Might as well park down by the barn. Whenever she rode with Rory and Damaris, they took Jake, Diablo and Strawberry. Winston had been added to the mix, probably for Rory since he’d want Aleck to ride Diablo.
As she parked near the barn, Jim went back inside. A few seconds later, Aleck came out, his stride brisk and his grin a mile wide. Her skin flushed with happiness and she smiled back. Thank you, Rory.
He rounded the nose of her truck and opened her door. “It’s good to see you, lass.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” She left her hat on the seat and climbed out. He held his ground, very much in her space. She didn’t mind. So what if she had some trouble getting her breath? “Your beard’s growing in nicely. There’s a bit of red to it.”
He nudged back his hat. “One kiss, here by the truck. That’ll have to do for now.”
“Are they ready to go?”
“They’re up at the house fetchin’ our lunch. I asked if I could stay down here and meet you. I’m sure they know why. Will your lipstick smear?”
She rested her palms on his warm chest. “Probably.”
“Did you bring more or do I have to be careful?”
“Can you be careful? As I recall, you’re a very lusty—”
“I can do anything that’s required if it means I get a wee kiss.”
“You’re funny.”
“And you’re the bonniest lass I’ve ever known.” Cupping her shoulders, he held her fast and dipped his head. “Must I be careful?”
“I brought lipstick.”
“Good thinkin’.” He covered her mouth with his.
Heaven help her, she caught fire instantly. Gripping the back of his head with both hands, she opened to him, pulling him deeper into the kiss and welcoming the firm thrust of his tongue.
His breath roughened and his fingers tightened on her shoulders as he made sweet love to her mouth. She whimpered, longing to snuggle against him, but he held her firmly, not allowing their bodies to touch.
Much too soon, he drew back, gasping. “Your mouth is…temptation enough, lass. If I hold you any closer…” His hot gaze said it all.
She gulped and nodded. “Understood.”
“I feel obliged to mention that we have no plan goin’ forward.”
“No, we don’t.” She dragged in a breath. “What do you think?”
“We’re all comin’ into town tonight for the show. Rory wondered if I wanted to be left there with you.”
Her pulse raced. “What did you tell him?”
“I said I’d ask if—”
“Silly man! Yes!”
His gaze sparkled. “Alrighty, then. It’s a date. I’ll be bringin’ my tartan.”
“You’ll dress for the parade at my place?”
“Makes the most sense. Rory will transport my pipes, but I need to be dressed and ready to go when he gets there.”
“I’m really excited, now.”
His eyebrows lifted. “More excited about my plaid than my tadger, are you?”
She laughed. “I’ve experienced the one, but I’ve never watched a Scotsman suit up. That could be extremely—”
“Hey, you two lovebirds!” Rory’s voice rang out. “Wrap it up! Winston’s gettin’ impatient!”
The Paint whinnied obligingly.
“See? Don’t want to keep that horse waitin’!”
“Be there in a minute!” Aleck examined her mouth. “You need fixin’.” He pulled a red bandana out of his back pocket and began carefully wiping the area around her lips.
“Where did you get a bandana?”
“Rory gave me several of his. Already used one this mornin’ while I was muckin’ out stalls. Came in handy.”
“You cleaned stalls?”
“Aye. Worked with Rory and Jim Underwood. Great guy.” He smiled and stepped back. “Better put on a wee bit more. I kissed most of it off.”
“Okay.” She grabbed her lipstick out of her purse and used her side view mirror to put it on. “Nice of you to help clean stalls.” She recapped the tube and stuck it back in her purse.
“Didn’t do it to be nice.”
“Oh?” Retrieving her hat, she shut the door and turned to him. “Then why?”
He grinned. “My brother said it was good for what ails me.”
“And was it?”
He glanced at her. “Absolutely.”
“What did—”
“Tell you about it later.”
Tansy willingly tabled her questions now that she’d have private time with Aleck tonight. Whatever his insights, they’d clearly put him in a cheerful mood. He laughed and joked with Damaris and Rory as everyone mounted up.
