5. Cielo

Dominic’s droll comment had become oddly prophetic as we stopped at one of the few traffic lights in the town. The windowfront of the corner building, a bakery, was lit with color and light. Even if it hadn’t been for the sparkling decorations adorning the front of the shop, the building proper would have still stood out. Its bright green was blatant among the rest of the buildings, painted in deep reds and sharp white.

I leaned across the seat of the truck to get a better look, grinning at what I saw. Cakes and cookies were laid out for anyone passing by, covered in purple and blue frosting that twinkled with edible glitter. Stars and planet decorations were pressed to the window, and as I watched, a small light made a show of a comet passing across the top. It was apparently the owner’s homage to the upcoming celestial event, and it made me laugh.

“Good Lord, he’s gone too far this time,” Dominic muttered.

I grinned wide. “I think it’s lovely.”

“Only because it matches your clothes.”

Normally, I might have taken the attempt at criticism to heart. Yet something about Dominic’s gruffness made it impossible for me to take him too seriously. He was like a grumpy old man, sitting on his porch and waving his cane at any kid who dared to get too loud near his property. It was a little bit of a show in my opinion, and I only shot him a wink, which he promptly ignored.

In the fashion I’d come to expect from him, I was dragged into the only department store in town. Within minutes of being in the store, Dominic had picked a set of overalls and tall rubber boots and had them up to pay for them. I looked over the clothes, wondering if maybe I could make a new statement back in New York with the look. I was sure I could do something with the denim overalls, to make them a little more interesting. It was something to consider for future projects.

The oddest part however, was on our return. The townspeople who spotted Dominic’s truck all raised their hands in greeting. Without missing a beat, he returned the gesture, smiling at them. Every single greeting and the well wishes thrown his way seemed completely genuine, and I watched in amazement. Typically direct attention on the street from strangers was something I’d learned to avoid in the city, but then again, I doubted the people greeting Dominic were strangers.

The trip back to the orchard was made in silence, as most of our meal had been, save for the radio. Yet it had been turned down making it indistinguishable from the rest of the noisy truck’s groans and the howl of the wind as Dominic drove.

When he parked, he glanced at me. “Go get those clothes on and meet me in the orchard. I’m going to need to show you how this works.”

I wanted to ask what we’d be doing, but he was already out of the truck and heading for the rows of trees. Shaking my head, I took my work clothes and headed for the house. As much as I’d been tempted by the idea, I realized, after having put them on, that there was no way I could ever make rubber boots fashionable. There was bound to be something I could do with the overalls, but the boots were an absolute lost cause.

Dominic was waiting near a ladder, brow raised. “Couldn’t figure out which boot went on which foot?”

I looked down. “Couldn’t figure out if the legs of the overalls should go in the boots or over. It’s freezing out here.”

“Once you get to working, you won’t even notice the cold. Now come here, and I’ll show you how to pick an apple.”

I laughed. “You just… pick them off, right?”

He turned. “Really? Do you know how to tell a ripe apple from one that should sit for a little while longer?”

“I’m guessing the ripe ones are red.”

“And there’s a smell to them, which I can’t show you unless you come over here and stop talking so I can teach you.”

I thought the rebuke sounded more exasperated than outright irritated, and again I was reminded of the grumpy old man on his porch. Still, I kept my lips shut tight and drew close to where Dominic stood. He used a low hanging group of apples to make his point as he lectured, letting me take a sniff and a feel of each before letting me choose the apple I thought might be a candidate ripe for picking.

His mouth twitched, almost smiling at my choice. “Good, you catch on quick. But how about you get on that ladder and find one from a group I didn’t already figure had a ripe one in it beforehand.”

I eyed the ladder apprehensively. I wasn’t the most graceful of people and had a tendency to find myself on my ass just by simply walking. As a rule, I avoided ladders, not because there had been any incidents with me seriously hurting myself, but I also didn’t wish to tempt fate.

“Scared of heights?” Dominic asked.

“Not really the heights, just the sudden stop at the end if you fall.”

He gave me a small smile. “You won’t fall far if you do. Plus, I don’t have cheap ladders, these are sturdy.”

