Page 135 of Colt

That, her eyes seem to say. I want that.

If I were a braver man, I’d admit that’s what I want too.

Tate raises his glass. “Amen to that. To Billie and Ryder. May the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation he gave her that night at the rodeo be the start of a beautiful love story.”

Dean raises his glass so quickly that he spills water everywhere. “Cheers!”

I raise my glass too.

“Lainey,” Mom says, sipping her wine. “Do you happen to have plans for Thanksgiving? I imagine your family is probably dyin’ to see you, but we’d love to have you join us if you don’t plan on going back to Fort Worth.”

I’m short of breath as I wait for Lainey to reply. She meets my eyes across the table. I half expect to see a question in them. Not only is this a big ask, but it’d also put her right at that six-week mark. Is she planning to stay longer?

My pulse leaps. I sincerely hope so.

I’m thrilled when I see certainty in her eyes instead. She knows without asking that I want her to stay for Thanksgiving too.

I’m doing something right. Feels good.

“Thank you so much for the invite,” Lainey says. “I’ll have to talk to my parents, but I’d love to stay. Y’all really pull out all the stops when it comes to hospitality. I’m just honored to be included.”

“You do fit right in,” Beck says, raising his brows at me.

Dean claps his hands. “I hope you can stay, Miss Lainey. Do you think they have Thanksgiving LEGO sets?”

We laugh at that.

“I’ll do some research,” Lainey replies.

“I make a mean beef tenderloin,” Beck adds. “It’s not to be missed.”

Lainey chuckles. “I see humility runs in the family.”

Beck grins. “Not a lick in these genes. We do, however, have big⁠—”

“Hearts,” I finish for him. “Brains.”

“Muscles,” Dean adds, lifting his arm.

“Muscles. Right,” Beck teases. “That’s what I was going to say.”

Lainey’s laughing, her cheeks flushed pink. She looks so pretty like this—relaxed, enjoying a meal, enjoying my family—that it’s all I can do not to reach across the table and pull her in for a kiss. Right in front of everyone.

Soon.

For right now, though, I’ll take her smile and the way her eyes dance when she says, “Wouldn’t miss it. Count me in.”

CHAPTER 26

Women Make Weak Legs

COLT

I move through the week like I’m walking on sunshine. I haven’t been getting much sleep, but you wouldn’t know it from the burst of energy I wake up with every morning.

Our old farrier used to say that “women make weak legs,” meaning you’d be sapped after sex.

I beg to differ. Yeah, I’m so spent at the end of the day after Lainey and I hook up that I practically face-plant into my mattress. But I feel stronger—healthier—than I have in years.