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“All right,” Momma said from behind, and she sounded out of breath. Mike stepped out of his father’s arms and into his mother’s. She sniffled, which made no sense. She wasn’t leaving Elise here this time. “I love you.”
She stepped back and cradled his face in both hands. “If you need anything—anythingat all—you call us.”
“I will, Momma.”
“The man has help here, Bree,” Wes said, though he’d literally just said the same thing to Mike.
“I know,” she said without missing a beat. “But sometimes a boy just needs his mother.”
She wasn’t wrong about that, so Mike hugged her again and then watched as his parents got in the truck. Gerty came to his side, her long, slender fingers slipping between his.
He waved with his free hand, glad Gerty had a hold of the right side so he didn’t have to lift that arm, and his parents waved back as Daddy started backing away from the farmhouse. Gerty waved to them too, and then Daddy turned the truck around, and they started away from the farm.
He watched until the black beast went around the bend in the road, and then he exhaled every last ounce of air out of his lungs. “They’re gone.” He looked over to Gerty, who wore her cornsilk hair up in a ponytail, as usual.
“Yes, they are.”
Mike grinned like a fool. “It feels good to be here by myself.”
“Does it?”
He turned into her fully and wrapped her in his arms. She giggled as she stumbled, his weight making them shift together to find their footing. “Yeah,” he said. “You wanna go out with me tonight?”
“Mm, I was thinking of a night in.” She played with the buttons on his shirt. “I’ll bring pizza back from town, and you can help me unpack my seven boxes. Sounds like a hot date, right?”
“With you there?” He leaned down and took a breath of her skin. She smelled like sweat and fabric softener and fresh rain. “It does sound hot.”
She giggled again and pushed against his chest. “I might have ten or eleven boxes.”
“You just want to watch me work while you eat pizza.”
Gerty danced away from him, such light in her eyes. Her shirt today was actually a sleeveless blouse in cream, with lots of pine trees all over it. He loved it, and he loved the feel of her in his arms. “It’s payback for you coming to my riding lessons and watching me work while you sip lemonade.”
“Oh, honey, I wasn’t sipping it.” He moved toward her, but she shrieked and jumped away from him. He laughed as he followed her, quickly catching her despite her long legs. He pressed her into the fence that ran along the pasture separating the farm from Pony Power.
She looked into his eyes, and they both sobered. “I just want to remind you that we’re not alone,” she said.
“He’s not watching us.” Mike didn’t even check the front porch.
“Anyone could walk by.”
“Mm, yes, they could.” That was half the fun, in his opinion. He didn’t want to wait another second to kiss her, as they’d had very few moments alone for a really great kiss. Of course, every time he touched Gerty, a new part of him came alive. Every time he saw her, it felt like another angel in heaven started singing.
He touched his lips to hers, looking for and receiving that stunning shock. It made everything male inside him come to life, and he pressed one hand into her back while the other moved to her face.
They moved in sync, breathed in sync, and as Mike slid his hand into her hair on the back of her head, she moved both of her hands into his hair. He wasn’t wearing his cowboy hat, and sparks slid up and down his spine from the feeling of her fingernails along his scalp.
He could kiss this woman forever, and he continued as long as he dared. No one interrupted them, and he broke the kiss first. Mike kept his eyes closed, wanting to keep the world at bay for just a little longer.
Gerty touched her mouth to his again, surprising him. He didn’t mind at all, but her kiss was quick and fleeting. He opened his eyes then to find her looking at him. He had no idea what to say, and he found he didn’t have to say anything.
“I’m done at five-thirty,” she said. “I have to get home and shower, then load up the boxes, and then pick up the pizza. I’ll probably be back around seven-thirty.”
Mike dropped his hand from her hair to her waist. “Can I come with you?”
“You’ll have to talk to my parents while I shower.” Her eyebrows went up.
“I can handle that.”
