“Even distracted you’re a better heeler than I am,” Tobin complained.
“You still got the skills, though . . . for a college boy.”
Tobin shoved him and Streeter laughed. They stopped in front of the ornery heifer.
“So what the hell do we do with her?”
“Sell her or butcher her.”
“I vote for steaks.”
“Me too. I’ll call the processing plant in the mornin’. For now, let’s take her back and put her in the holding pen.”
“You do that,” Streeter said. “I’ll do a head count and make sure we don’t have any more stragglers.” He untied the rope, let it hit the ground and galloped off to the new grazing area.
Tobin shut the gate behind him and dealt with moving the heifer.
Their herd wasn’t big—fifty cow/calf pairs—so taking a head count went fairly fast. Some things his dad had ingrained in him—like taking stock of the livestock with every move to greener pastures—were actually practical.
An hour later he’d finished brushing down his horse and dealing with his tack when Tobin appeared. With a beer.
Bit early, but having one beer wouldn’t hurt. “We celebrating something?” he asked his brother.
“You tell me. You’re mooning around, your damn head in the clouds, not payin’ full attention. So I take it things are good with Bailey?”
Streeter shrugged.
“Come on, man.”
He meant to hedge, but “I can’t keep my goddamned hands off her” came out instead.
Tobin grinned. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Even when it’s ruining my concentration? I was thinkin’ about last night and all the things I want to do to her tonight when I dropped the ball while we were movin’ cattle.”
“No biggie, Street. Everyone has off days. Especially after a particularly awesome night.”
“Problem is, all my nights are awesome with her and this ain’t the first time I’ve dropped the ball at work this week.”
Tobin’s beer stopped halfway to his mouth. “Hold on. Are you tellin’ me you’re banging her every night?”
“No.” He scowled. “Give me a little credit for mixing things up. Sometimes it’s in the mornin’, sometimes in the afternoon. Sometimes it’s all three.”
When Tobin didn’t say anything, Streeter looked at him.
“What?”
“You went from not havin’ sex for almost five years to havin’ sex a couple of times a day?”
“Yeah. So?”
“So you’re an animal.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. That wantin’ her that much ain’t normal.” He swigged his beer. “I have nothin’ to compare this to.”
“Bailey is initiating sexy times too?”
“Yep. So this has gotta be lust, right?”
“Lust as opposed to what?”
Streeter groaned. “I don’t fuckin’ know. This is all new to me.” He took another drink to keep from asking his brother how he’d stop himself from falling for her. Then he said, “Doesn’t matter. She ain’t stickin’ around here.”
“I don’t know what to say, except to tell you to enjoy it while it lasts.”
“Oh, I plan on it.”
They were quiet for a while. Finally Tobin said, “Does Olivia know what’s goin’ on with you two?”
“Yeah. Bailey stays over some nights, but she’s always gone when Olivia gets up. Her choice, by the way.”
“Who else knows you two are seein’ each other?”
He scratched his chin. “Maybe Pete and Bobbie, the caretakers. Probably Harper. Ted and Renner haven’t said nothin’ to me.”
“So no one has caught you guys goin’ at it in the supply closet?” Tobin teased.
That was when he remembered. Dammit. The Mud Lilies showing up at WWC the first weekend he and Bailey had gotten together.
“You’re quiet, bro. That ain’t good. What happened?”
“If Garnet and her buddies suspected me and Bailey were together, wouldn’t they’ve said something?”
“The Mud Lilies saw you two boning?”
“No. But they were there a week or so ago when I stopped in to the clothing store to see Bailey and it might’ve been obvious that I wasn’t there just to talk.”
“Well, they either missed the signs, or they’re keepin’ the info to themselves to use later when they want something from one of you. Never underestimate them gals,” Tobin warned.
A shout sounded behind them and they both turned. Amber was running across the yard toward him, Jade following with Micah strapped into a baby carrier on her chest.
“Sometimes I look at them and can’t believe this is my life. I wanted this for more years than is probably healthy to admit.”
“It’s sappy to say that you deserve it, but you do.”
“I still feel that powerful lust for my wife, but it’s deepened and changed. After bein’ married to Danica for so long I’m sure you understand—better than I do—those changes do happen.”
No, Streeter didn’t understand. He and Danica hadn’t questioned an intense physical connection because it hadn’t been there. He’d wondered if that lack of all-consuming passion had stemmed from them meeting so young and only being intimate with each other. He’d never woken up in the middle of the night with the physical need for her clawing at him. And if he had, Danica would’ve told him to go back to sleep from his wet dream.
As those thoughts bounced around in his head, he didn’t feel guilty for them. That had been the reality of his life with Danica. He hadn’t known—maybe he hadn’t believed—that an intimate relationship could be different.
Thank heaven he’d taken a chance on opening up to Bailey so she could show him what he’d been missing.
Tobin tossed his daughter up in the air, laughing as Amber giggled and shrieked with happiness.
Jade ambled into view, wearing her usual joyous smile. “Hey, Street.”
“You’re lookin’ good. How’s the little man treatin’ you?”