Damaris had grown up riding the trails at Wild Creek, so she took the lead on Jake as they headed out, followed by Rory on Winston. Tansy was the second most experienced rider, so she and Strawberry brought up the rear, following behind Aleck on Diablo.
He was learning fast. His heels stayed down and he seldom gripped the saddle horn anymore. His neck reining abilities had improved, too. Considering this was only the second horseback ride of his life, he was doing great.
Rory turned in the saddle to grin at Aleck. “Tickles me to see you moseyin’ down the trail behind me, big brother.”
“Tickles me to hear you use the word mosey. Next thing I know you’ll be chewin’ on a piece of straw and sayin’ I reckon it’ll rain tonight.”
“I already say that. Damaris, didn’t I just say that?”
“No, you said the night’s pure dreich like you always do. Makes me giggle.”
“I love the Scottish phrases,” Tansy said. “They’re so colorful. I hope you hang onto them, Rory.”
“Damaris says that, too. Havin’ Aleck around helps. Did he tell you he might be comin’ back for the weddin’ in September?”
“No, he didn’t.” Talk about a conversational bombshell.
“Guess he was too busy kissin’ to mention it.”
Aleck looked over his shoulder. “I was plannin’ to tell you, lass.”
“No worries.”
“I still need to check with Campbell. He wasn’t in when I called this mornin’ so I’ll try again tomorrow mornin’ before the parade.”
“Sounds good.” Could he tell that inside she was dancing a jig at the possibility that he was even considering it?
“Badger wants Aleck to be his backup in case he can’t learn the pipes fast enough to play at his weddin’.”
“That was his plan? I don’t know a whole lot about bagpipes, but is that even possible?”
“Might be,” Aleck said. “I’m convinced he’ll work really hard, but it wouldn’t hurt to have me as backup if it doesn’t come together for him.”
“It would make it easier to think of you leaving if you’re coming back in a couple of months.” Did she sound giddy?
Must have, because he gripped the pommel and turned to give her a smile. “Was hopin’ you’d be excited about the idea.”
“I certainly am.”
“Me, too.”
“How’s everyone doing?” Damaris took advantage of a curve in the trail to stop and glance back. “Specifically, how are you doing, Aleck?”
“Unless I start takin’ videos and forget I’m seated on a horse, I’ll be fine.”
“I doubt you’d make that same mistake twice. We’ll go another mile or so down the trail and stop.”
“Assumin’ I work it out to come back in September, will I have lost the ground I’ve gained?”
“Probably not, but it wouldn’t hurt if you do some riding when you get home. Is there a stable in your area?”
“Don’t know. Never mattered before. I’ll check it out.”
“I’ll bet there is.” Rory beamed at him. “Like she said, it would keep you in the habit of ridin’. Next time I’ll show you the spot where Zane releases his birds.”
“And if you’re lucky,” Damaris said, “he might be releasing one while you’re here. If he knows you’re coming, he might be
able to make that happen.”
“I can’t believe I haven’t done that yet,” Tansy said. “I so wanted to go with you guys last month but then Michael got the flu…”
“That was tough luck,” Damaris said. “Next time.”
“Zane takes them on a horse? I can’t imagine how he—”
“They’re in a carrier.” Rory gestured toward Jake. “He rides this horse because he’s used to havin’ the carrier on his back.”
“So I was on Strawberry that day,” Damaris said. “We rode out to the edge of a ravine where there’s always a nice updraft, which helps the bird gain momentum.”
“Spectacular experience, seein’ that bald eagle take flight.” Rory took a breath. “I’m not ashamed to say it brought tears to my eyes.”
“I’d love bein’ a part of that.” Aleck glanced at her. “A lot of variables, though.”
And he wasn’t comfortable with variables. She gave him a smile of encouragement. “Let’s hope it works out.”
“We’ll think positive,” Damaris said. “Let’s get going, okay? I’m hungry.” She clucked to her horse and started back down the trail.
