Page 14 of Lost and Found Cowboy

Gertie shrugged. “Let’s keep the option open. I’m a good tipper.”

Lorna laughed and playfully swatted at the older woman. “Miss Gertie, you are incorrigible.”

“I know.” Gertie winked again then unbuckled and carefully lifted Izzy out of her car seat. “I’ll take this little cutie upstairs and put her to bed.”

“Is there anything else I can do to help?” Mack asked as Gertie disappeared up the stairs.

Lorna shook her head. “No. Thank you. You’ve already done so much. I still can’t believe you folded and put away all that laundry. It’s been sitting there for a week.” She covered her face with her hands. “I’m just thankful it hadn’t been a basket ofmysocks and undies. I think I would have died if I’d come home to find you’d folded my granny panties then put them away in my way-too-boring underwear drawer.”

He blinked, really wanting to say something about how he could be the judge of how boring her undies drawer was, but he was trying to stay in the friend zone, so he ignored her comment and kept his reply light. “Like I said, Max helped.”

She huffed out a laugh. “Which also seems like a miracle. I don’t know how you did all thisandstill got him to bed.”

“I wasn’t trying to also take care of an infant and run a business and cook three meals a day.”

“True. But I still appreciate it.” She covered her mouth as a yawn escaped.

“Guess I’d better get back to the ranch and see if they need any help cleaning up after the reception.”

“Wow, you’re on a real roll tonight with helping people pick things up.”

He shrugged. “I don’t mind helping. It might sound dumb, but I wished for a real family for so long, and now that I have one, it feels good to be part of something. And I know they’ve only been my family for a minute, but I would do anything for them.”

“That doesn’t sound dumb at all,” she told him. “Family is everything.”

He walked to the door but paused just inside it. “Keep me posted on how Izzy’s doing, and text me if you need anything. I mean it.”

“Hey, you forgot this.” She walked across the room and into his arms.

He held her against him, the scent of her shampoo filling the air around him. The bobby pins had come loose in a few places, and pieces of her hair fell in soft ringlets against the bare skin of her neck.

And it was taking everything in him not to lift a lock of it and sift it between his fingers, then press his lips to the creamy length of her neck.

“Thanks for everything,” she said into his chest. “You were a total rock for me tonight. And I feel like I owe you more than a hug for loading my dishwasher and vacuuming the floor.”

He jostled her against him, lowering his voice as he leaned closer to her ear. “What kind ofmoredid you have in mind?”

She grinned coyly up at him. “I’m thinking about offering you my first-born son. He’s a bit of a talker but he’s pretty skilled at checkers.”

He laughed. “I’m already taking over Chevy’s old room at the ranch. Duke might frown on me bringing in a roommate already. Although he does love a good game of checkers.”

“Max is your guy then. He’s a great player if you don’t mind him making up his own rules and changing them midway through the match.”

“Sounds like my kind of game, but still…” He lifted one shoulder as he smiled down at her. “Maybe you’d better hold on to him for a while.”

“Yeah, I think I will. Despite his questionable gaming skills, he’s still pretty dang cute and one heck of a hugger.”

Speaking of being cute and a good hugger. Lorna hadn’t pulled away from him and he relished the feel of her encircled inhis arms, her lush body snug against his, fitting perfectly to him as if they were the last two pieces of a puzzle.

And he wasn’t ready for her to pull away. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her—her easy laugh, her clever wit, her profound love for her children.

He reached up, cupped her cheek in his palm as he peered into her eyes, all traces of teasing gone. “I meant what I said about family and what it means to me. And now that your sister and my brother are married, that makes you and me—and Max and Izzy—family too. So, whatever you need, I got you.”

He leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. He’d meant it to be a friendly one—yeah, right, if he were honest with himself, he’d admit that he just wanted his lips on her, anywhere—but as his face neared hers, she turned just the slightest and the side of his lips caught the edge of hers.

Chapter Seven

Lorna’s breath caught at the brush of Mack’s lips against the corner of her mouth.

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