His palm rises to cup my jaw. “I wasn’t joking when I told your dad I was gonna marry you.” His words are quiet, yet feel as if they carry the weight of the world. “I’ll be hiding from your dad in my excavator if you need me.”
And he has the nerve to wink before walking around to my door.
“Chicken,” I laugh, sliding out the passenger side. “That’s not very ‘book boyfriend’ of you.”
When I poke him in the side, his hand comes up, wrapping my neck to wedge me against his truck.
“I don’t want to be the man in your books, princess. I want to be the man in your ass.” His hot breath warms my chest before he crashes his lips against mine.
As he turns, leaving me panting, he gives my ass a sharp swat. “Let me know if you need reinforcements.”
His Wranglers hug his thighs as he saunters off, adjusting his Stetson against the rising sun.
Damn. That’smycowboy.
Taking a deep breath, I turn towards Uncle Dixon’s house and cross the parking lot.
Each step feels heavier until I’m standing on the porch, staring at the handle.
Might as well get it over with.
Before it swings all the way open, I can see every pair of eyes fixating on me.
Except Dad’s.
Lori is the first to react, rushing out of her chair to fold me into a shaking hug. “I was so worried about you,” she whispers, squeezing me so tightly I can barely inhale. “Why didn’t you text yesterday? You ran off to meet a stranger and didn’t check in?”
She grabs my upper arms, pulling away enough to peer into my face. “You could have died. Or worse.”
“I didn’t. I’m fine. Better than fine.” I loop through her elbow, tugging her with me towards where Char and Libby are both staring at me slack-jawed.
“You look like you had fun.” Libby grins, pointing to her own neck for emphasis.
“I didn’t sleep much last night.” I need more coffee to survive this conversation.
“Oh, that’s what I’m talking about!” Libby laughs, smacking her hand on the table.
Lori’s worried expression still hasn’t faded as she picks up Jack. “I checked your room last night thinking maybe I missed you. Where’s all your stuff?”
“I moved in with him.” Okay, this is actually kind of fun now that the panic has passed.
Char’s spine snaps her straight as she blinks rapidly at me. “The guy from Oregon?”
Shaking my head, I pour a hefty dose of cream into my cup. “He’s not there. Much closer. Like only fifteen minutes away.”
“Ugh!” Libby groans. “You’re edging the shit out of us! Just tell us who he is? What does he look like?”
I’m done fighting the grin. Picking up my steaming mug, I hold it nearly to my lips as I glance between the three women watching me.
“You’ll never guess.” I take a long, dramatic pause. “Oliver Brookes.”
Here to beat my ass
Oliver
RacingQueen: Lori won’t stop saying ‘oh my god’ and I can’t stop laughing!
TheBigO: Keep track, I’ll make you scream it that many times tonight.
