There were so many times he wanted to hold her, kiss her, and yet he held himself back, remembering that evening a month ago. She’d come unglued when he’d tried to comfort her after the nightmare. The terror on her face had scared him. Thank goodness the man responsible for putting that look on his wife’s face was behind bars.
The bang of the back door alerted him to the fact that Tory had returned from the barn. He turned, fixed a smile of greeting on his face and handed her the cup of coffee he’d poured for her. “Everything okay with the horses?”
“Yes. Gus is worth his weight in gold. I can leave the ranch and not worry about it. I never felt that way before.”
“Well, then maybe we should pay your parents a visit some long weekend.”
She tensed, her hand bringing her cup to her mouth halting in midair. “I’m not ready to do that yet.”
Until she was, he wasn’t sure where their marriage stood. He took a long sip of his lukewarm coffee and saw the apprehension enter Tory’s brown eyes. “Are you sure about Mindy returning to school?” he asked, deciding to change the topic of conversation before Tory retreated. They were good friends, but there still was a part of herself that she kept from him.
“I’m positive. You see how she is at church. She gets along with the other kids. Some of them will be at the same elementary school.”
“But what if—”
She placed two fingers over his lips. “Shh. No buts. She’s talking faster and is getting around well without any help. Right now she’s at the barn talking Gus’s ear off and helping him muck out a stall. I’m impressed with her progress.”
When Tory removed her fingers from his mouth, he missed her touch. “So are her therapists and doctor. She’s come a long way and part of the reason is you.”
“Oh, my, you’re gonna make my head swell if you keep saying things like that.”
“I’m only telling the truth. Your riding program has been great for her. She’s a pro on a horse now and so proud of it. She’s talking about showing horses later down the line.”
“I know. She’s mentioned it to me a few thousand times.”
“That’s my girl. When she gets something in her head, she doesn’t let it go.”
“Which leads me back to the school issue. She wants to go very much. She loves being around people.”
Slade threw up his hand. “Okay. You’ve convinced me. I know when I’m outnumbered.”
“Good, because we need to go to school today and meet her teacher. I have an appointment for us.”
“You do? You were awfully sure of yourself.”
Tory grinned and finally sipped some of her coffee. “I’ve gotten to know you well these past few months. I was pretty sure I could talk you into it since it was so important to Mindy.” One corner of her mouth hitched up even more. “Besides, I could always cancel if I had to.”
“So you had all your bases covered.”
“You know that Mindy will continue to need some special education services for a while?”
“Yes. Is the special education teacher who we’re going to meet?”
“Actually, the woman will be her homeroom teacher. I think the special education teacher will be there, too.”
He filled his lungs with air. “I guess I’m ready for this. Even with her tutor this year, she’s behind.”
“But gaining every day.” She came to him, balancing her mug on the railing. “I promise you this will work. If there’s a problem, we’ll figure it out together.”
He couldn’t resist her nearness. He cupped her face, searching her features he dreamed about at night. “You don’t know how much your support means to me.”
“I could say the same thing. You’ve been more than understanding and I appreciate that, Slade.”
Slowly he bent toward her, giving her plenty of time to pull away. She remained where she was only inches from him, her scent of lilacs mingling with the smells of the outdoors—earth, grass and the roses along the back of the house. He brushed his lips across hers, once, twice. Still she stayed put. That was all the encouragement he needed.
He wound his arms around her and brought her up against him, slanting his mouth over hers. Deepening the kiss, he became lost in her embrace, drowning in sensations he’d thought never to experience again.
When he parted, putting her at arm’s length, he struggled to get his breathing under control. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, too. Pleased by her reaction to his kiss, he smiled, noticing how bright and blue the sky was, not a cloud visible.
“Lately I’ve been thinking, what do you say about adding on to the house?” He retrieved his now-cold coffee from the railing and finished the last few swallows.
“What?”
“Oh, another bedroom and bathroom. Maybe a den and a dining room.”
“That would double the size of the house.”
“Probably. What do you think?”
“We don’t need another bedroom. We have three.”
“But they are small. I was thinking about a master suite.”
Tory’s eyes widened. Her hand shook as she reached for her mug and brought it to her lips.
“I’m being optimistic, Tory. When we share a bedroom, the one you are in now is way too small. And I do believe the day will come when that will happen.” After the kiss they shared, he knew it was only a matter of time. She responded to him. That had to mean something.
“I must admit the house is small. Better suited for
