by Karen Rose
‘Please and thank you?’ she said hopefully.
He laughed. ‘Tell me this good news that’ll make us all kissy.’
‘Dad may be selling the ranch and moving to Wight’s Landing.’
She’d just blurted it out, leaving Ford blinking in her wake. ‘Wow. That was not what I expected.’ He sat up straighter, a slow smile blooming. ‘It’s much better than I expected. He’s not going to make you choose.’
‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘He’ll be close enough to visit and far enough away to let me have a life. And Julie can get the care she needs and maybe one day she’ll have a wedding too.’
Ford couldn’t help it. He lunged forward, palmed the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss that left them both breathless. ‘He gave us time.’
‘He did. Now it’s up to us to figure out what we want this thing between us to be.’
He held her face in his hands. ‘I know what I want it to be. I want what I see everyone around me finding.’ He kissed her again, this time hard and fast – stamping her as his. ‘I want a family and a home and someone who chooses me.’
So many emotions flickered in her eyes. ‘I don’t know how I would have chosen between my two fathers, but . . . once we knew we were a real thing, I would have chosen you over both of them, Ford.’
His eyes burned. ‘I know,’ he whispered. ‘But I’m so damn glad that you didn’t have to.’ Frederick Dawson had given them the gift of the time to see where their road led without any of the pressures of a long-distance relationship, and for that Ford would be forever grateful. ‘If you’d had to choose, you would have left part of your heart behind. And I want that heart whole, Taylor. Just in case you ever decide to give it to me.’
She smiled at him so sweetly. ‘For an engineer, you sure have pretty words.’ Then she lifted her brows, her sweet look gone sly. ‘So now that we’ve covered my news, did you have anything in mind as you were driving to see me?’
His grin was very wicked. ‘Yes, but we can’t do that here. I do, however, remember you asking me for something yesterday. You’re not about to hurl, right?’
She laughed. ‘No.’ Then laughed again as he reached into the wheelchair and scooped her up, lowering them both back into his chair. She fit in his lap perfectly, nuzzling her cheek against his chest, making a purring sound. ‘Just like I remembered. Pretty damn impressive.’
He rested his cheek against the top of her head and exhaled quietly, content for now to simply hold her. They’d sat in easy silence for a minute or two when Taylor started to laugh softly. ‘What?’ he asked.
She pulled back far enough for him to see her cheeky grin. ‘I’m just wondering what we’re going to do for fun next weekend. Skydiving? Lion-taming? Lying down on a bed of nails? Cliff-diving in Mexico? Oh, I know – we can take out a cartel or two while we’re there.’
He huffed a chuckle and kissed the tip of her nose. ‘I have a better idea. How about a nice quiet ride to my clearing after your sessions are done? We can pack a picnic and a pair of binoculars for birdwatching.’
The look on her face was priceless – surprised disappointment that she tried to cover with a very manufactured acceptance. ‘That . . . birdwatching sounds fun. But just one pair of binoculars? I don’t get my own?’
He rested his forehead against hers and tried not to smile. ‘Taylor. Sweetheart. Birdwatching is just a cover story in case anyone comes along and catches us doing what we’ll really be doing.’
Her eyes widened and her lips curved. ‘Ohhh.’ She returned to her snuggling position. ‘I like that idea a whole lot more.’
He tightened his hold on her, pretty sure this was the happiest he’d ever been. ‘I was really hoping you would.’