That’s when Carson grabbed Carolyn’s hand and they hightailed it out of their own house.
They didn’t stop moving until they reached the barn.
“Good Lord, I didn’t need to witness that.”
“No shit,” Carson said. “That was about as awkward as the time Keely caught us playin’ master and slave in the dining room.”
Carolyn twined her arms around his neck. “Speaking of…been a long time since we’ve horsed around like that.”
He grinned. “No ball gag this time, slave, so on your knees.”
“Right here in the barn?”
He quirked that sexy eyebrow in challenge. “You doin’ something else right now?”
“No.” She lowered to her knees and looked up at him. “But I’m still not ever calling you master.”
For the first time she drifted away into the catacombs of her mind with a smile on her face and the taste of Carson on her tongue.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Hospital, Day 6—afternoon
“Today on Maury: I’m retired, I’m not raising your love child! We’ll hear about one woman’s struggle after she discovered her husband had fathered a child with their grandchildren’s barely legal babysitter.”
Seriously? There was such shit on daytime TV.
But Carson secretly loved this train-wreck show.
The talk show host came back on the screen. “How do you plan to spend your retirement? Eleanor Peabody imagined she and her husband of thirty-five years would travel the world together. But during the first few months of his retirement, Henry began an affair with their grandchildren’s eighteen-year-old babysitter, Shania.” Boos echoed from the audience. “Now Shania is pregnant and she expects Henry to take responsibility for his child. Where does this leave Eleanor? Stuck helping raise her husband’s love child during her golden years? Henry is here too and he’ll tell you why Eleanor needs to step up.”
“Carson?”
He about shot out of his seat and turned to face his son-in-law. “Jesus, Jack. You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry.” He glanced up at the screen. “Am I interrupting?”
“No. I never watch this garbage. I was just bored.” He stood and clicked off the TV.
“You seem surprised to see me.”
Carson gave Jack Donohue a once-over. Dressed impeccably in a snappy suit and shined shoes. It no longer pained him to admit Keely had done well in her choice of husband. Jack was a smart, savvy businessman, who adored Keely but wasn’t a pushover for their headstrong daughter. “I thought Keely might’ve put her foot down and said you couldn’t break rank.”
Jack lifted one dark brow. “You do know me, right? When have I ever let that sassy cowgirl dictate what I can and can’t do?”
“Point taken.”
They took seats opposite each other. “Since germs are an issue, I’ll throw it out that Piper and Katie are as robustly healthy as their twin brothers.”
“Happy to hear that. I know it was a rough winter.”
“I had no idea kids got sick that much. I considered buying stock in the pharmaceutical company that manufactures amoxicillin. Summer weather seems to cure the nasty bugs, thank God.”