“Okay,” Fee said slowly. “But if all your mother had was you, who were the other kids she was running after?”
“Working for Lassiter Media, you’ve probably heard that Uncle J.D.’s wife died within a few days of having Angelica.” When Fee nodded, he continued, “Uncle J.D. had his hands full trying to raise three little kids on his own. Mom helped out as much as she could, but she had me and Dad to take care of and was only able to do so much. Then after my dad got killed four years later, my uncle suggested that Mom and I move into the main house with him and his kids. By that time he had opened the Lassiter Media office in L.A. and traveled back and forth a lot. He needed someone he trusted to take care of his kids and my mom was the obvious choice. She knew and loved the kids and they all considered her a second mother anyway.”
“That makes sense,” she agreed. “Was your parents’ home nearby?”
“We lived here at the homestead.” He couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of pride that he was the third generation to own this section of the ranch. “My dad was more of a cowboy than Uncle J.D. ever thought about being and when he wasn’t riding the rough stock in a rodeo somewhere, Dad was working here at the ranch. After my uncle built the main house, Uncle J.D. gave this part of the Big Blue to us.”
“No wonder the family is extremely close,” Fee said thoughtfully. “Sage, Dylan and Angelica are more like your siblings than they are cousins.”
As they walked into the barn, Chance gave in to temptation and casually draped his arm across her slender shoulders. She gave him a sideways glance, but he took it as a good sign that she didn’t protest.
“The only time the four of us weren’t together was at night when we went to bed,” he explained. “Uncle J.D. gave my mom and me one wing of the house so that we would have our privacy, while he and his kids took the other wing.”
“You must have had a wonderful childhood with other children to play with,” Fee said, sounding wistful.
“I can’t complain,” he admitted. “What about your family? Do you have a brother or sister?”
She shook her head. “I was an only child.”
When she failed to elaborate, Chance decided to let the matter drop. It was clear she didn’t want to talk about it and he’d never been one to pry. If Fee wanted to tell him about her family, he would be more than happy to listen. If she didn’t, then that was her call.
Walking down the long aisle between the horse stalls, Chance pointed to a paint mare that had curiously poked her head over the bottom half of the stall door. “That’s the horse you’ll learn to ride tomorrow.”
Fee looked uncertain. “It looks so big. Do you have one in a smaller size?”
“You make it sound like you’re trying on a pair of shoes,” he said, laughing. “Rosy is about as small as we have around here.”
“I’m not so comfortable with large animals,” she said, shaking her head. “When I was little girl, my grandmother’s next door neighbor had an overly friendly Great Dane that knocked me down every time I was around him. I know he wasn’t trying to hurt me, but I ended up with stitches in my knee from his friendly gestures.” She eyed the mare suspiciously. “She’s bigger than he was.”
He guided Fee over to the stall. “I promise Rosy is the gentlest horse we have on the ranch and loves people.” Reaching out, he scratched the mare’s forehead. “She’ll be the perfect starter horse for you and she won’t knock you down.”
“Rosy likes that?” Fee asked.
He nodded. “You want to try it?” When she shook her head, he took her hand in his. “Just rub Rosy’s forehead like this,” he said, showing her how. “While you two get acquainted, I’ll go get a treat for you to feed her.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Chance.” He heard the hesitancy in her voice as he walked across the aisle into the feed room. “She looks like she might have pretty big teeth. Does she bite?”
He shook his head as he walked back to the stall with a cube of sugar. “Rosy might nip you unintentionally, but she’s never been one to bite.” He placed the cube on Fee’s palm. “Just keep your hand flat and Rosy will take care of the rest.”
When Fee tentatively put her hand out, the mare scooped up the sugar cube with her lips. “Oh my goodness!” Fee’s expression was filled with awe when she turned to look at him. “Her mouth is so soft. It feels just like velvet.”
Seeing the wonder in her eyes and her delighted smile, Chance didn’t think twice about closing the gap between them to take Fee in his arms. “Do you remember what I told you this afternoon?”
The glee in her vibrant blue eyes changed to the awareness he’d seen in them earlier in the day. “Y-yes.”
“Good.” He started to lower his head and was encouraged when she brought her arms up to encircle his neck. “I’m going to give you that kiss now that we’ve both been wanting.”
When he covered her mouth with his, Chance didn’t think he had ever tasted anything sweeter. He took his time to slowly, thoroughly explore her soft lips. They were perfect and clung to his as if she was eager for him to take the kiss to the next level. When she sighed and melted into him, he didn’t think twice about tightening his arms around her and deepening the caress.
The moment his tongue touched hers, Chance felt a wave of heat shoot from the top of his head all the way to the soles of his feet. But when she slid her hands beneath the collar of his shirt to caress the nape of his neck, it felt as if his heart turned a somersault inside his chest. The magnetic pull between them was more explosive than anything he could have imagined and he knew as surely as he knew his own name it was inevitable—they would be making love. The thought caused the region south of his belt buckle to tighten so fast it left him feeling lightheaded.
Easing away from the kiss before things got out of hand, he gazed down at the dazed expression on her pretty face. She was as turned on as he was and, unless he missed his guess, a little confused by how quickly the passion had flared between them.
“I think we’d better call it a night,” he said, continuing to hold her.
“I-it would...probably be a good...idea,” she said, sounding as breathless as he felt.
“Mornings around here start earlier than you’re probably used to,” he advised, forcing himself to take a step back.
When he put his arm around her and started walking toward the open doors of the barn, she asked, “How early are we talking about?”
He grinned. “Well before daylight.”
“Is it that imperative to get up so early?” she asked, frowning.
“The livestock get breakfast before we do,” he explained, holding her to his side. “Besides, in the summer we get as much done as we can before the hottest part of the day. The earlier we get up and get started, the better chance we have of doing that.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” she said as they climbed the porch steps and went into the house. “Why don’t you wake me up when you get back to the house after you feed the livestock?”
“Hey, you’re the one who’s here to observe what a real cowboy is all about,” he reminded, laughing. “That includes the morning chores as well as what I do the rest of the day.”
“No, I’m here to talk you into being the spokesman for your family’s PR campaign,” she shot back. “It was your idea that I needed to see what you do.”
Walking her into the foyer of the homestead and up the stairs, they fell silent and Chance cursed himself as nine kinds of a fool the closer they got to their bedrooms. After