“Is something wrong with her neck?” His amused expression had Rachel wanting to smack him upside his smug face.
“I think she wants to get out of the water.”
“Then tell her to get out.” Cash sprawled back lazily in his chair, fixing his avid gaze on Holly.
“Go inside, Cash. She doesn’t feel comfortable getting out with you here.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Pity.”
A streak of jealousy curled in Rachel’s stomach at his disappointed expression. She hid her reaction by calling for Logan.
“Come on, Logan; it’s time to get cleaned up.”
Cash set his glass down on the table, lithely standing to his feet. “I discovered something new today.”
Rachel wrapped Logan in the towel, drying him off. “What?” she replied, becoming irritable at him for his delay in leaving. She was beginning to feel sorry for Holly, easily understanding her body image issues.
“That you’re all grown up.”
Rachel’s head snapped in his direction, expecting to see the same amused expression he always wore around her, as if he was putting up with a misbehaving child. However, his sleepily seductive gaze was on her butt.
“Kiss my ass, Cash.”
“Rachel, believe me, that’s one sentence you don’t want to use around a man like me.” With that, Cash strolled back inside the house, leaving her openmouthed at his comment.
“I didn’t think he would ever leave!” Holly grabbed her cover-up from the chair without bothering to dry off.
“I didn’t, either. Let’s get inside and get changed.”
Holding Logan’s hand, the women went upstairs to the spare bedroom, taking turns showering and getting dressed.
The smell of food wafted upstairs, causing Holly’s stomach to growl.
“I’m hungry, too. I hope they’re gone.” Rachel’s stomach agreed with Holly.
Neither of their wishes was going to come true, though. When they entered the dining room, the three Last Riders were already devouring the food with a happy Mrs. Langley watching them as she sat at the head of the table.
“Sit down. I brought out enough plates for everyone.”
“Mrs. Langley, you shouldn’t have. I was—” Rachel protested.
“I’m not an invalid yet, Rachel. I don’t think carrying a few plates is going to wear me out. The men did the rest.”
Rachel sat down at the table next to Rider, letting Holly take the seat at the end of the table, while Logan climbed onto the chair next to Cash. Rachel took a heaping portion of the cheesy lasagna, passing it to Logan, and then made another one for Holly before making her own plate.
Rachel ate, listening to Razer and Mrs. Langley talk. Beth’s husband had grown attached to the woman, and his affection was obvious as Razer was asked about his new twin boys.
Cash asked Logan if he was ready to start pre-school, sending the little boy off into a conversation that Rachel could barely keep up with. Cash surprised her at how well he interacted with the child. She’d expected him to be more like Rider, who ignored him to flirt uselessly with Holly. Rachel could have told him he was wasting his time, but she was enjoying watching the man make an ass of himself.
After the meal, Rachel and Holly cleaned the dishes and kitchen for Mrs. Langley, leaving it spotless before going to the room they had turned into her new bedroom. They wanted to make sure all her things had been arranged for her to avoid her having to go up the steps after everyone left.
When they returned to the living room, Mrs. Langley was sitting on the couch while Logan sat on the floor, reading one of his books to her. Rachel sat down next to her, taking her hand in hers as Holly squeezed in at the end, even though Rider had scooted over to make room on the smaller couch for her. Razer and Cash weren’t in the room, making Rachel wonder where they had gone before she remembered Mrs. Langley’s television upstairs needed to be transferred to her new room.
Rachel’s thoughts went to Mrs. Langley, letting her consciousness flow into her. Closing her eyes, she let her strength gather in her hand, allowing it to gradually seep into the older woman. Shifting closer, she infused warmth into her chilled hand.#p#分页标题#e#
She had only done this a few times; her grandmother had often warned her against it. When you did, it was hard to gauge exactly how much of yourself you were giving away. If you weren’t careful, you could give away too much and have nothing left for yourself.
Carefully, she withdrew, taking her hand away, noticing Mrs. Langley’s cheeks were now flushed and her eyes seemed brighter. Rachel felt as if she might lose the dinner she had just eaten, though.