“Which little man?”
“Hey, tiger, you’d better take that back,” Tobin said.
She laughed. “Micah is settling into a schedule.”
“Lucky you.”
“You know it. So when are you bringing Sergeant B out for a family dinner? Olivia talks about her incessantly.”
Streeter frowned. “When did you talk to Olivia?”
“I started calling her when she told me about the landline in the trailer and asked if I’d call her to make sure it worked. It does.”
Of course his curious daughter would circumvent his edict for her to leave the phone alone and who better to rope into helping her figure out the answers to her questions than her sweet aunt Jade. “Does she call you?”
“No.” She paused and patted her son’s butt when he began to fuss. “Olivia hasn’t mentioned our chats?” Then she groaned. “Of course she hasn’t. She doesn’t miss us like we miss her.”
“She misses you in her own way, Jade.”
“She has told me she misses her drums,” Jade said wryly. “I can’t believe she hasn’t gotten them back yet.”
“It ain’t for lack of tryin’.” Last week he’d accompanied Olivia to Bailey’s door every morning, hiding a smirk that she’d only rolled out of his bed an hour before. “Would you be up for havin’ her overnight during the week? I’d like to take Bailey out, just the two of us.”
“Of course, she’s welcome anytime.”
“Speakin’ of . . . I’d best get home.”
“See ya tomorrow,” Tobin shouted as Streeter crossed the corral to climb into his pickup.
Before heading home, he stopped by the construction site to see if they’d made progress on the house.
The basement had been dug
. Concrete forms were laid out, which hopefully meant the footings were about to be poured. Standing on the gravel pathway, he tried to imagine living here. Looking at this view for the next forty years. He hadn’t brought Olivia here yet since the idea of a new home was an abstract concept to her. Once the frame started to go up, maybe it’d seem real to him too.
He pulled into his spot at the Split Rock employee compound, noticing Bailey’s SUV. Hopefully he’d see her tonight after she finished working at WCC.
Olivia was pacing the walkway, apparently anxious to see him because she raced over for a hug. “Daddy! I missed you. I thought you’d never get here.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I missed you too, sweet girl.”
“Can we go to the pool?”
“Lemme talk to Asa first.”
Asa—the most recent babysitter in rotation—gave Olivia a glowing report. His daughter had adjusted better than he’d hoped to the daily change-up in her daycare providers.
As soon as Asa left, Streeter said, “Let’s get our suits on.”
He might’ve been concerned that the Split Rock Resort wasn’t doing well at seeing the pool area completely empty, but he knew the lodge had been booked all summer. After coating Olivia with sunscreen, he caught her in the deep end when she jumped in.
Her fearlessness required a constant balancing act, finding the line between encouraging her and cautioning her. He let her paddle around in her unicorn float as he floated beside her on a boogie board.
“Daddy? Can just Gage come to the pool with us again sometime?”
“Why don’t you ask Bailey?” He looked at her when he realized she’d qualified the statement. “Just Gage? Not his brothers?”
She scowled. “They’re mean to him. They called him a big stupid baby.”
“During camp?”
“Uh-huh. And when I said I was gonna tell Sergeant B? Tate said it made Gage even more of a baby if his girlfriend was tattling for him.”
Jesus. Boys were stupid. “What did you do?”
“Nothin’. Then it was snack time.”
Ah. Never underestimate the power of pudding cups to end a dispute.
Just as they were about to leave, Tierney showed up with Isabelle and Rhett, so he agreed to stay another half an hour so the kids could play.
Tierney plopped down beside him just like Bailey had done. “Looks like we’re the only ones here again. I’m starting to wonder if making the pool more family friendly was a bad financial decision. It seems fewer guests use it now than before.”
“They know it’s here. I think the guests would rather try their hand at rough stock and trail rides for a more Western experience.”
“You’re probably right. We’ve tried to adapt, changing things up to make this a place people want to come back to.”
“You’re thinkin’ of adding on?”
Tierney shook her head. “It’s almost more than we can handle now. We’re looking at ways to work smarter, not harder. We’ve been a two-meal-a-day facility. But we’ve gotten complaints there’s no lunch service, so that’s an avenue we’re considering. At least during the busy season.”
“It ain’t my business, but isn’t staffing an issue?”
“Always. Right after this place opened Renner and I had a huge fight about the fact he’d advertised that a spa was coming soon. But he didn’t have the dedicated space or the staff for it. To this day when guests ask about a spa, Renner calls me a dream killer.”
Streeter laughed.
“Mom!” Isabelle screeched. “Make him stop!”
“Rhett. Quit splashing your sister or I’m putting you in time-out.”
“But she started it!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Isabelle really did start it,” Olivia said.
“Tattletale,” Isabelle retorted to Olivia. “Of course you’d take the brat’s side.”
“Isabelle Jackson. We don’t call names. Apologize.”
“Sorry, O-liv-i-a.”
Tierney pointed at her daughter. “Out of the pool for ten minutes. It’ll give you time to think of offering a sincere apology to your brother too.” She sighed. “Next time Renner gets pool duty.”
