Page 47 of A Family With the Cowboy

“You okay?” he asked when he could finally speak.

Lifting her head, those blue eyes, desire still lurking in the depths, found his. Smiling, she nodded. “You?”

“That was…I’ve never…you’re amazing.” Rolling onto his side so that she was lying next to him, he looked down at her. “Tell me this is real. Tell me I’m not dreaming again?”

Stroking his back, she smiled. “This is as real as it gets. We’re naked and in bed—”

“Naked and in your bed,” he agreed. “To see the way you react when I touch you…I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.”

Those soft hands had glided to the front. When she found him ready for her again, her eyes widened. “Really?”

“I’ve been ready since I saw you in Grey’s Saloon.” He chuckled as he bent down to kiss her.

*

The touch ofHayden’s hand against her cheek woke Laura. He was standing next to her bed, fully clothed. It was still dark outside.

“What time is it?” She sat upright, not bothering to pull up the sheet. He’d seen all there was to see.

“Five o’clock,” he muttered, his eyes on her breasts. “I have to go.”

“You sure?” she asked, licking her lips.

With a groan, he kissed her, his one hand cupping her breast. And just like that, the embers of last night’s fire ignited again. She pulled him down. With a low, guttural sound, he surrendered.

It was close to six o’clock when he finally left. With Molly in her arms, Laura leaned against the door as Hayden jogged down the stairs. When he reached the sidewalk, he looked over his shoulder again.

Smiling, she blew him a kiss. He smiled—wide and happy. Her heart sighed. They hadn’t talked again. There was nothing more to say. He’d said nothing had changed, but she wanted him, anyway.

After closing the front door behind her, she walked toward the kitchen with Molly still in her arms. “Well, Molly,” she said, as she put the dog on the floor. “I suppose I’m actually having an affair with the cowboy.”

The distant ache she’d probably always carry in her heart, she was going to ignore for the moment. Soon, when he left for the last time, there would be enough time for pain and tears.

*

Without conscious thought,Hayden ended up at the graveyard. The sun wasn’t up yet, but the pinkish light behind the mountains was already announcing the new day.

Slowly, he walked toward the last two graves—his wife’s and his brother’s. For long moments, he stood there, drinking in the silence. It was bitterly cold, but he was only vaguely aware of the temperature.

“Willow said I should talk to you two,” he finally said. Closing his eyes for a moment, he waited…for something. They didn’t have to be alive to hear him, Willow had said. Blinking, he first moved to his brother’s grave and put a hand on the cold stone.

He waited for the pain to slash his heart, the guilt to steal his breath. Long minutes passed as he stood there remembering his brother. A picture of Walker as he would always remember him flashed before him—laughing, joking with his siblings.

After a long time, he opened his eyes in wonder. There were no thoughts of pain or guilt. Grief still lingered. It probably always would. Not as sharp-edged as it had always been, but a dull ache, reminding him of how much joy Walker spread wherever he went.

Deep in thought, he moved to Madeline’s grave. She’d been his first love, his first kiss, his first everything. “I’ll always love you, Mads,” he muttered. Not bothering to wipe away the tears, he crouched down. “I have something to tell you, though…”

When he drove away from the graveyard nearly two hours later, he was feeling lighter. It wasn’t as if he was bringing home a new bride…the truck steered dangerously toward the one side of the dirt road. Cussing, he brought it back just before it hit the bushes.

Where did that come from? He’d been very clear with Laura—he couldn’t give her anything permanent and she’d invited him into her house, into her bed, and into her arms, anyway.

A vivid image of Laura in a wedding dress, smiling at him, was suddenly just there—front and center in his mind. Cussing, he stopped and got out. Inhaling the cold air, he tried to clear his mind. He wanted to be with her, not…

Marry her? Have her around all the time? Be with her every night? Images of their entwined limbs from the night before had him just about hyperventilating. He leaned against his truck, trying to get his breathing under control.

Getting married wasn’t on the table. Laura knew that. She accepted that. They’d be together until…

Yeah? The taunting little voice was back.

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