“What was her name?” Cal asked, stretching his legs out in front of his chair like the rest of the men.
“Sally.” His father nodded, taking a bite of the cookie. “Damn good dog.”
Brody had grown up on stories about Sally. He’d never gotten a dog for fear it would never be able to match Sally. Then, somehow, he’d ended up with a lapdog.
“Sounds like it,” Cal agreed.
“Tanner go?” Amberleigh asked.
“No, sugar, Tanner needs to go home with Cal and India. He’s their dog. Like Lollipop is yours.” Brody shook his head, watching his daughter rubbing her eyes. She was worn out. Which meant she might just take a nap on the ride home.
“Who names a dog Lollipop?” his father grumbled. “He looks like a mop head, and his bark sounds like a chew toy.”
The kitchen filled with laughter, India’s included.
“Now, Dad, you can’t blame the dog. He may not be much of a working dog, but he loves the girls all the same.” He didn’t know why he was defending the ball of fluff, but he was.
“And that’s why I tolerate him,” his father agreed. “Anything for my girls.”
Brody saw wistfulness on India’s face again. He didn’t know Woodrow Boone personally. His father was convinced the man was the lowest sort of life form on the planet. But Brody held out hope that wasn’t the case. He didn’t know how or when, but Brody hoped there’d come a time when Woodrow Boone became the man his daughter and grandson needed him to be.
Chapter Fifteen
“You win again,” India said, laughing. “Scarlett, you’re up.”
Scarlett had been watching their epic checkers showdown in growing dismay. Cal was a supercompetitive checkers player. Scarlett had made the mistake of saying she wanted to play the winner.
India normally did her best to avoid dinner at Fire Gorge, but this week had been nonstop, and getting a free dinner—with no cleanup—was too good an offer to pass up. Even if it was with her family at Fire Gorge ranch.
Tanner lay at Cal’s feet, snoring softly. The dog had kept her and Cal smiling all week. He was so happy to be home, he didn’t seem to mind that he’d lost his eye. Besides the occasional misjudged corner or step, it didn’t seem to bother him. And any time he did stumble, he remembered the next time. Cal was on top of the world, showering his best friend with brushings and extra treats. Which was one of the reasons she’d need to go to the grocery store soon. But there’d been no time to shop this week.
After Cal’s wonderful riding lesson, they’d picked up Tanner and headed home to four messages from teachers—which kept her week full. When she wasn’t substitute teaching, she was at the shop poring over her textbooks and minding the store. And she’d managed to fit in a Monarch Festival committee meeting in her spare time—when all she really wanted was a nap.
When she fell into the bed at the end of each day, Brody’s texts were waiting for her. From sweet to sexy, he made it clear he wanted to see her again—the sooner, the better. It was tempting. Her body was more than willing, aching in fact, but the reality was far more complicated.
Especially now that her heart was involved. How could it not be? She’d always known he was special. Even young, Brody Wallace had the ability to bring folks together and ease their worries. Watching her son enjoy both Brody’s and Vic Wallace’s company had almost made her believe there was a way for their families to come together.
“Tonight is the final installment of our special piece on Fort Kyle’s soon-to-be-mayor, Brody Wallace. Join us for a visit to the Wallace ranch and meet the folks who helped make him the man he is today.” Jan Ramirez smiled into the camera.
India stared at the television.
“Thank goodness that’s almost over,” her mother said. “In the paper and on the news, Brody Wallace is everywhere. And it’s put your father in a foul temper.”
India glanced at her sister. Scarlett rolled her eyes and went back to setting up the checkerboard.
“Mom?” Cal asked.
“What?” she asked, jostled from her thoughts.
“Gramma asked if you want tea or lemonade or water with dinner,” Cal repeated.
“Oh, tea, please,” she said, smiling up at her waiting mother.
“You all right, India?” her mother asked. “You seem worn out. I was wondering—”
“We were wondering,” Scarlett said. “Why not let Cal spend the night with me tonight? We’d have fun, wouldn’t we, Cal?”
Cal nodded. “Tanner, too?” Tanner lifted his head long enough for Cal to rub him behind the ear.
“Of course. Tanner, too,” Scarlett agreed. “We can play checkers and you can show me that video game you like to play.”
“It’s a game app, Aunt Scarlett.” Cal sighed.
Scarlett chuckled. “Fine. You can get the tablet and show me how to play that game with the knights and dragons.”
All three of them looked her way, waiting for her answer.
“Dinner ready yet?” her father asked, stalking into the dining room. “I’m starving.”
They followed him into the dining room, took their seats among the dude ranch’s guests and began passing around platters of food. Fried chicken, corn on the cob, fluffy dinner rolls, macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes with cream gravy. India took small helpings and loaded up on salad.
“That’s all you’re going to eat?” her mother asked. “You need to take care of yourself.”
“Thanks, Mom, this is plenty.” She smiled. Apparently mothers never outgrew worrying over what their kids ate.
“You’re too skinny,” her father said. “A man likes a little meat on a woman. About time you found a man for you and Cal, don’t you think?”
“I do,” Cal said. “I want a little brother or sister. So Mom has to get married first.”
