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“Us ranch wives. It tells me you finally feel like one of them.”
Sloan thought about it and nodded. “I guess I do.”
“See the stars.” The gloved hand resting on her shoulder lifted, a finger pointing skyward. “On cold nights like this they always remind me of ice crystals scattered across a black sky.”
Scanning nature’s stardusted canopy, Sloan nodded in agreement, murmuring, “They’re beautiful.”
“Almost as beautiful as you are.”
Surprised by the compliment that seemed to come out of nowhere, she turned her head to look at him. “I do believe you’re putting the make on me.”
“And what’s wrong with an old married man putting the make on his wife?” Trey countered with a challenging lift of an eyebrow.
“Nothing at all.” Her upturned face invited his kiss, and Trey was quick to oblige, his head dipping down, his mouth covering her night-cooled lips, heating them both.
When they parted, their eyes locked for a long moment, but neither spoke. All that needed to be said was communicated with that look. An easy silence ran between them as they resumed their path to the Homestead.
Sloan broke it when they reached the columned front porch. “Do you know what would be good now?”
“Something tells me it’s not going to be what I’m thinking,” Trey guessed.
“A hot cup of cocoa.”
“Nope, that isn’t what I had in mind.”
Well aware of that, Sloan laughed, and Trey responded with a wide smile of his own. “My turn will come later.”
“You sound awfully confident of that,” Sloan teased as they entered the house.
“Damn straight I am ’cause I know you love me.” He shrugged out of his sheepskin-lined parka and draped it on a wall hook.
“And you love me,” Sloan countered, unbuttoning her own parka. “Which is why you’re going to help me fix that cocoa.”
“I think that’s called wifely blackmail,” Trey chided with affection, then flicked a glance toward the living room where the sound of the television could be heard. “First we’d better see if anyone else would like some cocoa.”
But when they crossed to the living room, Trey was surprised to find his mother was the room’s sole occupant. “Where is everybody?”
Jessy pulled her attention away from the program she was watching. “I’m not sure but I think Cat’s in the kitchen, and Laredo left shortly after you went to the barn.”
“So early?” Trey said with some surprise.
“He claimed he wanted to figure out where to install the hot tub I’m getting him for Christmas,” she replied with a disbelieving smile.
“You’re getting a hot tub to put at the Boar’s Nest?” Trey grinned at the thought.
“According to Laredo, I am.”
For the life of him, Trey couldn’t imagine his mother lounging in a hot tub, but if anyone could coax her into one, it was Laredo. “Gramps called it a night, did he?”
“No, he’s in the den. Wade Rogers phoned and he took the call in there where the television wouldn’t bother him.”
“That name sounds familiar.” Trey frowned, trying to recall where he’d heard it. “I can’t place it, though.”
It was Sloan who answered. “He’s the son of someone Chase knows—the one who stopped by on Monday when you were at South Camp.”
“You mean the one Jake decided was going to be Cat’s new husband.” His smile widened into a grin as he made the connection to Wade Rogers.
“That’s the one.” Sloan nodded, then directed her attention to Jessy. “We’re going to make some cocoa. Would you like a cup?”
