KATIE’S UNCLE’S KINDNESS had assuaged Brendan’s most significant concerns about this adventure until he was jolted out of sleep the next morning by the unholy blare of his alarm.
He fumbled for his phone to silence it. Four a.m. Dear God. He was used to early mornings with skating, but this was next-level. For a moment he reassessed how much he wanted Katie.
He stumbled around in the dark getting dressed; he didn’t think his retinas could take the glare of a lamp this early. Even the muted glow of the very charming hurricane lamp on the bedside table was too much. He tried to guess what would be useful to wear for farmwork. At least he didn’t have to worry about whether his clothes matched. Katie had seen him in far worse shape.
She was in the kitchen when he arrived downstairs, holding
