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“I had hoped to talk to your brothers before you arrived. Since that didn’t happen, I can’t promise there won’t be a scene when we go sit.”
Taking a minute to scope out where her two siblings were, she spotted Mitch deeply engrossed in conversation with some old coot. Chase had taken a seat at the table, not beside their grandparents, but a seat away so that she and Jack would not be able to sit side by side.
“I suppose we should face the music.” Even though sitting at the table with her annoyed brothers was the last thing she wanted to do.
“That would be the adult thing to do.” His eyes sparkled with amusement and without his saying a word, she knew exactly what he was thinking.
“Or,” she smiled up at him, “we could sneak out.”
“If we’re going to do this…” He paused to gingerly kiss the top of her head before continuing. “We’re going to have to face them sooner or later.”
“This?” She hadn’t meant for her voice to sound so small and insecure.
“Us.” His words came out low and husky and her toes almost curled in her shoes.
The single word put a smile on her face. “I like the sound of that.”
“Then we face the music?”
Her gaze drifted to the table where Mitch had joined their grandparents and other siblings and slowly shook her head. “I vote for escape.”
“Whatever the lady wants.” The twinkle in his eyes dimmed momentarily behind a heavy curtain of emotions she couldn’t quite read before the corners of his lips tipped north into a lazy smile. “They’re going to be mad as hell at us.”
“Yes.” She took a step in retreat, already bemoaning the loss of his heat against her, but didn’t let go of the one hand that had been holding hers as they’d danced. Looking around him, she grinned broadly. “Isn’t that just a shame?”
The only thing Jack wanted to do while standing at the curb waiting for the valet to bring his car around, was pull Siobhan into his arms and kiss her until neither could take another breath. That, of course, would not be his best idea yet. For now, holding her hand tightly in his was going to have to do.
Except for the few moments after the valet brought the car around and Jack had to leave Siobhan in the passenger seat of his classic corvette, he had not let go of her hand. For whatever reason, he needed that connection. The bigger problem for him, though, would be leaving her at the front door. All of this was insane. He’d been infatuated before. Even considered himself in love a time or two. Though most would consider his obsession with his ninth-grade English teacher more puppy love than in love. However, the truth was, he’d never in his life wanted to be with a woman every second of the day, and he had no clue how to handle the flood of emotions swirling around in his chest, squeezing his pounding heart.
They’d made it the entire drive to the ranch with only a moment or two of comfortable silence, usually when Siobhan raised the volume on the radio, dancing in her seat and belting out one tune or other. They’d carefully managed to avoid any mention of Mitch or Chase’s reaction, or of what would happen when they spoke to Kyle and Craig. Instead, they chatted easily about everything and anything, including the upcoming show. The excitement that danced in her eyes as she told him all about her meeting with Veronica was totally contagious. Only for a moment when she mentioned wishing her mother could be here for the upcoming event did the excitement dim, quickly returning as she described Veronica’s positive reactions to her photos. To his surprise, the delight at her happiness was the biggest high he’d ever experienced. Suddenly, he was completely sure of his intentions for Siobhan, intentions he would share with her overly protective brothers. More than anything in this world, he wanted to make Siobhan his wife. The only thing that seemed to scare him was the thought that she might not want the same thing. He’d have to proceed with caution. The last thing he wanted was to scare her away with professions of undying love and devotion. Man, didn’t he sound like a love-struck teenager.
“Careful!” Siobhan screeched at the same second he spotted the car without headlights speeding past them on the narrow dirt road leading to the ranch. “What the heck is the matter with those people?”
“I’m going to guess someone drank their dinner.”
Sitting upright in the passenger seat, Siobhan shook her head. “Should we call 911?”
“No point. They were driving so fast, by the time an officer is dispatched, they’ll be long gone.”
She sank back into the seat. “You’re right. I know that, but it irks me to let them get away.”
And there was another thing he’d grown to love about Siobhan, her strong sense of fair play.
Turning into the driveway, he debated what excuse he could come up with to stay a little longer. He had no idea if Chase or Mitch were coming back to the ranch. All the members of the family, except Siobhan, had their own homes in Texas, but until recently when they started marrying, most of them spent more time at the ranch than their own places. Understanding exactly how he felt, and the future he wanted, staying to chat with the Governor if no one else might be a smart idea. Then again, if they stayed till the end of the benefit, the middle of the night might not be the best time for a civil discussion of any kind.
At a stop in front of the massive family home, Jack trotted around the hood to open the car door for Siobhan.
“Thank you.” She pushed to her feet and gave him a sweet but too-brief kiss on the lips. “Come in for a night cap or coffee?”
“Coffee.” He smiled, following her up the front steps.
Staring at the door, she nudged the door open. “That’s odd. I could have sworn I pulled it shut behind me when I left.”
“Maybe one of the household staff left it open?”
She shook her head. “No, they all left for their night off before me.”
“Wait.” Odds were she simply had not pulled the door shut all the way, but he didn’t want her walking into a burglary in progress. “I’ll go in first. Let you know if it’s okay.”
