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“But—”
“Now.”
Her eyes widened in alarm and he knew it was just dawning on her that he was a hairbreadth away from thoroughly losing his temper. “Are you upset about something?”
“I’d be happy to discuss it with you another time.”
She planted her hands on her hips, compelling him to jump clear of her elbows. “Is it because I wouldn’t go home with you initially?”
Since Cassidy was intent on discussing this out on the sidewalk, he’d empty the pasture. No point in innocent bystanders getting injured in the ruckus when they locked horns. Ty caught Hutch’s eye and jerked his thumb toward the pickup. “Hutch, you wait in the truck with Miz Mopsey.”
Hutch looked from one to the other with interest. “You and Mom gonna fight?”
“Discuss, boy. We’re discussin’ the situation.”
“You might want to discuss, but I’ve seen Mom like this before. She wants to fight”
“Hutch!” Cassidy and Ty rapped out in unison.
“Fine. But you’re not fooling me.” Hutch stared pointedly at Ty. “I warned you I was smart. It doesn’t take a mental giant to see you two are ready to rumble.” With that astute observation, he gathered up his dog and trotted toward the pickup.
“There. See what you’ve done?”
Ty drew a deep breath. Patience. If he could just manage to hang on to his patience, he’d have the future Mrs. Merrick safely almost-tucked in his house. The cabin was just a few short stepsaway. No doubt an excuse would arise that would bounce the stubborn woman from there into his arms—and into hisbed.
“Apparently, my eyesight isn’t that great,” he allowed, hustling Cassidy to the far side of the tree he’d been leaning against, and more importantly, out from under Hutch’s watchful eye. “What have I done?”
“You’ve upset my son.”
“Your son is not upset”
“You made me yell at him.”
“He handled it amazingly well.”
“I never yell at him.”
“He’ll live. Now, are you going to help load these boxes, or would you rather wait in the truck with Hutch?”
Her chin made a reappearance, poking in his direction. “I think it would be best if you drop us off at a motel.”
He’d had all he could take. Striking with a speed that would have done a rattler proud, he snagged her around the waist and yanked her up against him. He avoided her pinwheeling arms and a wayward knee with practiced ease. Her size ten sandals were another matter. Why the hell did the heels on women’s shoes have to be so damned pointy? Fortunately, his boots were tough and her accidentally tromping on him didn’t hurt much more than when he’d broken his leg. He decided to ignore the crunching pain, especially since kissing her made it well worthwhile.
Their mouths collided, then joined in complete accord. Her lips were soft and moist beneath his, eagerly parting at the touch of his tongue. She wrapped around him with all the warmth of lamb’s wool on a frigid night and he returned the favor by easinginto her with the same sigh he used slipping into a steaming hot tub after a hard day of wrangling.
His reaction to her touch came stronger than before. The closest he’d experience to the sensation involved slamming back a double shot of whiskey. The liquor-driven wildfire had shot from his throat straight to his gut and left him feeling both powerful and sucker punched, all at the sametime.
Cassidy hit harder still. She also brought out every primitive instinct he possessed and every protective one, as well. He needed her in his life with a desperation he couldn’t mistake. Now all he had to do was convince her that she burned just as fiercely forhim.
He pressed her against the tree trunk, leaning into her. Hell, he fell into her. His mouth moved more forcefully on hers and he filled his hands with her soft, plump breasts, thumbing the pebbled tips. She must have liked it. With a low groan, her nails climbed his back, carving deep, loving half-moons into his flesh. She even stopped grinding into his toe long enough to clip his ankle, wrapping a long leg around his. He only prayed he lived long enough for her to love him to death inbed.
The honking of a nearby truck horn forced him to releaseher.
She stared up at him, her gray eyes silver in the moonlight. “Are you trying to kiss me into submission?”
“Is it working?”
She hesitated. The instant he started to lower his head again, she broke into speech. “I think that was Hutch honking. Maybe we’d better load those boxes.”