Not feeling all that reassured, I mounted the ladder and began to climb. It required more time than I was sure Dominic would have preferred but I was thankful for his lack of comment as I took the steps carefully. The ladder did indeed prove to be sturdier than I had given it credit for, barely shifting even as I reached the top.

A little more comfortable, I reached out to take hold of a branch and hold myself in place. Carefully I examined the apples I could see dangling, dismissing the ones which were obviously not the right color. The rest required me to run over the different hints Dominic had given me, touching and sniffing the apples.

There was one particular apple I was positive was the perfect one. It required me to reach higher than before, taking hold of one of the higher branches so I could stretch out with the other hand. I felt the ladder wobble when I leaned out too far to the right, tipping myself dangerously. My grip on the branch tightened, but the bark was soft and slick with moisture, and I couldn’t keep hold.

I managed a cry as I felt myself tip over the edge of the ladder and straight toward the ground. I clenched my eyes shut, awaiting the impact. Instead, I felt myself snatched out of the air and yanked toward a hard, warm body. When I opened my eyes again, I was dangling half a foot above the ground, clutched in Dominic’s arms.

For a moment, I gaped up at him, startled into silence by the absence of the hard landing I’d expected. Slowly, the stunned silence turned to warmth as I allowed myself to relax. I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to get too comfortable, but it was astounding to be so easily caught and held as if I were nothing. I’d known Dominic was strong, but it was something else entirely to see it in action.

With a grunt, he set me down. “You need to be more careful. Even a good ladder can’t save you from falling if you’re not smart about climbing them. Never reach out that far from a ladder, get down and move the damn thing. You don’t need to kill yourself out here to earn your keep.”

It was gruff, it was grumpy, and I only nodded my understanding. I was beginning to think every part of Dominic’s hard-assed exterior was only a façade. I hadn’t missed the man’s temptation when I made my offer the night before, or the way his eyes had lingered on my barely covered body that morning. His hesitation in putting me down after catching me had been telling as well. I wasn’t fooled by his denial, but I wasn’t going to push it either. I didn’t have the money to stay in town or somewhere close and I was dependent on his hospitality until my friends arrived.

“Sorry, I thought I found the perfect apple to show you,” I admitted.

“Well, don’t go falling off a ladder to prove it. Plus, all you had to do was point it out and I would have told you if you were right. Just do this, without hurting yourself, and you’ll be fine. The real picking comes in another week or two, when just about every apple you come across out here is going to need to be picked.”

I winced. “I at least get a lunch break, don’t I?”

He snorted. “Man’s gotta eat, of course you get lunch, and dinner. Now get to work and be careful, I’m not going to follow you around to catch you like a princess.”

I bit back the teasing comment that practically begged to be voiced. Normally, I wasn’t one to throw out anything witty, knowing it would usually fall flat. It was for the likes of Erin and occasionally Russ to have a clever comment on hand ready to fire. Something about Dominic brought it out in me, but I wasn’t going to risk the couch I was staying on.

Which was exactly why I hadn’t said much about his obvious attraction to me. I had been comfortable with my sexuality since middle school, but had only felt comfortable enough to come out my Junior year once I was sure I wouldn’t be dragged out into the streets. My parents had been mildly interested when I’d told them, my friends had long since known, and it seemed that no one at school really seemed to care. As for me, I had been freed of the secret I’d kept since the onset of puberty and had taken to my new identity with great vigor.

No longer restrained by the need to keep it secret, I had made a few light attempts at dating. That had been a learning experience, and I hadn’t stopped trying until I moved to New York. Once there, and I connected with others who were far more worldly than I’d ever been, my attitude toward attraction and relationships had mellowed, in my opinion.

I honestly didn’t see the danger in having a bit of fun with Dominic. Either the man was just so far in the closet that he didn’t realize or want to admit he was attracted to me, or he was terrified that someone else would know. Considering the guy lived out in the middle of nowhere, the chances of someone stumbling upon us having a bit of fun seemed minimal.

I didn’t know how he did it either. When someone attractive looked at me with desire, as I had already done with Dominic, I was immediately onboard for whatever happened. My friends had helped me to ease back on my once fervent desire to find a relationship and settle down. They taught me to enjoy the ride along the way, savoring a few different flavors before I committed to just one dish.

