She sighed as she lifted the chicken onto a platter and began to carve it. There was really no reason why she couldn’t or shouldn’t let nature take its course. Sex with Jackson would be spectacular. Of that, she had no doubt. If they came together physically, it would be explosive. No, that wasn’t why she was holding back. It was the emotional attachment that worried her.

Emerald had never slept with a man she hadn’t been in love with. It just wasn’t in her nature to take these things lightly. The fact that she was seriously considering sleeping with Jackson told her that she was already in over her head when it came to him. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she spooned up carrots, mashed potatoes and corn onto their plates. She was already half in love with the man.

Wrapping her arms around her waist, she hugged herself tight. As if her life wasn’t confused enough at the moment, she had to go and add something like this on top of it. Shaking her head, she picked up the plates and placed them on the table. The shower had gone off and Jackson would be here any moment.

By the time she’d placed the platter of chicken on the table, she could hear him on the stairs. Taking one last look to make sure that everything was in place, she slipped into her chair just as he strode into the kitchen.

“Everything smells great.” His hair was still damp and brushed the back of his denim shirt. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled back to reveal darkly tanned forearms sprinkled with dark hair. His fingers were thick and long, his palm broad. They were strong, capable hands and she remembered all too well what they felt like against her skin.

Sucking in a deep breath, she picked up her fork. “Thanks.”

They ate in silence, the only sounds the scrape of their utensils against the plates, the clink of their drinking glasses as they sipped iced tea and their deep breathing. Finally, Emerald couldn’t take it any longer. “Tell me about the farm.” In the week she’d been here, she’d barely ventured beyond the yard.

Jackson finished chewing and swallowed. He laid his fork down and sat back. She could tell she’d surprised him with her willingness to talk. He’d tried the first few days she was here, but she’d shut him down. Now she was feeling badly about that. He’d only been trying to be friendly and put her at ease, but she’d been feeling too raw and had just wanted to be left alone.

“What do you want to know?”

She shrugged. “Everything.”

One corner of his mouth kicked up in a grin. His jaw was covered with evening stubble and a lock of hair tumbled over his forehead. The collar of his shirt was open, exposing his strong throat and neck. A tuft of hair peeked out from between the parted fabric. It gave him a roguish look, like a sexy pirate. His blue eyes stared intently at her, making her squirm in her chair.

He leaned back and linked his hands over his flat belly. She swallowed and laid her fork down on her plate. She couldn’t eat with him watching her so intently.

“This farm has been in my family for several generations. My grandfather owned it first and then my father.”

“And now it’s yours.” She marveled at having such a family legacy.

“Not quite mine.” He looked thoughtful. She could tell he was picking his words carefully. “It belongs to the three of us—me, Nathan and Erin. Our father never liked the farm, never truly wanted it or us. Our mother died when Erin was just a kid and he just went through his days until I was eighteen. I knew he was going to sell the farm and I offered to buy it from him. At first he laughed.”

Emerald couldn’t look away from Jackson. She could sense his underlying pain even though his words were matter-of-fact. She thought about her own parents—so loving and giving—and couldn’t even imagine what it must have been like for Jackson and his siblings. She and her sisters had known nothing but love and acceptance and encouragement. They’d been very lucky.

“Then what happened?” she prompted after he went silent.

“He agreed to give it a go and moved to Florida. The three of us worked like dogs and finished paying off the farm a few years back.”

Jackson was the oldest, so she knew he’d born the brunt of the workload on his shoulders. She could also tell from the way he was shifting in his seat that he didn’t want to talk about this subject any longer. “So, tell me about the farm itself. What kind of apples do you grow?”

He tilted his head to one side, watching her, gauging her reaction. “We grow about fifteen varieties, including your more popular Macintosh, Ida Red, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and Courtland.” Sensing her genuine interest, he kept going. “We’re all organic. That’s the first thing I changed after I took over the farm sixteen years ago. Took a while and a lot of hard work, but we’re now certified organic.”

That was smart of him, but then, she’d never doubted Jackson’s intelligence. “Erin mentioned something about alfalfa and blueberries.”

