Jesus! Of all the times to show up.
“Hey.” Anton grabbed his hat in the hopes it would shield her eyes from the red rising in his cheeks.
“Hi. Your mama said I’d find you here.” She hooked her thumbs in the pockets of her jeans and came closer.
Seeing her again was like the first ice-cold drink after a day of working in the field.
“I didn’t mean to overhear.”
Oh, shit. Which part had she heard? “Uh—”
“You’re setting up the stalls tomorrow?”
Thank Christ. “Yeah.”
“I didn’t realize it was Sophia’s last year, but I guess she’s eighteen now. I think Mama wishes I was still showing the cattle. She wants me out of the house. I’ve scrubbed every surface twice and cleaned out every cupboard. I might’ve thrown out some things I shouldn’t have.”
“Is that right?” Lord, she was beautiful, even when she babbled.
“I didn’t know the tin of cocoa wasn’t what it advertised on the label. It was twenty years out of date.”
He raised a brow. “What was in it?”
“Some old love letters Daddy wrote her when they started datin’.”
“Did you get them out of the trash in time?”
“Yeah. But I’ve been banned from unsupervised cleaning.”
She was fucking adorable. Anton couldn’t stop the grin even if he wanted to.
“Are you busy?” she asked.
I wish I wasn’t. “I’ve gotta go check on the weanlings in the northeast paddock.”
She nodded, then dropped her gaze to the ground. “Okay.”
Damn, she sounded so sad. Lonely, maybe. And lord knew he didn’t want to leave her behind. “Wanna come?”
Her chin lifted as her grin spread. “Okay.”
When she smiled, really smiled, there was the faintest hint of a dimple in her left cheek. The fact that he’d made it appear after all she’d been through made him feel ten feet tall. If he had one mission in life, it was to make her do that every day.
Anton led her to the shed where they kept the four-wheelers and took the driver’s seat, cranking the motor. In the distance, he saw Dodger bounding towards them. The sound of the engine was like a dinner bell for their Border Collie. He came running every time.
Lory settled in place behind Anton just as Dodger jumped on his lap, licking his face.
“Ugh, Dodge!”
He wiped the slobber on his shoulder, pausing as Lory’s chest pressed against his back, her giggles vibrating through his ribcage. Her hands were clutched at his sides, her thighs pressed against the back of his. Anton’s body clenched for an entirely different reason than before.
He pressed his lips together, exhaling slowly before swallowing. Twisting his head, he caught her in his peripheral, noting that her beautiful smile was still in place. “You ready?”
“When you are,” she replied.
If only that were true, sweetheart.
Confined Spaces
Lorelei
Antonio pulled the vehicle to a stop just inside the gate. She released her grip around his waist and hopped off to open the way. Dodger jumped down, black and white fur bouncing as he ran around the cattle.
Anton drove a short way up the hill to park on level ground, the group of newly weaned spring calves dispersing around him. Some bellowed at the intrusion before sniffing at the fence to find their mothers grazing on the other side. Others ignored him altogether, going back to their tasty patch of pasture.
Lory secured the latch before making her way on shaky legs to meet him on the crest of the rise. He struck an imposing figure, standing tall at the top, overlooking the land. Yeah, he was a lot like Grey. And that was where things got a little blurred. She’d liked the feel of his body against hers a little too much. Her stomach fluttered at the thought. Stop it. But was it only because she was lonely and missing his brother?
No.
She was both of those things, but deep down, she’d spent years keeping Toni at arm’s length because she wasn’t entirely unaffected by his presence. But she loved Grey. She’d always wanted Greyson. Hadn’t she?
“I never properly thanked you.” Her voice croaked as she broached the reason why she’d come to find him.
“For what?”
“For takin’ care of me at the bar. You know… that night.”
“No need. I’m here for you anytime.”
“You don’t have to be polite. I was a hothouse mess. I just don’t want things to be weird between us.”
“I’m sure we’ll manage. It’s not the first time I’ve seen another side of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember when I found you hangin’ by your shoe from a tree with your dress around your neck?”
Shoulders dropping, she tilted her head and stared at him, unimpressed. “I was eight.”
“I was nine. I’ll never forget it.” One cheek pulled up in a lopsided grin as his gaze focused on her neck. Probably watching the flush of heat taking over.
She retaliated with a cringeworthy moment from the Antonio vault. “I remember the first time you got drunk. I found you under the bleachers, hurlin’ your dinner.” Oh, yeah. He’d been smashed.
He shrugged like it had been nothing. “A senior’s rite of passage. And besides, you did the same thing the next year.”
God, she’d forgotten about that. “True. We have way too much dirt on each other.”
“Your secrets are safe with me.”
A small smile graced her lips because she knew he spoke the truth.
His gaze darted away, but not before she noted the shadows under his eyes. “How are you doing? I lost a fiancé, but you lost a brother.”
He grabbed a handful of dirt, rubbing it through his fingers. “I didn’t lose him. He’s just elsewhere, tryna find his purpose. I’m lucky I’ve always known my calling. Not a lot of people can say that
