She smiled and closed her eyes as he kissed her lips, and her body hummed with a wonderful mixture of desire and happiness. Work had to be done. Otherwise she gladly would’ve allowed him to carry her up the stairs to his big bed right that very minute.
She wondered now why she had waited to make love to Chance. Wanting him, and his brother, definitely hadn’t been the issue that first night on the ranch. Did she really think she was a loose woman if she went to bed with them now, not even a week after arriving in their home? Would they think she was? Was she just going through the motions? Clayton came to mind.
“Will you tell your brother?”
“Want me to?”
“I don’t mind if you do. We can talk on the way to town later, if he wants to.”
“He’s not going to expect you to say that to him before you’re ready, baby,” Chance said reassuringly as he looked into her eyes.
Lydia nodded, knowing it was a matter of when she told Clayton she loved him and not if she told him. Clayton’s uncharacteristic playfulness as he’d bent her over his arm earlier that morning to kiss her came to mind. Clayton was usually more serious, and he’d surprised her when he’d done that. More than anything she wanted to get to know them both on a deeper level. In her heart she wanted to go further.
“Maybe we’ll have time to talk before supper.”
“We’ll also have this weekend to spend some time together. I’d better get to work.” He kissed her lightly again and set her on her feet.
* * * *
Clayton steered the truck through the ranch entry and took the first incline slowly. A serene smile lit her face. “I’ll never grow tired of this view. It’s heavenly.”
Gazing at her, he said, “I agree.”
It hadn’t surprised Clayton at all when Chance quietly mentioned to him earlier in the afternoon that Lydia had told Chance she loved him. It was obvious in the way she looked at his brother. Clayton was in love with her, the same as Chance, but he wanted to find a way to show her rather than just telling her. Clayton still felt like he needed to prove himself to Lydia.
She’d needed to go to the store for a missing ingredient for tonight’s meal and had offered to drive herself, but Chance had suggested she let Clayton and he’d jumped on the opportunity. They were on their way home now, after picking up the dried peppers she’d needed.
“You made Chance a happy man today when you told him you loved him.”
“It felt right to tell him. While I was still in Fort Stockton, those times he came in to have a meal and visit were often the highlight of my week. When you came with him, it made it even better, Clayton.”
Clayton smiled at her and was taken aback by the love he saw in her soft, turquoise-blue eyes and knew that it was just a matter of time for the two of them. After being bachelors for so many years they had just about given up on finding the right women, much less right woman. Now, here she sat next to him. “Lydi, you’re really something.”
Lydia looked down at her feet and blushed. “I’m looking forward to this weekend.”
Clayton took her hand in his and turned it palm up. He could see the wear and tear of her labors there and pressed his lips to a small cut on her pinky finger. “I don’t want you working all weekend, okay? You need to rest and relax, too.” He took his foot off the brake and continued down the driveway.
“I promise I will. I might like to do a little shopping. Has there been any word about my car?”
Clayton shook his head. “No. Not yet. But we should hear something soon.”
Checking the clock on the dashboard as he pulled to a stop in front of the house, Clayton said, “Looks like you’re getting a bit of a late start. I’ll stick around and help you.”
Lydia beamed at him and said, “I’d like that.”
Clayton enjoyed watching Lydia work her magic in her kitchen. Lydia turned on the radio and danced and wiggled her ass to the songs on the classic rock station until it damn near drove him nuts. She had no idea how adorable she was.
Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen” was playing as she stood in front of the stove, stirring the roux for the enchilada sauce, and he could no longer stand it. She looked back at him and grinned as she actually began to grind, leaning back and rolling her shoulders a little as he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
He brushed her hair off her shoulder and whispered, “You’re torturing me.”
“Am I?” she asked with a giggle. “Will you dance with me?” she asked as she turned the heat down to simmer after adding the other ingredients and covering the pan with its lid.