“You’re afraid.”
She swallowed hard, turning her attention to the stars above. With any luck, the glow of the fire wouldn’t reveal her heated cheeks. “I’m not afraid to name a puppy. You’re the one who’d have to live with whatever I picked out.”
“You’re afraid of getting attached.”
“You saw him. He’s super cute and cuddly and how could Inotget attached to him the instant he nibbled my finger and wiggled that cute little butt?” Much more emotion rushed into her words than she meant to unleash. Emotions she had no intention of facing now. Or ever. But they surfaced just the same. The familiar urge to board a plane and run away before those emotions took over completely tugged at her hard.
“Are you happy in Chicago?” he asked. “Truly happy?”
Reese squirmed in her seat, giving up on finding a shooting star tonight. Her wish would have to wait. She pushed out her chair, gathering up the condiments from earlier.
“Leave those.” Hudson touched her wrist, startling her with his ninja-like skills that took him from lounging in his camping chair to standing beside her in a single heartbeat. “I’ll clean it up.”
“Oh, okay then. I’ll just be going to bed—”
Hudson didn’t let go of her wrist when she made a run for it. Her petite frame bounced backward, nearly colliding with his chest of steel. The more she yearned to melt into the tempting comfort of his embrace, the stronger her urge to flee grew.
“Stop running, Reese. Stop running and see what happens.”
In the glow of the fire, his dark eyes, chiseled features, and scruffy beard had a mysteriously sexy edge. A completely unfair advantage. The shadows of dancing flame moved across his lips. “I-I can’t.”
“You can.”
She wanted to kiss him. Goodness, how she longed to disappear into his kiss and forget about everything else. When their lips were joined, it was the only time she stopped thinking and let herself simply be.
It was the gobble in the nearby cottonwood tree that saved her from giving in. “Melvin?” she asked, turning her attention to the upper branches. She caught a quick flash of eyes reflecting the fire.
“Turkeys sleep in trees,” Hudson explained, gently dropping her wrist.
“You’re making that up.”
“They fly up into trees at dusk because their night vision isn’t great. It’s safer from predators up there. He’ll come back down at dawn.”
Reese laughed, relief coursing through her veins. The urge to kiss Hudson hadn’t lessened, but the risk that he wouldn’t give her a choice was averted. “Good night, Hudson. I’ll see you bright and early in the morning.” She hurried inside before she did something foolish, like run back into his arms.
Chapter 9
Hudson
Much to Hudson’s dismay, he still hadn’t found the time to take Reese horseback riding. He was counting on Lucy to woo her even more than the puppy had. But he’d barely had time to check on the girls at all today. Ginny would be sore at him for these quick visits, but he could win her over with an apple. Jed and the girlfriend he refused to talk about—Hudson could deal with that another day—exercised and brushed the horses so he and Reese could focus on sprucing up the landscaping.
Ronnie was going to kill him when she saw the flowers planted in a border around the covered front porch, but the chore and end result kept Reese happy. At the end of the day, that was more important than following some schedule.
“You sure we don’t have to bring anything to dinner?” Reese asked when they were in the truck. “I knowshecan’t drink wine. But Becca sure can.”
He remembered the bottle of pinot grigio in the cupboard, but he didn’t want to face his sister if they showed up with that same bottle. “We can stop and get something on the way over if that’ll make you feel better.”
“Yes, please.”
Things between them were mostly back to normal, but a hint of strain danced between them in the truck cab. Hudson pushed his luck last night, and only Melvin saved him from making a grave mistake. Reese was afraid of what truly existed between them. If he was being honest, he was, too. What sane man fell so hard for a woman he’d only spent a handful of weekends with over the course of three years? A woman he didn’t even talk to in between those visits?
“We’ll go riding tomorrow,” Hudson promised as the ranch disappeared in the rearview mirror.
“Okay.” She offered him a gentle smile before she dug out her phone and scanned it, no doubt for emails.
Against his will and better judgment, Hudson had skimmed Ronnie’s schedule a little more closely this morning. He didn’t agree with half the things on it, but one struck him as gold. “Thursday night, there’s a live band at The Watering Hole. Some county blues band.”
“Countryblues?”
