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This was what family was supposed to feel like, Doyle realized. He hadn’t had a bad childhood per say, but his parents were always busy and self-absorbed. He had no siblings, and physical support like this… Well, it wasn’t a common occurrence in the Doyle household, so much as an intellectual conversation. But this…this was something he hadn’t even realized was missing from his life until that moment.

“I should probably go get the next group,” Doyle said without letting go.

Teddy pulled back, and Doyle fought the urge to crush him against his chest again. Instead, he ruffled his hair. “Get whittling,” he instructed, nodding at the solar clock.

Through a big grin, Teddy said, “Yes, sir.”

Sadie might have been up for more, but by the time the second tour of the afternoon, fifth of the day, ended, Doyle was ready to collapse.

“Don’t forget, tomorrow you’re coming to town with me,” Sadie said, pulling him to the side as Teddy showed the final group the animals.

“A bargain’s a bargain,” Doyle agreed. He found it hard to pry himself away from Sadie and Teddy to take the group back to the TCR. He wanted, instead, to settle in for the evening with Sadie in his arms. As tired as he was, the urge to finish what she kept starting ate at him.

All the more reason to head back, he supposed. But if posing as her fiancé helped keep them safe in the future from a fate like the one they’d almost suffered, he’d do it. A cold chill ran through Doyle at the thought.

“You okay, Wally?” Sadie asked, leaning her head on his shoulder as they watched the antics of Darcy and the group.

“Yeah, just thinking,” he murmured, enveloped in her lavender scent. He imagined lying her down in a field of lavender somewhere and peeling her clothing off piece by piece.

“Mmm,” she murmured.

He wondered what she fantasized about and whether he’d ever have had a shot at making those fantasies come true had he been born in the right time and place.

“Only five tours left,” Doyle said. “One more full day ought to do it. That covers everyone on board who wants to participate.”

“On board?” Sadie asked, pulling back to question him.

Doyle wanted to smack himself. He kept slipping. He had to be more careful. “On board with the idea,” he muttered.

Though she raised a brow at him, her smile grew. “Do you think Teddy’s invention is any good?” Sadie asked.

Doyle laughed. “It’s fucking amazing.”

Sadie chuckled along. “So, he could really be someone special, couldn’t he? It’s not just because I’m his mother.”

“On the contrary,” Doyle said, drinking in this new, more vulnerable Sadie. “He’s definitely special because you’re his mother. He’s a lucky boy.”

Face flushing, Sadie looked even more attractive. Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks as she glanced down at her feet.

“You’re good at flattery, Wally. I do the best I can, but I wish we could’ve had a better life, maybe a house in town where he could go to school and on to college without having to work so hard on the ranch just to survive. I know it sounds crazy, but he’s so smart. He could be a professor or something. A mother can dream.”

“You make it look easy,” Doyle said, lifting her chin so he could see those gorgeous hazel eyes.

“You ever been married, Wally?” she whispered.

Doyle dropped his hand. “Me? No, not yet. I mean I’m only thirty.”

Laughter bubbled from Sadie, continuing so long she doubled over. When she finally regained her composure she said, “Wally, I’m goin’ on thirty, and I’m already a widow. Washington must be some place, because around these parts, we’re both past our prime.”

When Doyle finished laughing along, he realized he and Sadie were now the central attraction of the tour. Darcy chewed on some hay in her pen, staring at them as well. How long had everyone been watching? Doyle cleared his throat and pulled back his shoulders.

“Time to head out,” he said, leading the way off the ranch.

He couldn’t help but glance back over his shoulder as he reached the bottom of the hill that led to the desert and the TCR. Sadie stood watching, a hand raised in a tentative goodbye. The moment she was out of sight, he turned back to the path and startled as something darted behind a cactus to his left.

“Who’s there?” he demanded, wondering if mountain lions hid behind cacti. But as he rounded the side, it was Teddy he found hunched down and trying to stay out of sight.

Hand on his hip, Doyle shook his head and tried to stop from grinning in amusement. “You spyin’ on me?”

Teddy stood, head hung low. “I just wanted to know where you go is all. Please don’t tell Ma.”

This time, Doyle had to smile. “I won’t tell your mother on one condition.” He waited for the boy to look up. “No more trying to follow me into the desert. It isn’t safe, and if it’s a question you can’t ask because you know I’m not going to answer, then best leave it alone. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now go on back and help your mother clean up.” Doyle watched as Teddy rushed off back toward the ranch.

Tomorrow, he’d promised to act like Sadie’s fiancé, but the more time he spent with her and her son, the tougher it was to ignore that he’d taken to dreaming about an actual relationship with them, no matter how impossible the reality.