“I see him lying there in my head. Seeing the mess again . . . It’s hard.”
“Sadie, sweetheart, I should have told you. I had a cleaning crew come and clean the house.”
She cocked her head and stared at him, surprised. “You did?”
“The day your father went to the hospital. I came here looking for you, saw the blood and thought the worst. After Bell called to tell me where you were, I called my house and asked my grandfather to send the cleaning crew here. I didn’t want you to come home to that.”
“I . . .” Love you stuck on the tip of her tongue. She couldn’t just blurt that out because he’d done something so thoughtful and kind and sweet and just for her. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Thank you,” he suggested. “It’s nothing, sweetheart. The smallest thing I could do to make this easier for you.”
“That’s just it, isn’t it? The small things people do to show they care. Those are the things that mean so much. So thank you. You’re sweet.” She kissed him softly. A small display of the depth of her feelings for him, but again, something simple that meant so much.
“Whatever you do, don’t tell my brothers, or anyone else, you think I’m sweet.” He scrunched up his mouth into a sour face, but the light in his eyes told her he was kidding.
“Your secret is safe with me.”
“There’s a hint of the smile I’ve missed since we headed over here.” He brushed his fingers over her lips, making her want to stay in the truck and kiss him the rest of the day and get another taste of the fire they’d started last night. “Don’t look at me like that, we’ll never get out of this truck.”
“Would that be so bad?” She cocked up one eyebrow and smiled softly.
He pointed his finger at her. “Stop procrastinating and driving me crazy.” The finger pointed at her shifted to point out the truck window. “Out.”
“You’re no fun.” She pouted.
“That’s not what you thought last night.” With that parting shot, he opened his door and got out. She caught the hint of a smile on his lips when he turned back and held his hand out for her to take so he could help her out of the truck.
“I’m happy to let you change my mind back to what I thought last night.”
Rory tugged her into his chest. His mouth crashed into hers for a hungry kiss. His tongue slid along hers, tasting and tempting her to ride the wave of pure lust he unleashed inside her. His hands slid down her back and over her bottom. He pulled her close, snug against his hard length. She rocked her hips against him. The low growl he let loose reverberated through her chest and straight down to her belly.
As fast as the kiss started, he ended it, holding her away by her hips. “No.”
“No?” He’d scrambled her brain. She truly had no idea what he meant.
His soft chuckle made her focus on his smile, the gold and green in his eyes, the way his long hair swept back away from his too handsome face. “God, you’re gorgeous.”
“Are you drunk?” he teased.
“On you.”
Rory took her hand and tugged her toward the house. “Come on, crazy girl. Let’s get this done. I’ll take you riding later.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Why?”
“Don’t you have work to do? I’ve kept you from it for days.”
“My brothers and the ranch hands have it covered.”
“You really don’t mind spending all this time with me, doing all this depressing stuff.”
“The circumstances may be hard, but spending time with you isn’t.” Rory took her keys and opened the front door. The fresh scent of pine and flowers the cleaning crew left behind wafted out on the soft breeze.
Rory took a step away, but she held him back, her hand locked in his, their fingers laced together.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“Thank you.” She walked right into him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him tight, taking in his now familiar scent. Horses, grass, leather, and him. The man she loved more and more. So much so that soon it would be too hard to hold back telling him. Showing him.
Why was she waiting?
He’d shown her time and again how much he cared about her. Maybe he didn’t love her, but he definitely wanted a relationship with her, but did he want forever, or just right now?
If she told him, would he back away? Would he tell her he loved her, too? If he did, would it just be because she’d said it and he thought she expected him to say it? No. Rory wasn’t the kind of guy who said something without meaning it.
Still, she held back, but hugged him tighter, hoping he understood everything in her heart that she couldn’t find the courage to say out loud. Not yet. But she would soon, because she didn’t want to risk not telling him and him not knowing if something happened to her.