He nodded. “We own the orchards and a few more acres of land, but we also lease Abel’s land from him. Have for years. Erin cultivated blueberry fields on her own and has a U-pick operation that’s been doing real well the past few years. She convinced me to take a few acres of the orchards close to her crop and designate them as U-pick as well. That way folks can come and pick apples and berries. She takes care of that end of the operation. The rest of the orchards are harvested and bagged or pressed to make cider. We sell a lot of them at the small stand that Erin set up to sell berries and apples to those who don’t want to be bothered with picking them themselves. The rest are sold to local stores. I also grow fields of alfalfa and hay and sell it to local farmers as feed and bedding for the animals.”

Emerald was fascinated. “It really is a family operation.”

“Sure is. We all work hard, especially from late August to late October. Erin convinced me to put in a pumpkin patch a few years back, so now we have a U-pick pumpkin patch that’s busy in October.”

“How do you handle it all yourselves?” The sheer amount of physical work was daunting.

“We do the bulk of the work ourselves, but we hire local kids, mostly students looking for extra money, in the late summer and fall. For a few weeks, it gets real busy around here.”

So far, she hadn’t seen anyone but Jackson and his family. She couldn’t imagine that much activity around the place. “Wow.”

Jackson chuckled. “Yeah. It can get pretty crazy around here. But don’t worry, most of the activity takes place away from here. We put in another road a few years back and that’s where we built the fruit stand. That way, we get a lot of drive-by traffic, especially on the weekends. Although, by the end of September, the barns will be filled while we’re waiting for buyers to come and pick them up.”

Now she knew where Jackson got all those hard muscles. His work was incredibly physical. “What are you doing now while you’re waiting for the harvest?”

“Watching for pests and disease, mowing the orchards, checking on the other crops.” He shrugged. “There are always a million things to do.”

“You love it, don’t you?”

A slow smile slid across his face. For the first time since she’d met him, Jackson appeared relaxed and happy. “Yeah, I do. There’s no other life for me.”

She nodded. She’d already known that, sensed it, but now he’d confirmed it. If she got involved with Jackson it would be a short-term affair. His life was here and hers was back in New York with her sisters. But it would be an affair to remember for a lifetime.

“What about you?”

She shook off her thoughts. “What about me?”

He chuckled and the sound made her stomach clench. “Tell me about your work. About Sisters’ Jewels.”

She picked up her glass and took a sip of iced tea, wondering where to begin. Laying her glass on the table, she made a decision. “Maybe I can show you instead.” She pushed away from the table and disappeared into her room for a moment. When she returned, she had a box in her hands. “This came day before yesterday. I didn’t go outside,” she hurried to reassure him when he frowned. “The mailman left it on the back step and I got it after he left.”

“Good,” he nodded. “We can’t take any chances.”

Her heart stuttered when he said we. “Well, in any case, my sister sent along a few things.” She opened the box and pulled out some of the items inside. There were journals covered in ornate designs, including their signature jewel ones. Each journal cover was designed around the birthstone of that month. The color of the ink and the design itself were all focused on the birthstone and the corresponding flower. There was even a semiprecious birthstone set into each journal cover. These were one of their most popular sellers.

Emerald pulled out greeting cards with figures of ancient goddesses and some with Middle Eastern designs. There was stationery in various colors, including a perfume collection they’d done. The scented paper filled the air with the smells of rose, vanilla, jasmine and lavender.

There were also a few pieces of jewelry that Sapphire had designed. Emerald planned on giving one of the necklaces to Erin.

Jackson was just staring at the mound of merchandise she’d piled on the table. “Well, what do you think?” She hadn’t been this nervous since the first day they’d opened the doors on Sisters’ Jewels. For some reason, Jackson’s opinion was very important to her.

He pushed his chair back and stood. Coming around the end of the table, he reached out and touched one journal, then another. His long fingers gently traced the designs on all the items. Emerald almost groaned. She wanted his fingers on her, touching her skin. Her nipples tightened almost painfully as she watched him flick one of the stones set into the cover of a journal. Between her thighs, her sex clenched and her panties dampened.