Page 42 of Tough Love

“Yeah, I know. But it’s sweet. It suits you.”

“You think I’m sweet, Howard?”

“I think you are many things, Rawlins.”

His hand cups my jaw as he dots a kiss to my nose. “And I you, Addy.”

He releases me and walks out the door, sliding his Stetson onto his head. Charlie darts from somewhere behind the hay bales and follows his master. I chuckle and fix my hair and straighten my clothes before making my way to my Cherokee to grab my camping stuff.

When Hudson pulls up alongside me in his truck, Charlie barks from the passenger’s seat, head out the window. I toss my bag and sleeping bag into the back and shut my trunk. I open the door, and Charlie moves to the center of the bench seat. I hop into the truck and close the door. “So, where are you taking me?”

A grin splits Hudson’s face, so bright, I can’t help but smile back. It may have been the kiss, the all-encompassing way he held me, or the way the light fills his eyes when he looks at me. But after all those weeks of grumpy Hudson, I’m irrevocably addicted to this side of him. And I know this is gonna hurt when it eventually goes sideways.

He shifts the stick into gear, and we roll down the gravel road toward the paddocks. We are going the same way we did to get to his house, but when we come to the foot of the hill, instead of going up, he tracks to the left, on a rough road that heads in the opposite direction.

We bounce along for around twenty minutes before the road starts to ascend. Trees have closed in around us, and I can’t seeanything except the road ahead of us. Charlie curls up on the seat and closes his eyes.

When we start the climb, the trees thin out a little. A little while later, we reach the peak of the hill. And I am like a kid hanging out the window, gushing over the most magnificent view I have ever seen. And when Hudson turns the truck and backs it up a little, I swing my gaze to his smiling face. The truck jerks to a stop.

“Hop out, Howard.”

He turns off the truck. I push out of the door and wander to the back of the vehicle.

Oh. My. God.

Now I understand why they call this God’s country. Its stunning. We are on a hill that connects to others. Below, a crystal blue lake fills the space between us and the opposite hill. Hudson puts the tailgate down. I turn back to scan the horizon. And is that... ?

“That’s your house, Rawlins!” I gape at the sight of it. I mean, I saw the lake last time, but from this side of the vista, it’s like some kind of oil painting.

He laughs and lays an arm over my shoulders. “Yep, that’s my half a house.”

I laugh and he takes his arm back. He sweeps me off my feet, an arm under my legs, one under my shoulders and sits me on the tailgate. With the next breath, he is sitting beside me. I breathe him in and rest my head on his shoulder. “It’s so magnificent up here.”

“Yeah, the view’s pretty damn fine.” I look up at him, but he’s not looking at the mountains. His eyes are locked onto me.

“Hudson,” I protest.

“Adeline.”

I huff a laugh. God, why does Hudson saying my name make me crazy in the best way possible?

He holds out a palm and I rest my hand in it. His warm fingers curl around mine for a moment before they unfurl. He traces a rectangle on my palm with his finger. “This is what you can see of the house from here. What you can’t see are the parts I haven’t built yet. The stables go here.” He draws a long rectangle behind the house square. “The homestead vegetable garden goes here.” He draws another rectangle to one side of the house. “And the trees and the swing seat for two,” he says, his voice thickening, “that goes right here.”

“Who you gonna sit next to, Huddy?”

“I guess I’ll know her when she turns up.” His voice is raw, and he tries to force a smile. But his chest sinks deep with every breath.

“Like the way I turned up?”

His face splits into a happy smile. “Yeah. Something like that, Howard.”

I groan at him and swing my legs to one side before pushing up to my knees. When I move closer, he shuffles back a little. I step over his lap and sink, straddling him. His blue eyes darken. His hands find my face, and I claim his mouth.

Mine.

For a little while . . .

Chapter Thirteen

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