Beneath the Stetson(45)

She shook her head. “They’re an important part of your life. If I go in with you, they’ll make assumptions. Let’s not complicate things.”

“Lord, you’re stubborn.”

“Go get Cade. I’ll be fine.”

He stalked away, clearly displeased. Her decision was the right one, though. If Gil showed up with a woman in tow, his friends would think something was going on. And it wasn’t. She and Gil were having recreational sex. To fill a void in their lives.

Wanting more didn’t make it so.

* * *

As Gil walked back to the truck with Cade, he ruffled his son’s hair. “I have a surprise for you.”

“What is it?” Cade looked tired and not quite as bouncy as usual. No doubt the boys had stayed up far too late.

“I brought a friend with me.”

Gil opened the truck door and helped Cade climb into the back. The boy grinned hugely when he saw who sat in the passenger seat. “Hi, Miss Bailey. Wish I could sit up front with you.”

She leaned over the seat and patted his knee. “We have to obey the law. Wouldn’t want Sheriff Battle to arrest us.”

Gil climbed in behind the wheel. “What is this obsession you have with being arrested?” he asked, the words barely audible.

Wincing, she remembered using the very same words only an hour before...when she and Gil had stood stark naked beneath the afternoon sun. She closed her eyes, still able to see in her mind’s eye the two of them tangled together on an old, dusty quilt.

Ignoring Gil’s provocative mutter was her only option. “I have an idea,” she said. “Why don’t I ride in the back with Cade? That way he won’t be all alone.”

Cade squealed with delight even as his father’s face darkened with frustration. “If that’s what you want.”

Cade chattered nonstop three-fourths of the way back to Royal, and then without warning fell sound asleep, his little body slumping against Bailey’s shoulder trustingly.

Her eyes met Gil’s in the rearview mirror. “Poor thing is exhausted.”

“Well, I haven’t slept much for the past ten days. And you don’t seem to be worried about me.”

“Gil!”

“I’m not going to let you pretend nothing happened, Bailey. Things are different now.”

“How?”

Fortunately for her, the question stumped him. Either that or he wasn’t willing to talk about it in front of his son. Her blunt question put an end to any conversation at all. She leaned her head against the window and dozed, enjoying the feel of Gil’s son pressed up against her side.

It was getting dark when they made it out to McDaniel’s Acres. Lights in the farmhouse created a welcoming glow. Cade never stirred when Gil opened the passenger door and helped Bailey climb out of the backseat.

When her feet hit the ground, he continued to hold her. “We have to talk about this. But now is not the time.”

Her heart swelled with hope and longing. Was he going to tell her something important? Something that could change her life forever? For the better?

She knew he was right about timing. Serious conversation required privacy. But when he bent his head and kissed her so very gently, she wanted to blurt out the truth. I love you, Gil.

Any anger and frustration he felt had melted away or had been stuffed into a box marked Don’t Spoil the Moment.

She strained against him, feeling the urgent hunger that was never far from the surface. He didn’t try to hide his arousal. Knowing he needed and wanted her was almost enough. But not entirely.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tried to read a deeper meaning into his tenderness. Did he feel anything for her beyond simple lust?

At last he released her. Breathing harshly, he rubbed a thumb over her cheekbone. “Don’t fret, sweetheart. Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”

What did that mean? What was he planning?

Before she could press for answers, he was gone...the taillights of his truck shining red in the gathering darkness as he headed home with his young son.

She walked up the steps slowly. Would it matter if she asked her boss for one more week? Or would that simply prolong the pain of walking away from Gil?

It startled her to realize that Chance was sitting on the front porch swing. And he was not alone. Cara Windsor stood abruptly. To Bailey’s trained eye and with the illumination from the porch light, it was easy to see that the beautiful blonde had been crying.

Before Bailey could do more than say a quick hello, the other woman dashed down the steps, got into her car and drove away.

Chance spread his arms across the back of the swing, his long legs outstretched. “Was that Gil I saw bringing you home?”