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Millie had taken mercy on them last night when she’d dropped off dinner into their area, along with more groceries for the week, supplies that neither of them had thought of bringing. Emily realized she’d been so desperate to get out of town that she hadn’t thought of any practicalities.
The morning light filtered through the floral curtains covering the picture windows. She pulled them aside. It gave her a full view of the ranch and its rolling hills. Oh my! That sky was gorgeous over the surrounding forests. Emily could get used to this kind of life. If Nash really wanted to settle down… well, she just might consider it in a place like this.
Settle down?
Wasn’t she jumping ahead of herself? Sure, they’d joked about it earlier, but Emily still wasn’t sure what to think about what was happening between her and Nash half the time. He was just such a surprise to her right now. She had a harder time processing change than most people, but if anything, Nash was teaching her to roll with the punches.
Her eyes widened when she saw the large assortment of food that he’d prepared on the stovetop. He glanced over at her with a grin. “I kind of love breakfast food,” he admitted. He’d thrown on a plaid shirt with its sleeves torn off, and he’d left it unbuttoned. Typical Slade. They were made for swimming holes, though she suspected in this case, he was trying to tweak her.
She settled on the other side of the breakfast table, putting her earring in. “Give me a second to wake up. My stomach is still asleep… but…” Well, the aromas from breakfast were tempting her. “I could try this morning thing out.”
“It’s the best part of the day,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say that, exactly…” Her phone buzzed. She saw it was a Prism call from her brother. How fun! “Hey, River is doing a video call,” she said.
“Wait,” Nash called out.
She’d already accepted the call before she realized what Nash was saying. She grimaced, wondering what the problem was. “Hey, River, what are you up to?”
“I’m awake too early trying to figure out if my sister is in one piece.” She winced. They shared the same hatred of mornings. “Put Nash on the phone. Now.”
Nash was hurriedly buttoning up his shirt when she handed him the phone. “Oh, you’re putting a shirt on now?” River didn’t sound amused.
“Relax,” Nash said with a smirk. “We’re out on the farm.”
“Yeah, and I wasn’t born yesterday. Half of my songs are about kicking up some hay on the farm. Flatter is on fire with how you’re taking my sister on a romantic getaway. Bring her back to my placenow.”
What? No, she’d just gotten here. “River!” Emily stole back her phone. “We’re having a great time. It isn’t want you think. Nash is helping me get ready for my big performance.”
“I’m not an idiot, Emily. Give me back to Nash.”
Nash took the phone. “You have nothing to worry about. I’m watching over her.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. Nash, you’d better behave with my sister. If you’re comparing her eyes to the sparkling stars and the moon and the brilliant skies, I want you to think of me coming at you and stop that kind of thinking in its tracks.”
“Got it,” Nash said. His eyes went to Emily. Judging by his mischievous grin, she could tell that he had no intention of following through. Her brother had to be pulling out his hair by now.
She tried to put River’s mind at ease. She stepped in front of the camera. “Nash has been a perfect gentleman…”
“No, no, that doesn’t count coming from you. I’m sorry, Emily, but you’re way too soft on us guys. Nash, I’m talking to you man to man. I want your promise that you’ll keep her safe with your life.Your life, Nash.”
Nash sobered. “Of course.”
“Take me off Prism,” River said, annoyed. “I want to talk to you in private.”
Nash clicked off the video and put the receiver to his ear. “My intentions are absolutely honorable,” he said.
“Intentions? You have intentions?” Emily could still hear her brother’s gruff exclamations.
Feeling sorry for Nash, she came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle. Standing on tiptoes, she sustained him with a silent kiss on his rough cheek. He glanced back at her with a grateful look before pressing his lips against her forehead. He nodded to whatever her brother was saying on the other end. “You’ve got it.”
Squeezing her, he stepped back to wander into the other room to face her brother’s wrath alone. “I want her to be happy too. She means a lot to me.” That was the last thing that she heard of their conversation as Lizardman trotted after his heels.
Emily sat down at the table and stole some of Nash’s eggs from his plate that he’d set there. Her taste buds rejoiced at the savory taste of spices and ham.Wow, Nash. Spending more time with him was worth it, especially with this cooking. Nash’s eggs were mouthwatering. The bacon too. She took a sampling of the breakfast that he’d slaved over before getting to her toast. She nibbled casually on the crust when Nash retreated back into the kitchen.
“So?” He collapsed into the seat across from her and slid her phone back to her. “That was a little intense.”
He was biting down a smirk though, so it probably wasn’t anything that he hadn’t faced before. The last girl he’d gone after had a brother with a chip on his shoulder and had the power of the Harvest Ranch Sheriff Department behind him, since he was one of their finest men in blue. Emily had gone on at least two dates with that deputy, so she supposed that Nash wasn’t the only one who’d been looking for his match. She wasn’t being fair to him when she’d thought of him as being a player, but she supposed she’d been trying to assuage her hurt feelings that he hadn’t given her a chance.
“If Grey wanted my help to get his revenge on River for stealing his sister, then he just got it,” Nash said. “You’re going to have to find a way to put your brother’s mind at rest.” His eyes went to his food and then to her half-eaten toast. “So you’re one of those, huh?”
She attempted an innocent look. “I’m good for it.”
He leaned over the table, his bare foot finding her leg. “What do you say to me comparing your eyes to the stars after we get done with our work for today?”
She giggled. “I say you’re on.”
