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“Yep.” He smiled. “Got vanilla ice cream?”
“Yes.” She opened the door wide. “Bring in that elixir of life.”
Ace grinned as he stepped past her. “Isn’t elixir some kind of liquid?”
She shrugged. “A little ice cream with your mom’s hot apple pie and you have melted heaven.”
He laughed. “True.”
She led the way to her spacious kitchen and she pulled out the ice cream from the freezer while she pointed to a cabinet where Ace could get the plates. She heated the pie in the microwave before they sat down, topped it with scoops of ice cream, and dug in.
“The best peace offering ever.” Charlee closed her eyes and savored the tastes. When she opened her eyes, Ace was watching her. “What?”
“You’re gorgeous.” He said it, looking almost hypnotized.
“Eat your pie.” Charlee took another bite of hers.
Ace did and she felt apple pie magic take over. She relaxed and they talked about simple things, like what was going on at his ranch and how busy her spa and salon have been.
When they finished, Charlee placed the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, and Ace put away the ice cream.
“Now that we’re finished,” she said as she watched him across the kitchen, “are you leaving?”
He shook his head. “I want to talk first.”
She let out a long breath. She really wasn’t sure she could handle any kind of potentially deep conversation with him. “Let me change clothes and pull a brush through my hair first. Make yourself at home.” She left the kitchen before he could respond.
Charlee’s heart pounded as she tugged on clean clothes, and it only throbbed more while she stood in front of her bathroom mirror and brushed her hair.
Why is Ace here? What does he want?
She put on a little mascara and lip color, decided she looked suitable—at least better than she had before—and left the room. She found Ace in the front room, in front of one of her curios where she kept many of the Swarovski crystal figurines that she’d been collecting for years.
He glanced away from the curio and met her gaze. “These are beautiful.”
“I started collecting them when I was a kid.” She walked past him and settled on a couch and tucked her feet—clad in warm, fuzzy socks—beneath her. “You want to talk, so let’s talk.”
She expected him to sit in the chair across from her, but he sat right on the couch, close to her.
“You’re too close.” Charlee realized how childlike that sounded and rephrased. “It’s hard to have a conversation like this.”
Ace smiled. “If you move a little it will be fine.”
He waited for her to adjust her position so she was facing him.
“Well?” She wanted this over with.
“I saw Bailey and the baby this morning.” Ace’s lips turned up in a soft smile. “Kyle is the sweetest little thing I’ve ever seen.”
Charlee wasn’t sure why her heart started beating faster.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said, about the differences between my brothers and me.” He held her gaze. “What you said made me realize I haven’t been living in their shadows at all.” He shrugged. “They’re all great guys, but they’re not any more perfect than I am.”
She smiled. “You’re your own man, and you’re a good man, Ace McBride.”
“Yeah, not so bad.” He paused. “When we were at the cabin, I had this thought that came out of the blue. I thought you and I would make beautiful children. As soon as that popped into my mind, it scared the crap out of me.”
Charlee held her breath, waiting for his next words.
