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She kissed him. He pulled in a breath, obviously surprised, then kissed her back. Laura’s brain caught up to what she’d just done only a few moments later, and she pulled away. She kept her head down as embarrassment heated her from her face down to her toes.
“Sorry,” she said when Todd said nothing.
His fingers brushed against hers, then took them into his hand. “You’ll tell me what’s got you so…emotional about your birthday, won’t you?”
She looked up, her heartbeat growling at her like a big tractor engine. She told herself she could trust him, but she wasn’t entirely convinced, even if that kiss had shifted everything in her life in only three seconds.
“Yes,” she said. “One day.” She let out her breath, the tension in his cabin too much for her right now. “Can we just eat and…I don’t know.” She swept her gaze across the spread of food on his countertop. “Talk about lighter things?”
“Sure,” he said. “We can do that.”
“Thank you,” she said again, knowing she’d just bought herself some time but that it would run out eventually, and she’d have to tell him everything.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Blake stood on his parents’ front porch, his eyes trained down the dirt road. Gina should be arriving any second now, but he’d been telling himself that for fifteen minutes. His heart skipped a beat, then raced to catch up.
He gripped the banister and turned away from the road. After walking to the edge of the porch, he turned and went back the way he’d already come. Behind him in the house, pots and pans boiled and bubbled with everything his family would eat for Thanksgiving dinner.
They’d already served it at the lodge an hour ago, and his parents invited everyone who lived and worked on the ranch to their house for a traditional turkey feast in the afternoon. All activities were paused from noon to six p.m., and then his family would go over to the lodge and serve a simple dinner of soups and sandwiches.
Everyone would perform for the guests, and they’d all clean up together and be done and home by eight.
Blake did love his family and his ranch, even though he had to work on holidays like Thanksgiving. He also loved Gina, and he wanted her to live out here with him full-time. It had been over four months since she’d shouted into the microphone that she loved him, and today, he wanted to ask her to be his wife.
He would, if she ever showed up.
He looked back down the road and still didn’t see her. She’d said she’d stop and get her parents and bring them out to the ranch by three-thirty. The Stewarts ate at four p.m. on the dot, which allowed enough time to consume copious amounts of food, nap for a half-hour, and then get over to the lodge for the dinner and entertainment.
The door behind him opened, and Starla asked, “She’s still not here?”
“No,” Blake practically barked.
Starla came out onto the porch with him, closing the door behind her and sealing the noise inside, at least partially. “She’s going to say yes.”
Blake wiped his palms down his shirt. “I know. I mean, I guess she will.”
Starla went to the pillar at the top of the steps and leaned against it, a sigh slipping from her mouth. Blake joined her, staring at her and willing her to look at him. She wouldn’t, and Blake sighed too.
“I’m fine, Blake.”
“Me too,” he said.
“You’re pacing like a caged tiger,” she said, nodding to the house. “Everyone in there keeps asking about you. Your momma almost called the police to find out if she’s been in an accident.”
Blake rolled his eyes. “That’s just Mama.” She could be intense, but she was probably as nervous as he was.
“Involving all of them probably wasn’t your smartest move,” Starla said with a grin.
“Probably not.” He jerked his attention back to the road as he finally heard the crunching of tires over the dirt. Gina’s car came toward him at an astronomically slow pace, and he went down the steps saying, “Get them ready, Starla.”
“Yes, sir,” she said behind him, and he heard the laughter from inside increase as she opened the door, then silence when she closed it behind her.
Gina pulled into the driveway, a murderous look on her face. Blake grinned at her, hoping she could disappear in the crowd inside and let someone else take care of her parents. He would, and his had been ecstatic when Blake had asked if they could host Sarah and Ben in addition to everyone on the ranch.
Her dad rode in the passenger seat, and her mom rode in the back, so once the car had come to a stop, Blake opened the back door, and said, “Happy Thanksgiving, Mrs. Barlow.”
She looked up at him, and he knew why Gina had been late. Her mother wore makeup, and it…didn’t look great. It looked like she’d put it on with shaking hands and someone had tried to fix it. His chest squeezed as Sarah said, “Hello, young man.”