Well, that was what I’d taken from their conversations with me. My trio of friends were a lot looser about their definition of rules. Erin outright refused to settle down with just one person, dating several people at one time. Russ himself enjoyed a multifaceted relationship with his current girlfriend, while still openly sleeping with his ex-boyfriend. Izzy never seemed to have either a boyfriend or girlfriend, but quietly cycled through different partners depending on her mood and as far as I could tell, the alignment of the stars. I preferred to have myself some fun while waiting for someone serious to come along, but I kept that reserve of romanticism to myself.

I found I liked it when I was prone to getting lost in my own thoughts. There were many times throughout the day where Dominic would disappear to another row, or off to do something else in the orchard, leaving me to myself. At those times when I was left to my own devices, my well-practiced art of entertaining myself came into play. If I hadn’t, I would have found myself thinking a little too hard on just how difficult the work was.

As the sun began reaching the horizon, Dominic headed over. “You look like you’re about ready to collapse.”

I sagged against a tree. “I haven’t worked this hard since I was put to work in my father’s greenhouse.”

His brow rose. “You know, in the three dozen stories you told me today, you never mentioned your father had a greenhouse.”

“Devoted his life to it.”

To the point that I might as well have not seen him for most of my childhood. The sightings had been even more infrequent after the divorce, but that wasn’t the sort of story I liked to tell. Most of my later childhood might have been spent in a trailer park, but it had been a good life, if a little lonely. The most I had seen of my father as I grew up was when he had offered me the job at the greenhouse.

“It wasn’t fruit or anything, mostly flowers and other random plants,” I said with a shrug.

“Sounds like you aren’t going to be taking up the family business anytime soon.”

I laughed. “I thought lugging around bags of fertilizer, watering plants all the time, and spraying pesticides was too much work, let alone this. I think I’ll leave the art of growing things to the people who like it.”

“I see you took your jacket off.”

I snorted. “I realized I wasn’t freezing anymore, but sweating, so I took it off.”

It looked like I wasn’t the only one, as there was a thin layer of sweat on Dominic’s forehead. Then again, he had been working at a far harder and steadier pace than me. I was sure if I’d tried to go at even half the pace he had, I would’ve dropped within a couple of hours. Dominic however managed to look sweaty, but not even remotely tired.

I wanted to hate him a little bit for that.

He nodded. “You wouldn’t know it at first, but getting your blood pumping out here can make you forget the cold.”

My reply died before it could really begin as he bunched up the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up to wipe his brow clean of sweat. His stomach was perfectly flat, with the dips and lines of a man who was no stranger to hard work. A thread of desire wound its way through my midsection as my eyes swept over the dark hair on his stomach and lower part of his chest. It was not the toned and trimmed bodies I was used to seeing and suddenly I had a whole new interest in the working man.

I did manage to recover from staring by the time he lowered his shirt with a weary sigh. Never was I more pleased with wearing loose fitting overalls than I was in that moment. It was fitting that I couldn’t pitch an actual tent in the woods, but catching just a glimpse of Dominic’s stomach had raised an entirely different one.

He raised a brow. “You alright?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You’re looking… redder than before.”

I shrugged. “It’s been hours since I ate and I’m not getting less tired.”

He shook his head, seemingly exasperated with the ‘city boy’ who couldn’t keep up. I was willing to let him think whatever he wanted so long as he didn’t realize that I was giving serious new consideration to what else was hiding on his body. I couldn’t help but wonder if the rest of Dominic’s tan body was as strong and hard as his stomach. Or if the tent he might pitch would be an impressive one.

“Well, why don’t we get inside then? I don’t need you collapsing out here and having to spend the next couple of days resting on my couch doing nothing.”

“Yes, we must avoid the horror of me not working myself to the bone in an apple orchard.”

“A couch you’re paying for by working in that same apple orchard.”

“I still feel like you’re getting the better end of the deal here. You get an extra pair of hands, and I get a couch.”

“I’m sure those three-square meals a day, plus the dessert you’re getting should be worked into those factors.”

I lit up at the mention of dessert and then sighed. “It’s apple pie, isn’t it?”

He grinned. “Peach cobbler, actually.”

At that, I followed after him a little more eagerly than before. I was sure I was going to be dreaming of apples after having spent the entire day surrounded by them.

Well, that and a set of amazing abs.