Her neck flushed in memory of Kade on a horse. Of Kade with a rope. His power, grace, concentration and speed. She could not wait to have all of that completely focused on her. “I never said congratulations on second place. You’ve gotta be happy.”
“Not bad for two ranchers who haven’t team roped for years.”
“You guys looked damn good. Although, I did lose twenty bucks to your cousin Chassie.”
Kade’s eyes widened. “You bet on me?”
“I wasn’t gonna bet against you.”
“That’s so damn sweet.” He smiled. “C’mere and give me some sugar.”
“Huh-uh. We don’t need any additional rumors flying about us.”
“What rumors?”
“Besides the one we’re living in sin?”
“Which is your fault, sweetheart, ’cause I’ve asked you to marry me. More than once. Try again.”
Crap. Good thing she hadn’t said, living with their secret love child. She’d never live that down. She took a different, flirty tack, which felt damn good. “With the hot and bothered way you’ve left me? I can’t guarantee I won’t jump you, or sneak off to touch myself, earning myself a whole passel of trouble for doing either, without your permission, if I simply hold your hand.”
“There’s part that’s hopin’ the ‘jumpin’ on me’ school of thought wins out.”
Outside the horse trailer, Skylar started toward the picnic area where Eliza was and Kade snagged her elbow. “I thought we were gonna wander around.”
“Don’t you want your parents to see the presentation? Beings that you placed and all?”
“Shoot. I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll tell them meet us by the north end.” After he made the call, he said, “Been a while since I’ve had a beer and I sure could use one, how about you?”
Now that Sky thought about it, she hadn’t seen Kade touch a drop of alcohol since he’d moved in. “Sure. I’m curious, didn’t you drink when we went out last year?”
“Used to. Don’t so much any more.” They walked in silence until they were through the parking lot and standing in front of the beer tent. He paid for two drafts, gesturing for her to precede him into the seating area.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” Kade sipped the foamy goodness, licked his lips and sighed.
“Just so you know, if you want to keep beer in the fridge, I’m fine with that. I’m sure Eliza wouldn’t mind if you had the occasional beer either.”
His eyebrows drew together. “You think the reason I’m not drinkin’ is because of Eliza? It’s not. It’s ’cause of Colt. And it ain’t just about the drinkin’ entirely. Other issues surfaced because of it, things that’d been simmerin’ for years.” His thumb rubbed the lip on the plastic cup, as he seemed to struggle for the right words. “I’m talkin’ about family stuff, fistfights, hard words, unspoken resentment that was pittin’ brother against brother. I wondered if any of us was ever gonna be able to work together on the ranch again. I was glad to get out of there. Last year was the ugliest, lowest point of my life.”
She didn’t interrupt.
“Colt’s been sober for a year. I’m proud of him and I respect his sobriety enough that I don’t drink around him. I haven’t been drinkin’ at all in the last year anyway.”
“Not many honky-tonks up in the north forty?”
“No. Funny thing is, Colt was supposed to head up the cattle grazin’ experiment, not me. But after all that’d gone down with Dag, and me messin’ up so bad with you, and dealin’ with the rest of the McKay/West family shit, I volunteered. I needed time to get my head on straight. Kane says Colt’s had a rough go, mendin’ fences with his brothers. Guess we all learned some things take time to heal.”
Skylar let her fingers drift down Kade’s arm and she covered his hand with hers. “I’m sorry and I’m not blowing smoke up your chaps when I say I understand what you’ve been through. My sister is a recovering alcoholic and a former drug addict. The last time they pumped her stomach? She coded twice. I thought I’d lost her. And the worst part at the time? My guilty feeling of relief. My life had revolved around middle of the night phone calls—from the hospital, or her scary drug dealer boyfriend, or the police, or trying to scrounge up cash for the bond agency, because she was in jail. Again. With our parents dead, I was all she had. I had to witness her ruining her life and nothing I could say or do would change her behavior. Fortunately, India wised up. She’s been clean for five years.”