He smiled and took my hand, squeezing my fingers in a way that had become comforting in a way few things were.
“I can do that.”
“Good.”
His smile turned into a little smirk and I raised a brow at him.
“I was just thinking that your riding skills are a good start,” he deadpanned.
I groaned and tried not to smile. He laughed and reached to take my hand again, but I pulled both of mine back.
“No, no hand holding for you, sir.”
That just made him laugh more, and soon we were both snickering.
I could get used to this.
The thought scared me as much as it made me excited.
I was pretty sure someone like Russ would tell me that all the best things were like that in the start.
I held out my hand and Carter took it, then pulled enough so he could kiss the back of it again.
Grabbing my spoon, I continued to eat and soaked in the peace I was feeling.
Chapter 18
Carter
Marielle had her neutral face on. I wasn’t surprised, but I was hoping that once she got a good look at the ranch, she would see the appeal I did. I wasn’t sure why it mattered so much to me that she found the beauty in this place. Perhaps it was because she was my closest confidant and I considered her a friend. I didn’t have many of those anymore.
Or I hadn’t. The people of the BCR were definitely becoming friends.
Hawk was more than that. Damn, but I couldn’t wait to see him. It had been two days, and even though we had texted when he wasn’t busy, and we’d had one late night phone call last night that ended in mutual satisfaction for us both, I hadn’t been able to touch him since Friday. And then only for a brief make-out session in his office when he could spare me a few minutes. Hewas very busy, and I’d had to get back to my house in time for Marielle and Elisa’s arrival that afternoon.
Yesterday, for the first time in a couple of weeks, I didn’t come out to the ranch. I’d sent Mal a message, because he’d told me to if I couldn’t come out, and he assured me that Ramona would be taken care of. Marielle and I had a working day, even though it was Saturday, so we could get the time sensitive items handled. Then I treated Elisa and Marielle to dinner at The Chophouse, which was the fanciest place in town. Ranchers put on clean jeans to go there, but the steaks were outstanding. They’d both enjoyed the food even if Marielle had been a bit of a snob about the atmosphere. Elisa had found it charming.
Speaking of Marielle’s wife, she at least was excited about visiting the ranch and going on a horseback ride. She leaned between the front seats, peering out the windshield, as I turned onto the property. They were both wearing jeans and sneakers, which is the best they could do for the ride, but while Marielle had donned a hoodie, Elisa bought a flannel just for the visit. She’d tucked her afro under a straw cowboy hat and looked very cute.
“Fix your face, Mari baby,” Elisa drawled, nudged her wife in the shoulder. “This is going to be fun.”
Marielle tried for a smile but wasn’t quite successful. The expression eased a bit more when both Elisa and I chuckled. She waved us off and sat up straighter as I rounded the slight curve and the ranch itself came into view.
“This is the best part. Wait until you hear….hang on.” I slowed to a crawl as soon as I noticed a mid-size SUV parked along the edge of the drive. I didn’t recognize it, but there were always so many vehicles all over the place that I wasn’t surprised. I peered past Marielle into the SUV and saw a figure slumped over, head in his hands.
It was Emery. I’d only been introduced to him a few weeks ago, but there was no mistaking the curls in that same dark hair half the Harrington siblings had. Demi’s were the same, but a lot longer. Emery kept his hair short. I braked then put the Jeep in park. Hopping out, I rounded the front of the Jeep to get to his door.
I knocked on the window, a very light tap, not wanting to startle him. When he didn’t react, I tried the door, concern mounting, and was glad to find it unlocked. I slowly opened the door, then reached in and touched his shoulder. He startled then, his whole body jerking, and he lifted his head as he sucked in a huge breath.
“Hey, you okay?”
He blinked his blue eyes at me. “Cahill?”
I snorted. “That’s me. What are you doing sitting out here?”
Emery’s brows scrunched together and he looked around. It took him a few seconds for his brain to work. I practically watched as it chugged into gear. He lifted his hands and scrubbed them on his face, then patted his cheek a few times.
“Got in late. There was a thing with a patient, and I….” He squinted as though he was trying to remember. “I stopped here because I needed to check my phone and I didn’t want to set off Juanpablo. He’s usually good at night when it’s us, but if I was taking a long time… Anyway, I must have stopped moving for too long because I clearly fell asleep.”
