Page 42 of A Forever Kind of Rancher

But Cara was a sister to him. Another person who cared.

That sat a little bit uncomfortably in his chest, and he couldn’t quite say why.

“My biggest problem now,” he said, lifting his beer bottle and looking at his brother, “is figuring out how to act like what happened earlier today didn’t happen, especially when her kids are around.”

“Well, not that I know, but I assume kids are a pretty big dampener on the libido.”

“Especially teenagers,” Boone said. “Little kids you could get that past, but older ones...”

“I don’t know, man. Sounds to me like you just stepped your boot into a whole mess of sexual tension snakes.”

He laughed. “Yeah.” He didn’t laugh because it was funny. He laughed because it was true. He laughed because the mental image that it painted was far too accurate.

He had gone and done it. The nest of sexual tension snakes had been there all along, and he’d known. Full well.

But it was like stepping in it had been the only option. So there he was.

And now he was going to have to get back to the task of taking care of her. And taking care of the girls. All while carrying on a blisteringly hot, temporary affair with her. Because the snakes had been stepped in. So there was no point going back now.

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Sure you will,” said Jace, a little too cheerfully for his liking.

“Why exactly do you seem to be enjoying this?”

“Because a woman completely rearranged my life some years ago, and a few months ago, I was finally able to figure out exactly what that rearranging needed to look like. I’m glad to see you in a similar situation.”

Except it wasn’t the same. It never would be. But he didn’t argue with his brother. He didn’t have the energy for it. He had other things to save his energy for. If his time with Wendy was limited, he was going to pour everything into it. Absolutely everything.

She was so distracted. She needed to get her daughters through homework. And then she needed to get herself off to bed.

She managed that, just barely. But then she couldn’t sleep.

She was completely consumed by her thoughts of Boone. And what had happened between them that day.

He was gone still, the driveway empty, and she should be completely okay with that. He explained himself after all.

And, anyway, he didn’t have an obligation to her.

It wasn’t about obligation, though. She just wished he was here. And when she saw headlights pull up into the driveway, she climbed out of bed and, without thinking, went out the side door of the cottage and walked toward his house.

It wasn’t a truck; it was a car. And she stopped and stared at the unfamiliar white vehicle, not quite understanding what was going on until she saw the logo on the side.

He’d gotten a taxi.

He got out of the cab, and she saw him stumble into the house.

And without thinking, she went the same way he did.

“Are you drunk?”

He turned. “Tipsy. Not drunk.”

“Okay. Why?”

“I was trying to make it a little bit easier to fall asleep, actually.”

“Oh, Boone. Come on inside. I’ll make you some tea.”

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