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“She’s exhausted,” I said, smiling down at the sleeping beauty who would be horrified to know she was drooling on the crust.
Mom looked at me. “No kidding. Why?”
“Well, she was up nearly all night reading a book. Then we took off for a sunrise hike. Had lunch, walked around Hamilton a bit, then I took her to Ty’s to watch how we train the bulls. Oh, I had her ride Steel Bullet as well.”
My mother raised a brow.
“In the pasture.”
Her body relaxed. Glancing back at Georgie, she slowly shook her head. “Take this girl back to your place and let the poor thing sleep.”
“Can I finish the lattice on this cherry pie first?”
Shooting me a dirty look, she pointed to Georgie again. “Get her to a bed.”
I shot her a cocky smile. “It would be my pleasure.”
“Blayze Shaw!” My mother giggled as she hit me on the arm. “You are terrible.”
“I am my father’s son.”
She grinned. “Amen to that.”
After a fruitless attempt to wake up Georgie, I scooped her up and started toward the front door, with Mom ahead of me, she opened the door to my truck.
As I walked, Georgie wrapped her arms around my neck and nuzzled her face into my chest.
“Mmm,” she sighed. “Blayze.”
Mom turned and gave me a questioning look.
“Don’t look at me like that, Mom.”
“Like what? Like the girl you were caught making out with behind your daddy’s barn years ago is now in your arms saying your name like she’s reliving a private moment?”
It was my turn to sound incredulous. “Mom! And you say I’m terrible.”
She chuckled. “Trust me, Blayze Shaw. When a woman whispers a man’s name like that, well, let’s just say her dreams aren’t PG.”
I felt my cheeks burn. “I don’t want to have this conversation with you, Mother.”
“Mother?” She gasped as she pressed her hand to her chest. “Oh my. Looks like I struck a nerve.”
“Mom, can you please get my truck door?”
Practically skipping by me, Mom opened the passenger side of my truck and watched as I placed Georgie on the seat. I reached up and grabbed the seatbelt and leaned in to buckle her up.
Georgie’s eyes opened and I turned my head to say we were heading back to my place. But then she smiled, leaned forward, and kissed me. It was a sleepy, peck-on-the-lips kind of kiss, but it still shot a bolt of lightning through my entire body. I was frozen there for a good ten seconds.
Her head dropped back to the head rest, and she closed her eyes and let out a snore.
I quickly stepped back and shut the door, staring at my truck like it was on fire.
Mom clapped and hopped a little. “I finally, finally get to use my mother powers!”
“Your what?” I asked as I shot my mother a confused look.
“My mother powers. Stella has them. She could always tell when someone liked one of her kids—or when they were pregnant—simply by looking at them. Once, she told me she knew I was pregnant with Hunter simply by looking at my gums.”
“Your gums?” I asked.
She pointed to her mouth. “Yes! I’m telling you, it’s like some weird power I think you get when you’re older. For instance, am I surprised that girl just kissed you? No. For one, look at how handsome my boy is.” She reached up and cupped my face.
I rolled my eyes.
“And two, that girl fell in love with you a long time ago. I saw it, and so did her momma. Georgie clearly still has feelings for you. The way she looks at you…my oh my.”
I looked over at Georgie and then turned back to my mom. “What?”
“Do you not know how to say anything other than questions, Blayze?”
“Georgie’s not in love with me, Mom.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “She is—she simply won’t allow herself to admit it. Kind of how you’re doing the same thing.”
And with that, my mom turned on her heels and headed back into the house. With a wave of her hand she called back, “Got to run. I have lots of pies to make now that I’m two people down.”
The entire drive back to my house, I focused on the road. Or, at least, I tried to. I didn’t dare look at Georgie. But when she wouldn’t wake up when I tried to get her to walk into the house, I had to pick her up and carry her again. She made another weird sound and whispered my name for the second time and my mother’s words replayed over and over in my head.
Then there was the kiss.
I shook my head as I carried Georgie into the room she was staying in. It wasn’t a kiss. It was a peck. And she was asleep. It was nothing.
After carefully placing Georgie on the bed, I slipped off her shoes and put them on the floor. I pulled back the covers some and covered her, trying not to wake her up. She smiled and nuzzled her face into the pillow.