“She sure does.” Her father nodded. “I wouldn’t mind a few more grandkids.”
“Woodrow,” her mother interrupted. “Can you pass the pepper?”
The smile he shot her mother was full of real affection, prompting India to say, “I see the way you look at Mom, and I want that, too.”
“Guess you learned something the first time around.” Her father’s brows rose. “If a man doesn’t put you on a pedestal, he doesn’t deserve you.”
Her mother nodded. “But you can’t afford to be too picky. Slim pickings here about.”
“All too true.” Her father nodded. Conversation shifted to the Monarch Festival and the various booths and committees, which led to the news. “They gave five minutes’ time to promoting the festival, something that will bring in money to the town. But they find the time to sing Brody Wallace’s praises all week. I’m not sure what this reporter’s trying to prove—that he’ll be a good mayor or that she’s sweet on him.”
“She was there when Tanner got bit.” Cal served himself some macaroni. “They didn’t act sweet on each other. And I’m real thankful Brody got Tanner to the vet clinic so fast. Tandy says he might not have made it if it wasn’t for him.” Cal promptly shoved a forkful of macaroni into his mouth.
India watched her parents closely. It was plain to see how much the Wallaces loved their grandchildren. But to see it on her parents’ faces as they listened to Cal was a shock. Not her mother; she adored Cal. But her father... He was listening to every word Cal said. And it touched her heart to know her boy mattered to him. Even if it took a dangerous snake incident for her dad to show it.
“He carried Tanner, and Mom and that lady carried his girls, and we all ran to his truck,” Cal said, shaking his head. “I was so scared, but he was real nice to me.”
“Nice to know the boy doesn’t take after his father,” her father said. “Maybe his time away from home took some of the Wallace starch out of him.”
India didn’t say a word, hoping conversation would move into
more neutral territory. Eventually it did. Possible changes to the dude ranch’s long-standing theme nights, Cal’s schoolwork and her mother’s regular plea for a vacation filled the rest of the meal. Her mother had been trying to tempt her father into a romantic getaway since India could remember.
“Your anniversary is coming up. Maybe, this year, you could go somewhere, Dad?” Scarlett suggested, smiling sweetly.
“It’s not a good time to be leaving Fire Gorge,” he said, avoiding eye contact with everyone around the table.
“It’s never a good time.” Their mother sighed. “Maybe we should go, girls. A mother-daughter trip.” This was the first time their mother had suggested going somewhere without their father.
And the look of surprise on her father’s face was priceless.
By the time dessert was cleared away and Scarlett and Cal had returned to their checkers game in the den, India was wiped out. She was just about to doze off in the recliner opposite her father when he woke her. “See what I mean?” He pointed at the television.
Brody was there, walking along the fort, smiling—looking charming and sweet and warm. She knew just how warm he could be. How strong and giving he was. He would give all to this town, to his daughters and the woman he picked to spend the rest of his life with.
“Damn shame he’s a Wallace. If he wasn’t, I might actually like the boy.” Her father’s words were soft.
She wanted to defend Brody—to tell her father all the reasons his last name shouldn’t matter.
“When is your truck going to be ready?” he asked, out of the blue.
“In a week.”
Daniel wasn’t in any hurry, but he was charging half what the garage wanted, so she’d wait for him.
“Good.” Her father glanced at her, the ghost of a smile on his face—then it was gone. “Good.” There were times she could almost convince herself that he respected her and truly cared for her. Almost. But if that were true, he wouldn’t have turned her away when she needed him most, wouldn’t look at her like he did most days.
She nodded and pushed out of the recliner, said her goodbyes and walked the path to her cabin—eager to put some distance between her and her father.
When Brody’s text rolled in, she stared at it for a long time.
Missing you.
* * *
BRODY KNOCKED ON the cabin door, his heart in his throat.
He’d spent the better part of the week missing India, aching for her, and he’d let her know in his texts. Yet she hadn’t made time to see him all week. Tonight, she finally had.
I’m alone. Come if you can.
Was that really all he was to her? A hookup? Someone to see when she was alone?
Still, he was the one who had said he’d take whatever she gave him. If she wanted him, he was powerless to resist. He’d made sure the girls were sleeping, then paused in the living room. His father was sound asleep in his recliner, and his mother was knitting. She hadn’t batted an eye when he told her he was going out.
Now he stood in the dark, knocking on the door, feeling like a damn fool.
He knocked again, more firmly this time, and slipped inside. “India?”
Nothing. No light, no sound, no sign of India. Only a faint light spilling out from under her bedroom door. Which irritated him all the more.
But once he’d pushed the door wide, he paused, his irritation gone. She was sound asleep, her hair spilling over her pillow and her arm resting atop the sheet and quilt that covered her.
He was torn. He wanted to stay, badly, but he didn’t want to wake her up. With all the sickness and germs he’d been battling this week, he had a whole new respect for the restorative powers of sleep. All three girls and his mother had ended up on antibiotics, but they were all, thankfully, on the mend.
Besides, he was tired. And nothing sounded better than sleeping. With India.
He kicked off his boots and climbed onto the bed beside her.
