Page 38 of My Cowboy Temptation

Chapter 12

It’s been almostfour months since I saw Brody, not a lot of time in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like years as I stand there and stare into the face of the man I probably will always love.

His russet brown beard has been recently trimmed, and his face is deeply tanned from the long days he’s spent under the hot summer sun. But his eyes are the same rich brown as they stare back at me in surprise.

Every instinct tells me to run into his arms, to feel what it’s like to be held against him. But the voice in the back of my head reminds me that I’m not the one who ended things. He did. And I could very well run to his arms, only to be met with a block of unmoving granite that doesn’t want to hold me any longer.

“Callie. What are you doing here?” he asks at last.

I don’t have to answer him because Everly is back. “She decided she missed me too much and moved back to Montana for good.” She hesitates and looks at me again. “For good, right?”

I swallow hard, glancing over to the silent giant just standing there. “Yeah. I think so.”

“Brody,” my dad says, coming into the kitchen. “Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. My little girl is back.”

“I see. You know, why don’t I leave you all alone so you can catch up,” Brody says, taking a step back. “Seems like a moment for family.”

“Hold up,” my dad says. “By now you should know you’re family too.”

“Well, I’m taking off,” Rita says, coming back in. “Everything is on the table, and there’s a peach cobbler on the stove for dessert. I’m so happy to have you back, Calliope,” she says, stopping in front of me and hugging me so quickly I don’t have time to prepare myself. When she pulls away, there’s a look of uncertainty on her face as she studies me, but she seems to brush it off and smiles. “Night, everyone.”

“Let’s go take a seat in the dining room,” my dad says and, putting his arm around Everly, heads to the dining room.

I’m not quite ready to look at Brody again, but I’m aware of him following behind me. I slide into my usual seat at the table, to the right of my dad, who takes the head position, Everly on his other side. Leaving Brody to take a seat at the other end of the table across from my dad.

“It appears that Callie has been back in Montana for three weeks now,” my dad says, beaming proudly at me. “Enough time to find a new job, a new place, and even a car. All on her own.”

“In Castle Falls?” Brody asks in confusion.

“Kalispell, actually,” I say, not meeting his eyes.

He nods as if processing that before asking, “Where are you working?”

I grab my glass of water and take a drink to help cool my cheeks that are feeling far too flushed. “At Natasha Stokes’s art gallery. You remember the place.” I know I can remember it, especially the look on his face as I wrapped my mouth around his dick.

He clears his throat and nods before casting a quick glance to my dad, who is serving up a few slices of roast on his plate and then to Everly’s. Everly’s attention is on me, however, as she lifts her wine glass to her mouth. “I have to say, being back here in Montana suits you. You’re glowing.”

“Thanks,” I say a little awkwardly. My dad holds a piece of roast up for me, and I nod just before he sets the piece on my plate. Big mistake since immediately the smell of the meat reaches my nose, and my stomach twists.

God. I can’t throw up, not now.

It’s an unfortunate side effect from my pregnancy, it seems, this new aversion to meat, something that I usually adore. Now I can barely tolerate the smell, leaving most of my meals to consist of a rotation of ramen noodles, cereal, or peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

“So working for that De Longer guy didn’t work out, huh?” Brody asks again.

I quickly turn the plate so the meat is farther away from my nose and add a couple of rolls and some of the buttered potatoes before ripping open a roll and popping a piece in my mouth to settle my stomach. A little better. “Something like that.”

“I’m sorry for any grief he gave you, but I can’t say I’m disappointed that you’re back in Montana,” my dad says.

“How is your art coming along?” Everly asks.

“Actually, pretty good. That’s another bonus to working for Natasha. She’s happy to give me studio time to work at the gallery, although lately I’ve been preferring the light in my own apartment. It’s on the second floor and faces the southwest, so the sunsets are amazing.”

“I’m so happy you’re still painting,” Everly says. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on when I come by this week.”

My dad pauses but then continues eating.

I shouldn’t pry, but I can’t help it. “Does that mean that the security patrol has been permanently disbanded, and you’re free to come and go as you please?”

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