Chance joined them, and she was just about to settle between them when he said, “Baby, I don’t want you to sit on the bare wood.” He put her left arm around his neck and seated her across his lap so she faced Clayton who sat beside him.
She hadn’t minded sitting between them, but this was much more enjoyable as he stroked and cuddled her to him. She relaxed and tilted her lips up for a kiss.
Clayton pointed at the floating dock and said, “We spent many a summer day diving off of that into the center of the lake.”
“Did your whole family come here?”
Clayton nodded and said, “Oh, yeah. Every chance we got. My parents, my grandparents always came, and I remember them bringing great-Grandma out here with us once or twice.”
“Were there other kids?”
“We had a distant cousin who sometimes came to visit during summer vacations, but it was mostly just the two of us.” They told her a little of the history of the cabin and the ranch.
“I love it here.”
Clayton stroked her calf as he lifted it into his lap and said, “I’m glad to hear it, Lydi. We’ve looked forward to bringing you out here. I’ve also looked forward to giving you a break from all your hard work at the house. It looks great, by the way.”
“Thanks. I enjoy taking care of it. I feel like that’s one way I can make life easier for you. I enjoy my work. I hope that doesn’t make me sound weird. I’m not a nitpicker or control freak. I just like taking care of you.” Serving them in whatever capacity met a need she had as well.
Brushing her hair back from her cheek, Chance said, “Lydia, you take very good care of us. We like taking care of you, too.” Her heart swelled with love for him as his lips gently brushed hers. She stroked the tip of her tongue against his lower lip, wanting more, and he gave it. He enclosed her in his arms, and the tension in his body vibrated against her bare flesh.
If he hadn’t taken an interest on her first day at the Oasis Café she never would’ve known the happiness that filled her heart. And she never would’ve met Clayton. In a way, that job fiasco in Fort Stockton was the best thing that had ever happened to her.
Now, here she sat, well-loved, curled up in his arms, and knew this was the place she was meant to be. Finally parting his lips from hers, Chance said, “I’ve been hogging you. Want to sit with Clayton a bit, too?”
Blinking the mist of happy tears from her eyes, Lydia nodded and giggled as they shifted her from one lap to the other as though she weighed no more than a bag of flour. She never for a second worried that they might drop her in the water as Clayton tucked her securely onto his lap, now facing Chance.
Once Lydia was settled again, she kissed Clayton and said, “I never want either of you to feel left out. I love you, too, cowboy.”
They sat outside watching the fireflies as the moon rose and cast its glow on the water.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Like clockwork, Clayton and his brother both woke the following morning at five o’clock. Lydia lay nestled between them, where they’d placed her when they’d carried her upstairs the night before. She’d fallen asleep in his arms watching fireflies out on the boat dock. They tucked the covers around her and went downstairs to take their showers and start the day.
Lydia was an early bird, too, but Clayton hoped she might sleep in a bit. She’d worked so hard all week, trying to get the house into shape, and he and Chance had been able to tell she needed this break. The fact that she had fallen asleep at eight thirty the night before attested to how tired she was, and they weren’t helping much by keeping her up past her bedtime every night. After his shower, he went into the kitchen and quietly put on a pot of coffee and started breakfast.
Chance joined him and said, “It’ll take me a couple of hours to get there and a couple of hours to get back, plus pickup time in between, so you’ll have the whole morning to yourselves.”
Smiling contentedly, Clayton said, “I’m looking forward to it, too.” They both looked up and grinned when a soft yawn was heard on the stairs.
As he gazed at Lydia, time stopped for a moment for Clayton. He would remember her like that always. Her hair was still wild and tangled from sleep, and she smiled at them both, love in her drowsy, sexy eyes. She padded naked across the living room into the kitchen and murmured morning greetings to them both.
Clayton was nearest, and she headed straight for him as he held his arms open. He took in a deep breath, filling his nostrils with her sensual, womanly scent, and groaned as the warmth of her lush, bare curves seeped through his clothing. Without hesitation, he slid his hand down her back all the way to her ass and squeezed a cheek as he kissed her good-morning.