

“How do you stand working with this mess?” Vance tried helping me wash his arm, but his fingers were like limp noodles, so he plopped his hand into the water and snuggled closer to me.

“It’s what my pa’s family has done for a living as far back as I know.” I lowered his arm into the cool, clear water, tamping down the urge to scold him for not listening about how to dress properly. He’d learned that lesson the hard way, and it was doubtful he would ever forget it.

Once his body was free of the gum and I’d talked him into chewing on a mint leaf to help combat the funk of his breath, I planted my hands behind me on the rocky bottom of the pond and raised my face to the sun. Vance leaned back until his head rested against my chest. We both closed our eyes and got still for a minute. The distant puttering of tractors was a reminder that we weren’t as secluded as the surrounding shelter of trees made it appear, but it was still easy to imagine we were alone in the middle of a country oasis.