“You’re lucky you have the option.”
“Sorry. Ignore me. Sometimes I talk before I think.”
He shrugged. “It’s my own fault. I could let one of the babysitters bring Olivia to the pool, but I haven’t hit that trust point yet.”
“Bailey!” Olivia shouted. “Are you gonna come swimmin’ with us?”
Streeter turned and noticed Bailey by the fence.
“Maybe next time.”
“Can you bring Gage too?”
Bailey laughed. “Of course.”
With the late-afternoon sun shining on her dark hair and the genuine smile she aimed at his daughter . . . he realized in the weeks since they’d become lovers, she’d become the beacon that chased away his darkness. The feeling of fullness—of lightness—in his chest proved this was more than just lust between them.
“Tierney, can you keep an eye on Olivia for a second?”
“No problem.”
Streeter stood and walked to where Bailey waited for him, her eyes absolutely devouring him. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself, cutie.” She gave him a very thorough once-over. “I love seeing you half-naked. But I prefer you fully naked.”
“You tryin’ to get me hard?”
“Always.”
“You done for the day?”
“Yes. I’m gonna shower, eat and crash.” She poked him in the chest. “Somebody fucked me stupid last night.”
“Is that a complaint?”
“Never. I’m hoping for a repeat.”
“Then please come over.”
“Okay.” She licked her lips. “Damn you, and this banging body. Now I’ll be thinking about all the dirty things I want to do to it when I’m alone in the shower.”
He leaned closer. “If you decide to prime the pump, you can reenact the shower scene for me later, baby.”
Bailey’s gaze dropped to his crotch. “Better jump in and cool that bad boy off before sitting down next to your boss’s wife.”
He groaned.
Peering around his arm, she said, “Nice seeing you, Tierney,” before she sashayed off.
She just had to wiggle that biteable ass at him, which didn’t help his current situation at all. He strode to the deep end of the pool and jumped in.
Cold water did the trick.
He toweled off and looked over to see Tierney grinning at him.
“You and Sergeant B, huh?”
Streeter didn’t know if he was supposed to keep this thing with Bailey under wraps.
Maybe that’s something you oughta find out.
“I’m happy for you, Streeter. For both of you. I like her.”
He smiled back. “I like her too.” Then he motioned to his daughter. “Time to go. Say good-bye to Rhett and Isabelle.”
In the past, Olivia might’ve thrown a fit because she wasn’t ready to leave. But she gathered her things, said her good-byes and waited by the gate for him.
Maybe boot camp had done her some good.
* * *
Bailey didn’t show up until after Olivia had been in bed for an hour.
She climbed on his lap, feeding him long, slow kisses. Digging her fingers into his scalp when his mouth wandered down her neck.
When she started to grind on him, he stood, his hands gripping her ass as he carried her into his bedroom.
After he locked the door and turned around, he expected to find her naked with that wicked dirty smile curling her lips, but she was standing by the bed.
“You all right?”
Bailey slid her palms over his pecs
. “I will be once I get my hands on you. All over you.” She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his Adam’s apple. “Strip, cowboy, and lie facedown.”
He yanked his T-shirt over his head and shoved his athletic shorts to the carpet.
“I love that you go commando now.”
“Anything that makes you happy, darlin’.” Streeter glanced over his shoulder after he stretched out on the bed. “You getting nekkid too?”
“It’s our natural state together.” She straddled his thighs and spread her body over his—her belly curved over his ass, her tits pressed into his back, the side of her face against his neck.
“It doesn’t only have to be that.”
She lifted her head and looked at him. “Meaning what?”
“Meaning . . . we never went out on that date we talked about. We always get nekkid. Which ain’t a complaint. But I’d still like to take you to dinner. Or to a show. Or anything out and about. Just the two of us.”
“I’d like that.” She brushed her lips across the fine hairs on the back of his neck, sending gooseflesh rippling across his skin. “I’d like that a lot.”
When she rested against him, her arms layered on top of his, he realized she was waiting for something.
“We haven’t defined this. Maybe that’s my fault since I’ve never had to do that before. But I want people to know we’re together. Like today at the pool. I wanted to kiss you so damn bad, but I wasn’t sure that’s what you wanted.”
“You’re the one with the kiddo, Streeter. We haven’t hidden the fact we’re spending time together, but you haven’t kissed me in front of her either. Olivia should be the first to know.”
He’d never had anyone so attuned to him on every level that mattered. “So tomorrow I’ll lay one on ya, baby. But you oughta know that Tobin knows we’ve been seein’ each other because I needed advice.”
“On?”
“Sex.” He rushed to explain. “I needed a pep talk before we got together because tellin’ you about my lack of experience scared the crap outta me. And after we’ve been together I needed to know whether havin’ this much incredible sex is normal.”
“It’s our normal, Street, and that’s all that matters.” Bailey peppered soft kisses across his shoulders. “You’ve become quite the sexpert in the past few weeks. You turn me inside out, upside down with just a look from those bedroom eyes of yours. And if I haven’t said enough times before now . . . it’s never been like this with anyone but you.”
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