“Brody?” she whispered, her hand sliding up his arm to tug on his sleeve. “You’re dressed. Off.”
He chuckled but did as she said, then slid beneath the sheets in his boxers. “I feel bad for waking you.”
She rolled over him, naked and warm from sleep. “I wanted you to wake me up.”
His lungs emptied as he stared up at her. “I’ll never get tired of looking at you,” he whispered, his hands sliding up her sides, relishing each shudder his touch elicited.
She smiled, leaning into the brush of his fingers against her breasts. “You’re still overdressed.” Her fingers slid along the waist of his boxer shorts.
“I thought we were sleeping.” His hands cradled her breasts, savoring the weight and feel in his palms.
“We will,” she moaned, arching.
He sat up, sucking the tip of one breast into his mouth. His teeth and tongue worked it over, relentless, until the peak grew pebble-hard. His mouth trailed from beneath the swell of her breast, along her side and back up again—loving the other breast until her fingers bit into his scalp and her breath powered from her in heavy bursts.
“I missed you.” He slid his hands into her hair, holding her still until her gaze met his. “I looked for you all week, hoping to see you smile.”
“Your texts were the last thing I saw before I went to bed.” Her gaze was heavy—with more than wanting. “They made me smile. You make me smile.”
He kissed her, once, so soft it was a whisper. “Stay, India. Don’t leave.” He held her when she would have pulled away, deepening the kiss until she was clinging to him again. He rolled over her, discarding his boxers, before she flipped them again.
She was now on top, and her heat enveloped him, ripping a groan from his chest. His hands clasped her hips, holding her still, holding her tightly against him. She looked incredible. Breathing hard, hair mussed and eyes glazed with hunger—for him. He could stay like this for hours.
But she began to move.
He’d introduced her to passion. Now she was relentless, straining against him, arching her hips, resting her hands on his thighs, giving it her all. He fought his own desire, determined to see her fall apart before his climax reached him. He thrust up, seating himself so deep it jolted him to his core. Over and over she joined them together until she was trembling. He felt her response, the tiny quivers and spasms that spread through her, until she was crying out his name.
He smiled, rolling over her and driving into her. His body came alive for her, craved her, needed her. And so did his heart. He loved her, loved loving her.
Her head fell back, her body clenching again as he welcomed the power of his release.
He collapsed at her side, heart racing and breathing hard. She rested her cheek against his chest, the beat of her heart racing against his side. It would be all too easy to get used to this. Nothing compared to having India Boone in his arms, nothing. He wanted her at his side for the rest of his days, as his wife, raising their children together, maybe adding some more along the way.
He’d spent too much time thinking about the future she didn’t want. And now, instead of enjoying the here and now, all he could think about was what he was losing. “Would you think about giving us a real chance?” he asked, his voice gruff. “For me?”
She stared up at him, cheeks flushed, breathing heavy, and so surprised he cursed himself. He didn’t want to lose this. Even though he wanted to believe they were growing closer, she might not feel the same.
“What does that mean? For you?” Her voice was soft and thready.
He ran a hand along her cheek. “Last weekend here, and our time with the kids, felt good—like the start of something real. Let’s give this a chance to see where it could go—no secrets, no letting our families dictate our choices...and you being open-minded about staying in Fort Kyle.” His gaze searched hers.
She stared at him, f
lashes of a dozen thoughts and feelings rushing across her face. “We agreed, Brody...” She swallowed, her explanations stalling out. “What I needed, what I thought we both needed, hasn’t changed. Has it?”
The sincerity of her voice plucked at his heart. Nothing had changed for him. He loved her. And he was a fool for thinking he could make her love him. “What did you need, India?”
She frowned. “I needed you. The way you make me feel when you’re around. Just...you. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t upset me. You’ve told me from the beginning how things stand.” He shook his head. “I thought I could be fine with just this—”
“Just this?” She frowned. “This is something.”
But not enough. He had a choice to make. Tell her the truth and stop this from ever happening again or accept the way things were. He was the one who was making this hard, not her. It wasn’t fair to get upset now, simply because she hadn’t come around to his way of thinking. But, maybe, it wasn’t fair to his heart to let things go on.
“It is,” he agreed, his hand cradling her cheek. He might regret it, but there were things that needed to be said. “Enough to make me want more.”
She stared at him, so still and quiet he didn’t know what to make of it.
He kissed her. “When I’m with you I have the future I want. Right here. You, me, Cal, the girls, in Fort Kyle.”
“Brody, stop.” Tears spilled down her cheeks, but still she didn’t move.
“I know our families will take their own sweet time coming around, but they will—”
“No, they wouldn’t. My father would never come around, Brody. He’d be mean and hateful to you—and that would put Cal in the middle. And your girls, too.” She shook her head. “And your family? I won’t drive a wedge between you and your family.”
“There’s no way of knowing how things would turn out,” he argued.
“None,” she agreed. “We both know that. Neither of our first marriages had this kind of baggage going in. We’re lonely and being a single parent is hard, but that’s real life. It doesn’t matter how much I love you or if you love me, it won’t suddenly fix everything—that’s not real life. I’d rather spare our kids than risk their happiness.”
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