“So did Ellie and Trig,” she countered, taking another bite of the meat stick.
Ma walked by with baby Sage tucked into her arm like a little football. She was in pink fleece pajamas as a very bright reminder that she’d tricked everyone. Her eyes were open and looking around, although I wasn’t sure a baby less than a week old could see much. “Baby Sage is here. When’s your Sage coming?” she asked.
My Sage. I liked that.
I grabbed another potato from the pile. Dinner tonight was meatloaf, which was in the oven and scenting the house with garlic and seasoned meat, and mashed potatoes. “Shep texted that they were on their way. I’m sure–”
As if my thoughts of my girl conjured her up, shewalked in the back door, Shep on her heels. Shep shut the door, cutting off the swirl of cold air, then leaned down to take off his boots.
I shoved a potato in Cam’s chest and went to her. She was in a thick coat, her cute pompom topped hat. Her dark hair was back in the usual braid and her cheeks were flushed from the cold.
But her eyes… those dark eyes held heat. Need. Desire. Want... love? Was that just wishful thinking?
I didn’t look away, only tried to read her. Gone was the wariness or doubt. A baby fussed. Cam yelled to Colt to wake up and help with the potatoes. I didn’t pay them any attention.
When I stood before her, I set my hands on her shoulders. The jacket was chilly from the outdoors. “Hi,” I said, then leaned down and kissed her.
Her lips were chilly. “Buck,” she whispered.
I pulled back only enough to meet her eyes. I stayed quiet. Waited.
“Yes.”
“Yes?” I repeated.
She nodded. “Yes, to everything.”
My heart leaped and my dick was instantly hard.
“Everything?”
“Everything.”
My Stetson was on a peg by the door with all theothers. I grabbed it, set it on my head, then grabbed my coat. “No dinner for us,” I called, taking Sage’s gloved hand and leading her out into the night.
If my girl wantedeverything,then I wasn’t letting a family dinner get in the way.
13
SAGE
We werein Buck’s kitchen within ten minutes. He’d set me atop his counter and worked off my boots.
“What made you–”
“Change my mind?” I asked, cutting him off.
He tugged off one boot, flung it behind him so it thumped by the door to the garage, then went to work on the next.
“I think too much,” I admitted.
He tossed the other boot to join the first. He moved onto my socks.
“I shouldn’t want to be here withyou like this. We met two days ago. I shouldn’t have done what we did in the tractor.”
He got both socks off and moved to my coat, sliding the zipper down.
“I shouldn’t be sharing a bed. Any of it.”
