Betty straightened from Grayson’s embrace, feeling the awkward tension between them as she adjusted her jacket. Her fingers fumbled slightly with the zipper, but she managed to pull it up, smoothing the fabric over her shoulders. Grayson, standing a few steps away, shifted his weight and then rose to his full height.
“I didn’t know the axe would be so heavy,” Betty said, trying to sound casual, though her palms were still warm from holding the handle.
Grayson chuckled, a low, almost amused sound. “It’s not really that heavy,” he replied, his tone teasing but calm, as if he had anticipated her comment.
Betty glanced at the pile of logs they had been working on. Grayson, with effortless precision, swung the axe again, splitting the logs quickly into manageable pieces. The sound of the woo
