Who could have blamed her? He was gorgeous, funny and amazing in bed. Making love with Cade was the single most inspiring activity she could imagine. She’d like to do it again, assuming Rosie’s health scare turned out to be nothing major and she hadn’t ticked him off to the point he’d leave again.
Today’s argument aside, she thought the chances of another round of satisfying sex were excellent. Cade wasn’t capable of holding a grudge, one of his other endearing qualities. But they hadn’t communicated very well regarding this issue. She’d have to try again before they became any more enmeshed.
He was right, though. They wouldn’t have much chance to be alone together for the next few days. That would give her time to get her bearings, because she had a feeling he was back to stay.
And she wanted him to. Maybe they’d come to a workable arrangement and maybe they wouldn’t, but knowing he’d be around filled her with excitement. Rosie and Herb would be overjoyed.
Imagining how happy they’d be to have one of their boys home again, she started toward the house. She was nearly there when Cade’s truck came barreling back in. He spewed gravel as he braked hard and leaped out, leaving the driver’s door open.
“What’s wrong?” She hurried to meet him. “Did something happen with Rosie?”
“No, something happened with you and me. We had a damned argument, and it’s my fault.” He shoved his hat to the back of his head and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve been home less than twelve hours and I’m already yelling at you, when all I want to do is this.” He captured her mouth in a kiss that left no doubt about his feelings.
She wound her arms around his neck and surrendered to the sweet assault of his tongue. Nobody kissed like him. She moaned and invited him deeper.
Shifting his angle, he took all she had to give until they were breathless and frantic. The ridge of his cock pressed hard against her belly as he cupped her backside, his fingers flexing.
Gasping, he lifted his head to gaze down at her. “I want you again, and we can’t, and it’s driving me crazy.”
She managed only one word. “Airport.”
“I know.” Struggling for breath, he released her and backed away. “I just had to...apologize.”
She nodded. “Go.” Driving would be painful for a few miles, though.
“Okay.” He winced as he climbed into his truck. “That smarts.” Closing the door, he started the engine and drove away.
She watched until he was out of sight and she’d stopped quivering. Good Lord, what had she done? Having sex with him this morning had seemed like a good idea at the time, but she should have realized they were playing with dynamite. This time around, though, she would not get burned.
* * *
CADE DIDN’T BELIEVE in texting and driving, so he pulled to the side of the road before sending a quick text to Damon to let him know that he was running late but would be there. He added a quick reassurance that Rosie was still doing okay.
He figured that had to be true. Herb would have called or texted if anything major had changed. Cade vowed that from this moment on he’d control his craving for Lexi and concentrate on this deal with Rosie. That remained his top priority.
The craving for Lexi was mostly her fault, so he refused to wallow in guilt over what had happened. Once he’d walked in to find her in his bed—game over. She’d taken away his headache and replaced it with raging lust.
Then she’d come up with that I’ll see you when it’s convenient line. He still figured that was revenge talking, especially after she’d proudly proclaimed that his leaving had been a good thing. Maybe it had. He’d been too young and stupid to make a good husband then.
In his current randy state, he hadn’t reacted well to her comments, though. Stomping off had felt great until a mile down the road when he’d realized that he wanted to make love, not war. If he wasn’t careful, his ego would take over and he’d lose his chance to be with her.
She had a right to a little revenge. He could take it. But he couldn’t take total rejection, not after this morning. He’d thought their vital connection had been broken years ago, but it was still there, maybe even stronger than ever after that long separation.
The mountains had felt welcoming and familiar, but plunging deep into Lexi’s warmth had been the ultimate homecoming. He couldn’t imagine living here without that mental and physical bond. So he’d driven back to make amends, and he had discovered that just kissing her was no longer an option. Where Lexi was concerned, he wanted it all.
He had a pretty good idea that meant shopping for a ring and setting a date. But that didn’t spook him the way it used to. In fact, it sounded kind of nice. He wouldn’t broach the subject right away, though.
Once he asked her, she might make him twist in the wind for a while, but that was fair. In any case, she’d wanted a commitment before. Chances were she still did, no matter what she said.
When he reached the airport, he decided not to park. Instead he followed a hunch and cruised past the sidewalk outside the terminal. Sure enough, Damon stood there with a bag slung over his shoulder.
His dark blond hair was a little longer and lighter in color, probably from all that time in the California sun. He wore a trendy pair of shades instead of a Stetson, and a polo instead of a yoked Western shirt, but his jeans were Wranglers and his boots would pass muster in any cowboy bar in the state.
Cade smiled. You could take the man out of the country, but not the country out of the man. A couple of days at Thunder Mountain Ranch and Damon would be back in the saddle looking as if he’d never left.
Pulling up to the curb, Cade beeped the horn.
Damon peered through the windshield, grinned and jogged over to the truck. He climbed in and shoved his bag down by his feet. “Hey, bro.”
“Hey, yourself.” Cade offered his right hand, and Damon clasped it with the special handshake they’d created for the Brotherhood. “Good to see you.”
