AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Knox smiled approvingly, and Jana smiled back.
Okay, then… he should probably stop staring at her. But he was finding that his heart was soaring while he watched Jana pushing his daughter on the swing.
Ruby’s laughter rang in the air, and Knox walked over to stand by Jana. He linked their fingers, and smiled when Jana’s cheeks flushed pink.
“Thanks for coming,” he said in a low voice. “What changed your mind?”
She looked at him with a half-smile. “You made your bed.”
“What?” He chuckled. “Is that all it took? After this, I’ll come clean your whole house if it gets you to hang out with me more.”
Jana squeezed his hand. “Knox, you’re laying it on really thick.”
He leaned over and kissed her temple. “I’m glad you came. That’s the truth.”
“Me, too,” she said.
Those two simple words were the best thing he’d heard in a long time.
“Look,” Ruby was saying, “there’s an airplane! Is that what you’re going on tomorrow, Daddy? Mommy said you’re leaving.”
Knox cleared his throat. “I’m not flying on an airplane. I’m driving to San Antonio for their rodeo.” He felt Jana’s gaze on him, but he didn’t meet her eyes. He wasn’t sure where all of this was going between them, but he didn’t want them to go back to not talking to each other for a bunch of years.
“In your truck that’s always broken?” Ruby asked as her little legs kept pumping below her swing.
Knox bit back a laugh. “That same truck. She’s been with me a long time.”
Ruby looked back at him, which made her hair fly around her face. “Why don’t you get a new one like Holt?”
Holt’s truck wasn’t new, but it was a heck of a lot newer than Knox’s. He wanted to laugh it off, but for some reason, the comment stung a little.
Jana released his hand and slipped her arm about his waist, then whispered, “I like yours better.”
He looked down at her. “You wanna go for a ride?”
Her smile only solidified his decision—and he no longer cared about his brother’s newer truck.
“Let’s get out of here.” He must have said it too loud, because Ruby heard.
“Can we get ice cream now?”
“Sure thing,” he said. He turned to Jana. “You comin’?”
Did she not realize when she bit her lip like that, it made it hard for him not to lean in and kiss her?
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I’ve got more work to do.”
“Aww,” Ruby said. “Don’t you like ice cream?”
“I do, but I have some work.” Jana then met Knox’s gaze. “A little too public,” she said with an apologetic smile.
Knox got it, he did. All they needed was for someone like Barb to see them together, and then everyone in Prosper would know. Which Knox wouldn’t exactly mind, but he could see that Jana did. So he had to tread carefully here and respect her wishes.
As they followed Ruby to his truck, Knox asked Jana, “You coming tonight?”
“To watch you ride bulls?” she asked, the edge of her mouth quirking.
“That would be correct.”
She turned to face him then. “I’ll come.”
His heart skipped a beat, then three. “Good.” He moved a piece of hair from her face, then leaned in and kissed her.
It was much too brief, because he was interrupted by, “Daddy! I can’t get the door open.”
“Hang on, baby,” he called to Ruby as he reluctantly stepped away from Jana. “You better not be giving me false hope, Jana Harris.”
She only smiled as she walked away.