Aleck might be coming back in two months. No guarantee, but what an improvement over having him leave with no specific plan to return. Maybe they’d go to the wedding together. He might even end up playing his pipes if Badger’s skills weren’t up to snuff.
Which brought up another issue. “Hey, Aleck, are you taking your pipes home or leaving them here?”
He looked over his shoulder. “Been thinkin’ about that. The pipe band doesn’t have any gigs scheduled between now and then. August is usually slow for us. If Campbell gives me the time off, it would be easier to leave them here.”
“Damaris and I can keep ’em,” Rory said. “Or maybe Aunt Kendra could.”
“I’m sure she’d be willin’,” Aleck said, “but I’d feel better if you had them, Rory. I know you have a wee cabin, but—”
“I get it.” Rory said. “We’ll keep ’em for you.”
“Or I could take them.” It was a bold statement that assumed she had girlfriend status and could be trusted with something that valuable. Clearly he treasured those pipes.
“That’s an idea,” Aleck said. “You know what? Now that I’ve seen your place, I think you might actually have more room for them.”
“Then she should definitely take them.” Rory didn’t hesitate. “I confess Damaris and I are a wee bit crunched in that cabin. Come to think of it, you might have more square footage and storage possibilities than we do, Tansy.”
“I think I do. So it’s decided. If Campbell gives you the go ahead, then after the parade, you can store them with me until September.”
Having him come back then would be lovely. It made the ocean that still separated them seem a little smaller.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Now, because you’re so responsible, I’m not too worried, but you need to be ready when I get there in the mornin’.” Rory had to raise his voice to be heard over the country band that had followed Bryce and Nicole’s show.
“I’ll be ready.” Aleck appreciated that Rory and Damaris had stayed to keep him company after the rest of the family had left, but he’d rather not talk about tomorrow. He was far more focused on the present. Tansy got off work in about thirty minutes. He’d carried a duffle loaded with his tartan up to her apartment when he’d arrived.
“I don’t expect you to be rested. Just ready.”
Aleck chuckled. “Wise man.”
“Damaris and I will be waitin’ in the parkin’ lot at six sharp. That should give us enough time to walk down to the stagin’ area and check in when we’re supposed to. Want me to text you when we leave the ranch?”
“No. I’ll be ready.”
“Alrighty, then. I’m glad you’re doin’ this parade with me, for a lot of reasons, but if we didn’t have this gig, I’d be ridin’ on the GG float tomorrow jugglin’ servin’ trays.”
“The GG has a float?”
“Aye, and marchin’ is way more my style than ridin’ on a float.”
“Why would you be jugglin’ trays?”
“They didn’t have a bear suit to fit me. They had one to fit Tansy, though.”
“She’s wearin’ a bear suit tomorrow?”
“She didn’t tell you?”
Maybe he did need to hear about tomorrow, after all. “No, she—”
“Never mind. You guys have been busy with other things. She’s wearin’ a suit Aunt Kendra loaned her from a previous event. Unless you knew it was her, you wouldn’t recognize her. She’ll be dancin’ around while Nicole and Bryce play.”
“Then I guess she’ll be walkin’ down with us.”
“That’s what I figured.”
“She was probably goin’ to tell me tonight.”
“Probably.” Rory smiled. “Unless you get distracted.”
“Aye.” Anticipation churned in his gut.
Damaris leaned around Rory. “I’ll be wearing a pygmy owl costume tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“I’m riding on the Raptors Rise float. The Whine and Cheese Club is short one of their members because Judy’s out of town, so—” She paused. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”
“I have some idea, lass. Rory mentioned the Whine and Cheese ladies. Aunt Kendra and Jo are members, but why are they on the Raptors Rise float?”
“Since the baby was due any day, Kendra and Jo volunteered the Whine and Cheese Club to handle their float this year. They’re huge backers of the sanctuary so it makes sense.”
“And you’ll be a pygmy owl?”
“Right. That’s Judy’s costume. I’m taller than she is but I’ll make it work. Mandy created the outfits a year ago. She didn’t finish in time for the parade, so they used them for a Raptors Rise benefit later. They deserve another outing, though.”