“Same here. Nice weather you got going on.”
“Yeah, it is. Sorry I’m late.” Cade checked for traffic and pulled away from the curb.
“No worries. How’s Mom?”
“You’ll see for yourself pretty soon. I thought we’d go straight there. I’ll stay for a bit, and then come back for Finn.”
“What time?”
“Three.”
“Damn. Too bad we couldn’t have coordinated so you wouldn’t have to make two trips.”
Cade laughed. “Let’s think about that. If you’d coordinated, one of you would be riding in back.”
“That would have been O’Roarke. My days of getting blown to bits in the back of your truck are over.”
“I didn’t plan this very well. The three of us have to get home in this truck.”
“Then here’s an idea. I’ll drive, Finn can ride shotgun and you take the back.”
“Not likely. My truck. I drive.”
“Come to think of it, I’m not sure that’s a great idea. By my calculations, you haven’t slept much recently.”
“I, uh, took a nap this morning.” He’d kept thoughts of Lexi at bay for all of three minutes, but now they came rushing back. Damn it, his face felt hot.
Damon peered at him. “You’re turning red. What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
“Gallagher, you were a lousy liar as a kid, and you haven’t improved.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“It’s Lexi, isn’t it? You said she called you from the ranch house.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’m piecing this together. You drive to the ranch. Lexi’s there. You two have a ‘reunion.’” Damon added air quotes to the last part. “How’m I doing so far?”
“You suck.”
“Where is she now?”
<
br /> “She’ll probably show up at the hospital later today, but other than that, I don’t know.” He should have asked her about her plans but he’d been too busy kissing her.
“What do you mean, you don’t know? Did you guys have a fight or something?”
“No.” Technically they had, but he’d apologized so he imagined the fight had been erased like a drawing on an Etch A Sketch.
“I always liked her.”
Cade glared at him. “You did?”
“Not like that, loser. We’re the Brotherhood. We don’t poach.”
“Sorry. My bad.”
“Apology accepted, but your reaction tells me all I need to know, including what that so-called nap was all about. Pull over and let me drive.”
Cade shook his head. “I slept. I swear it.”
“Sleeping with someone is a figure of speech. Usually very little sleeping goes on. Pull over.”
“Sometimes it does.”
“Like when?”
“Like this morning. We had sex, and then she left and I slept like a dead person until she woke me up.” He glared at Damon. “That stays here, by the way.”
“Here, as in the truck? Because eventually Finn will be in this same truck, so technically he should have access to this information.”
“Cut me some slack, Harrison. If we spend the next few days discussing Lexi, she’ll know it whenever we see her. She’s perceptive. And we probably will see her. She wouldn’t appreciate being the topic of conversation.”
“No, she wouldn’t. I wasn’t thinking of it from her angle. I won’t tell Finn.”
“Thank you. Speaking of Finn, have you talked to him recently?”
“It’s been a couple of months.”
“Same here. I wonder how his microbrewery-slash-tavern is doing.”
Damon settled back in the seat. “Last time we talked, he said it was pulling in decent traffic for a start-up, but his divorce didn’t help any. Alison demanded a cash settlement, so he’s mortgaged to the hilt right now.”
“I predict he’ll work it out. He knows beer and he likes people. How about you? I see you’ve gone SoCal with the shades and a knit shirt to show off your manly chest.”
Damon laughed. “And I see you’re still a shit-kicker wearing the same old beat-up hat.”
“You’ll wish you had a hat when you’re out there raking the corral.”
“Can’t be much to rake with only a couple of horses.”
“Six. Navarre, Isabeau, my horse and three boarders.”
Damon stared at him. “Why in hell would they take in boarders? I thought they wanted the easy life.”
“Apparently the easy life is boring the hell out of them. That’s all I can figure.”
“You know, that makes perfect sense. They might have complained a little, but I’ll bet they loved being busy. People don’t always figure that out when they decide to retire.”
Cade braked at a stoplight. “I sure hope the stress of not having enough to do didn’t trigger Rosie’s problem.”
“Who knows? But once she’s back home again, we can casually bring up the subject and see what they say.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. Speaking of being busy, you still like flipping houses?”
“I do, but in this market you can’t charge a whole lot or nobody will buy. I don’t have what you call liquidity, but I get by okay.”
“At least you’re not paying out to an unhappy ex.”
“No kidding.” Damon sighed. “Damn shame about Finn’s divorce. When they rushed into it with a Vegas wedding I wondered if it would last.”
“Yeah, I know. It seems weird that we never met her and now it’s over. Mom seemed to think his wife didn’t understand how much time he needed to devote to the business.”
“That can be a big problem if you hook up with somebody who expects you home every night at five. It’s one of the reasons I haven’t let myself get serious about anyone.”
Cade laughed. “Don’t give me that bullshit. You love playing the field.”
“Okay, I do. Besides, unlike you, I never found that perfect matchup.”
