When It's Right(66)

“I don’t know what to say,” she said.

“Thank you,” he suggested.

“Thank you.”

“And you’ll be honest about how you’re feeling?”

“Yes. With you, but you can’t tell Justin or my grandparents if I confide something I don’t want them to know.”

“As long as I agree there’s no harm in keeping them in the dark.”

She frowned, narrowing her eyes, but relented. “Okay. I need to go inside and reassure Justin everything is okay.”

“You need to take care of yourself first. Come on.” He coaxed her toward his waiting brother. “Gabe, this is Gillian. Gillian, my older brother, Gabe, who is deeply sorry for startling you.”

“I truly am. It’s nice to meet you. I came to pick up Pain in My Ass.”

She flinched at the term. Blake squeezed her to his side. “He means his horse, not you. I’ve been training Bo.”

“Sorry, but he is a pain in my ass.”

“Not anymore,” Blake assured him.

“So, you’ll be at the wedding, right? Ella can’t wait to meet you. I would have brought her with me today. She loves this one”—­Gabe cocked his head toward Blake—­“but she’s in New York until Friday night.”

“Uh, what wedding?” she asked.

“You didn’t ask her?”

Blake frowned. “I haven’t had the chance to bring it up.” Blake stared down at her. “Gabe and Ella are getting married soon. I’d like you to come with me to the wedding at Wolf Ranch.”

“That’s a family thing.” If he hadn’t asked her already, maybe it was because he didn’t want to take her. Then again, did she want to go, put herself in the position as his date, where others might think it was something more? Is it something more? Certainly seemed that way if he wanted her to go with him to a family wedding. Not just a cousin or distant relative’s, but his brother’s.

“Family and very close friends,” Gabe clarified. “We’d love for you to come. Ella’s friends are all in New York and all over the world. She doesn’t know many ­people here. Neither do you, since you just moved here, so she thought you two might hit it off and she’d have a friend here, too. You’ll like her. She’s amazing.”

“Says her love-­struck fiancé,” Gillian teased.

Gabe smiled, cocking up one side of his mouth in a half grin that matched Blake’s familiar one, and nodded.

“Really, you’ll like her. She’s not much older than you. Even though she runs her own company, she’s really down to earth. She’s smart and kind and generous,” Blake added.

“Sounds like love, all right,” Gillian teased Blake.

Blake’s mouth dropped open.

Gabe laughed and smacked Blake on the back. “Stay away from my woman.”

“I . . . um . . . she’s my sister.”

“Nice cover,” Gabe joked.

“Actually, that’s kind of sweet you already think of her that way,” Gillian commented.

“She’s right,” Gabe admitted. “Thanks, man. Let’s get your girl up to the house. If she leans any further off her bad leg, she’ll fall over.”

Blake traced his finger over her forehead and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Can you walk?”

“Yes,” she said automatically. Blake’s eyes narrowed with skepticism, and she remembered that not five minutes ago she’d promised to tell him the truth. “My knee really hurts.”

Blake scooped her right off her feet and held her to his chest.

“My arm hurts, too. I need some pain meds.”

“Let’s go get them. You can lie on the couch and rest for a while.”

“I have to feed Boots.”

“I’ll take care of him and you.”

She wrapped her arms around Blake’s neck and leaned her head on his shoulder, her face tucked at his neck. She inhaled his earthy, spicy scent along with the always-­present leather and horses that clung to him. “Thank you.” This time, asking for help didn’t go down tasting like her pride—­it settled in her gut as genuine relief and gratitude that he’d take care of her.

She hugged him close as he walked her back up to the house and his brother Gabe went off to the stables to get his horse.

Blake’s arm supported her knees, his big hand on her thigh. He gave her a soft squeeze. “You’ll be okay, sweetheart.”

She placed her hand on his cheek and made him look at her. He stopped and stared, and she lost herself in his warm brown eyes. “I feel better already.” After their first kiss, he’d always kissed her first. This time, she took the lead again and touched her lips to his for a soft, sweet kiss that washed away the last of her fear.