“They sure do,” Rory said. “I’ve seen Aunt Kendra’s, which is a golden eagle. Jo’s a falcon, Christine’s a bald eagle and Deidre’s a barn owl. I haven’t seen those other three, but I’m sure they’re amazin’, too. They should be in the parade every year.”
“I had no idea this thing would be so elaborate.”
“And fun.” Damaris grinned. “We’re dancing to Shake Ya Tailfeather.”
Aleck frowned. “I don’t know that one.”
“I didn’t either,” Rory said. “But it’s cute. When they sing the chorus, they turn around and shake their bums. I hate that we won’t see it but we’re also a musical entry so they can’t have two together. Even if you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have seen it because I’d be on the GG float jugglin’.”
“Can you juggle?”
“I can, now. Cody taught me. He learned it from Badger and Ryker, who taught themselves when they were in the military. They’ve already recruited me for the Christmas show. I think Raven juggles, too.”
“Christmas show?”
“Yeah, they have it here, in the GG. It’s a local talent show and proceeds go to Eagles Nest families in need. I hear that it’s great fun.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“You know what? You should come over for that. We should get Ma and Da to make the trip, too.” He turned to Damaris. “How about it, lass? Would that be pure tidy, havin’ everyone here for Christmas?”
“Sure would.” She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “What do you say, Aleck?”
“My head is spinnin’. I’ll have to see. I’ve told Badger I’d try to make it to his weddin’. If that works out the way we hope, then comin’ again in December…that’s a lot of days away. I don’t think Campbell will go for it.”
Rory held his gaze. “Then I guess you’d have to quit.” His tone was casual, but he wasn’t smiling the way he did when he was making a joke.
Aleck sucked in a breath. “I—”
“Oh, listen to that! They’re playing our song. Come dance with me.” Damaris got up and tugged on his arm
.
“What do you mean, lass? That’s not our—”
“Dance with me, Rory McGavin, and leave poor Aleck alone.”
“Aye.” He got up. “Sorry, big brother. Sometimes I get carried away.”
After they left, he exhaled slowly. He still had beer in his mug but he didn’t pick it up.
Instead he turned in his chair so he had a better view of the bar. Last call had gone out a while ago, so Tansy wasn’t serving anymore.
Instead she was having a blether with Michael while the two of them shared the cleanup routine, polishing mugs and stacking them in a pyramid along the mirrored back of the antique bar. They both wore black logo t-shirts and matching black Stetsons, the GG uniform.
He wore it, as well. While he’d been mucking out stalls, Kendra had washed some of his stuff, including the t-shirt. He’d found it lying on his bed when he’d come back to his room after taking a shower this afternoon.
She’d left a note—We’re all wearing our shirts tonight. It’s a McGavin thing. Welcome to the tribe. Tansy wasn’t related, but clearly she was part of that tribe. Like Badger, she’d found a more solid connection here than with the family she’d been born into.
That cast a whole new light on the plan he’d concocted this morning after shoveling horse apples for a couple of hours. At the time, it had seemed like the way to go. He’d figured they’d talk about it tonight, after they’d made love. She might have said yes, although probably not if she was smart.
Rory and Damaris returned from the dance floor and remained standing.
“We’re goin’ to shove off,” Rory said.
Aleck got to his feet. “Thanks for stayin’. You know how I hate to drink alone.”
“Thanks for buyin’.” His brother’s chest heaved. “Listen, I apologize for sayin’ what I did. As Damaris has rightly pointed out, it’s not my place.”
“In his defense, he only says things like that because he loves you.” Damaris’s gaze was warm. “So do I, Aleck. I can’t tell you how much it’s meant to me, getting to know you.”
“Same here.” He gave her a hug. “I don’t know if that Christmas thing will happen, but Ma and Da will love you, too. I can’t wait for them to meet you, whether it’s here or over there.”
A Cowboy’s Destiny: The McGavin Brothers Page 16