Page 30 of Henley

Lee cupped my cheek. “Roman doesn’t scare me, Roxy. He’s just watching out for you, but I swear, I won’t do anything to hurt you.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” He kissed me on the tip of my nose, so softly that I could barely feel it. “Now, let’s get going. I promised my mom I would be there early to help with the cooking.”

I gathered my coat and other items, and Lee collected my bags, including my laptop bag, and held the door open for me. “You’re not going to slide down these steps on your butt, are you?”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.” I stared at the icy steps.

“Hang on, let me put this stuff in my truck, and I’ll help you down.”

I watched him as he unlocked his truck and put the things in the back seat before he pushed another button, and the truck started. “How did you do that? You’re not inside.”

He grinned at me as he returned to the steps. “Auto-start. Now it will be warmer when you get in.” He came to my side and wrapped an arm around my waist, taking my hand so I could lean on him and slowly get down the steps. After helping me get up into his truck, I slipped on my seat belt and inhaled deeply. His soft musky cologne filled my lungs, and I wanted to rub myself all over the upholstery to collect the scent on my clothes.

He winked at me as he got behind the wheel, and we were quickly on our way. As we drove, he told me more about his siblings and his parents. By the time we got to their house, I felt like I knew them all already.

There were a few cars parked along the long driveway, and even though I already knew that they had horses, I was still surprised to see them. Lee was coming around the truck to help me get out when two men walked out of the barn. It was evident that they were father and son, although the younger one had long hair. Lee waved to them, and they started heading our way, just as two young kids came running out of the barn behind them.

If I was correct, the little boy was his nephew, Tyler, and the girl his soon-to-be-niece, Marisol.

“Hope you’re ready to meet everyone. It’s going to be a whirlwind for a little while since the family is here already.”

“Bring it on.” I grinned down at him as he helped me climb from the cab of his truck. It was tricky not putting weight on my leg, but Lee was strong and took most of my weight as I climbed down.

“Hey, Dad, Wes. This is Roxanne Novak.”

His father smiled brightly at me and held his hand out. I immediately shook it and shifted to the side as the young boy jumped on Lee’s back. With Lee’s hands busy elsewhere, I lost my footing and felt myself going to the side. Strong hands grabbed me and held me upright, and I lifted my mortified face to find Wes a few inches away.

“I’m so sorry,” I said at the same time that Lee’s father began to scold Tyler.

“Hey, you almost knocked Roxanne over, Tuck. You apologize right this minute.”

Tuck looked immediately contrite. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to knock you over.”

“It’s okay.”

“Tuck, just be careful around Roxy; she was in an accident and has stitches in her leg,” Lee stated.

“Did you hurt your nose in your accident, too?” he asked.

“I did. I broke it. Have you ever broken your nose?” I asked him.

“Nope, not yet.” He glanced at his grandfather as the man put his hand on his shoulder once Lee put him back down.

“Go in and tell your Mimi that Henley and his guest are here.”

“Sure, Pop!” he called and sprinted for the house. I turned back to Wes.

“Thank you for catching me. I was suddenly wondering if I was going to land on my face.”

Wes chuckled. “Glad I was standing there, or you just might have.”

“And who is this beautiful little girl?” I asked as I glanced at the young lady who had wrapped herself around Wes’ leg.

“This is my daughter, Marisol,” he said as he lifted her into his arms.

“I’m not your daughter yet, Dad. You have to marry Mom first.”

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