Cade didn’t respond. Although he thought Lexi was perfect for him, he wasn’t convinced that he was perfect for her. That when it’s convenient statement echoed in his head.
“You really do make a great couple. I envy you that. I’ll probably end up dancing at your twenty-fifth anniversary party and wondering why I never found the right woman.” He glanced over at Cade. “Oh, that’s right. You swore you’d never get married. Still feel that way?”
“Not necessarily.”
“I knew it! Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding.”
“We’re a hell of a long way from that. I’m not sure she even likes me all that much anymore.”
Damon chuckled. “Except when you’re horizontal.”
“Watch yourself, bro.”
“Okay. Touchy subject. I’ll back off. Listen, can we stop at a flower shop on the way to the hospital? I’m thinking roses, maybe a few daisies, some—”
“If we brought Mom a vase of flowers, she’d bean us with it. She’s convinced that people only bring flowers when they think the patient’s a goner.”
“Well, hell. You can’t walk into a hospital room empty-handed. That’s just wrong.”
“I can guarantee she doesn’t want flowers.”
Damon settled back against the seat. “Then we’ll have to think of something else.”
“Maybe inspiration will hit as we go through town. I need to pick up something to eat. How about you?”
“Yeah, I could use a sandwich. And we should buy some beer to take back to the house. I don’t intend to drink up Dad’s supply while I’m here.”
Cade glanced at him. “I know what we can get Mom.”
“Beer? I don’t think she likes—”
“Not beer. Something better.”
And that was how Cade and Damon ended up walking into Rosie’s room carrying a case of Baileys Irish Cream.
“My God!” Rosie’s eyes widened. “It’ll take years for me to drink all that booze!”
“And that,” said Damon as he leaned down to kiss her cheek, “is the whole point.”
7
LEXI STAYED AT the ranch until dinnertime so she could feed the horses and the cat before going to the hospital. Herb had called to ask if she’d bring the paperback romance Rosie had been reading. She’d never been much for TV.
Herb had sounded tired but joyful because his boys were home. He’d mentioned that friends had been dropping by the hospital, and he seemed gratified by that, too. Rosie knew a ton of people, and word of what she called her incarceration had spread.
Her test results wouldn’t be available for at least another day, so the hospital staff had rolled a cot into her room for Herb. He’d shyly asked if Lexi would pack a few essentials for him in an overnight bag.
Such a devoted husband, she thought while tucking clean underwear and a fresh shirt in the small suitcase. Fortunately his toiletries were all located on one side of the double sink in the master bath and Rosie’s were on the other. Lexi easily figured out which toothbrush was his. She added toothpaste, shaving cream, his razor and some men’s deodorant.
At the last minute she remembered pajamas. He hadn’t asked for them, but he’d be happier trying to sleep at the hospital if he had some. She opened several drawers before she found a pair with the price tags still attached. She took off the tags and packed the PJs. From all the evidence, he wasn’t in the habit of wearing any.
Herb had never had daughters, or he’d probably own several pairs. She was the closest thing he had to a daughter, but still, she could imagine his reluctance to ask her for this favor. She was glad he’d summoned the courage
. A crisis was always easier to deal with in clean clothes.
After hauling his little case and her own out to her truck, she went back inside for one last pass through the house. She wiped down the kitchen counters and refolded the afghan over the back of the couch. Then she fluffed the throw pillows and turned on a couple of lamps to welcome the guys when they arrived.
They’d sleep in the cabin for old times’ sake, but first they’d probably sit around the kitchen table, drinking beer and catching up. They might even play some pool or get out a deck of cards. She wished she could be here. She’d love to find out what Damon and Finn were doing these days.
But she wasn’t a member of the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood. And she had this explosive situation with Cade. She couldn’t complain about that because she’d created it with her bright idea this morning.
Seeing him at the hospital shouldn’t be a problem, but her pulse rate climbed as she drove there. She focused her thoughts on Rosie. Somehow she’d transform Cade’s presence into background noise. If she didn’t accomplish that, Rosie would be the first to notice. Rosie had been hoping for their reconciliation ever since the breakup.
She was the other person Lexi needed to talk with, but that would have to wait until the health crisis had passed. Rosie had expected a wedding five years ago, too. She’d dropped casual comments about having it at the ranch, maybe even on horseback.
If Cade mentioned moving back, and he might already have said something, Rosie might start hearing wedding bells again. At some point Lexi needed to tell her that marriage to Cade—or anyone, for that matter—was no longer her dream. Rosie was a progressive thinker, so she’d accept that.
The hospital parking lot was crowded, but Lexi’s gaze was drawn to Cade’s black truck. He’d had that truck for ten years, which meant she’d made love to him in the back of it. To avoid being reminded of those steamy episodes, she parked as far away as possible.
She had no trouble finding Rosie’s room because of the small crowd gathered outside. Cade stood in one conversational group that included Herb, Damon and Finn. On the other side of the door were Lexi’s mom and two women who’d worked in social services with Rosie.
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