Danielle and Wade
The next morning, Wade took a halting step back from going up the stairs when he glanced out the living room window and saw Dani’s car pulling into the driveway. He leaned against the baluster and watched as she brought the car to a stop and got out--the same beautiful woman whose mouth he had unapologetically ravished last night. Even now, he could still taste her, even after his morning cup of coffee and a leftover cinnamon roll. Although she had been the one to break off the kiss, she had been just as aroused as he’d been. A man could tell, mainly from a woman’s scent. And by the time he had gone to bed last night, her sensual aroma had been absorbed in his skin.
Wade noted she wasn’t wearing a sundress today, but a skirt and a top. She looked sexy as hell in them. As usual, her hair flowed around her shoulders, and a pair of gold earrings dangled from her ears. She also had a cute pair of cowboy boots on her feet.
When she knocked, he headed for the door. Chances were, she expected Elena to answer it since he hadn’t mentioned anything about his housekeeper taking time off. However, he intended to make sure things would be as he’d toldher, with him being gone. He had enough chores outside to keep him busy and away from the house. His men would be returning at some point this afternoon. Since none of them had permanent residence on his spread, the place would be empty until Monday morning.
He opened the door, and although her eyes registered surprise, the smile on her lips remained intact. Lips he desperately wanted to kiss again.
“Good morning, Wade. Where’s Elena?”
He stepped aside, allowing her to come in. “She’s home. She always takes the day off when Carlos returns from being out on the range for any length of time. Even when it’s only been two days. She believes a woman is supposed to be there to greet her man when he returns.”
“Oh, how sweet.”
“It’s basic Willow Harrison ideology that Elena acquired and put in practice over the years.”
“Your mother’s?”
He chuckled. “Yes. I think my dad deliberately stayed out on the range more times than necessary just to receive my mother’s special brand of homecoming when he returned.”
“Your parents sound like a couple who enjoyed being married.”
“They were blissfully happy, up to the day they died. I think that’s one of the reasons they didn’t mind me being gone on the rodeo circuit so much. When I was a teen, I got to spend a lot of nights over at Rich and Cal’s place. Their parents were affectionate, but trust me, nobody’s parents were as affectionate as mine. That’s the kind of marriage I want for myself,” he said.
“You do?”
“Of course,” he responded. “It’s the kind of marriage I’m used to being around. The kind I’ve always been exposed to. I want more than a wife. I want a best friend.”
Then, thinking he might have said too much, he said, “I’m going to be working outside the entire day, so I won’t be underfoot. You have my number. Call me if you need me.”
“Okay. If I keep up the same pace, I might just finish today instead of tomorrow.”
He hoped that was true. Though he’d definitely like to spend Friday with her if she was interested. The county fair arrived in town tonight and ran through Sunday. “Well, I need to go upstairs and grab a few things, and then I’ll be seeing you later,” he said.
“Alright, and Wade?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for telling me about your parents. It sounds like they were special, and you were blessed that they displayed so much affection. My parents weren’t affectionate at all,” she said. “I believe they loved each other, and they loved us, but Dad had this thing about keeping his emotions to himself. He thought demonstrating love was a sign of weakness.”
She paused a moment, and Wade waited. He had a feeling she had more to say, more to get out. And he was right.
“Dad died when I was fourteen, Libby was sixteen, and my sister Kim was almost eighteen. He was killed in a car accident a few months before Kim graduated from high school. Mom didn’t know what to do with herself after he died, since he hadn’t wanted her to work outside the home. So she began volunteering at a few charities. Just before I was about to leave for college, my sisters and I talked her into going back to school andgetting her degree.”
Dani laughed. “It was as if she got the educational bug and couldn’t stop. Not only did she get her bachelor’s degree, but she kept going and finished up her master’s as well. She became a teacher and then a principal. She’d been planning to get her PhD when her aunt passed and willed her a house in Gary, Indiana. So she packed up and left Huntsville, Alabama.”
Wade then remembered something that Rich had mentioned the last time he’d been home for an extended period of time from the rodeo. “Your mother remarried recently, right?”
A huge smile touched her lips. “That’s right. She married Jeremiah Montgomery. He’s good for her and, unlike Dad, he has no issues showing her how much he loves her. I can tell Mom is happy.”
Dani released a satisfied breath and then looked him in the eye. “That’s what I want, too, Wade. The kind of marriage your parents had, the kind my mom has now.”
Then, as if she realized she had gotten a little ahead of herself, she shook her head and said, “My goodness. How on earth did we start talking about stuff like that? I have work to do, and so do you. Sorry I took up so much of your time rambling on the way I did.”
“You didn’t,” he assured her.
“I’ll see you later, Wade.”
