Page 57 of Rancher's Heart

“When Parker goes to bed, I’ll work on it.” Leaning down, I kissed his cheek. Before I could move ,he grabbed my face and turned his head toward me.

“Thank you,” he whispered before brushing his lips across mine. When Parker was home we were very careful about public displays of affection. Not that I wanted to hide what we were. I just didn’t think Parker needed to be inundated with it. We had plenty of alone time when he was out of the house to be all over one another.

“I’m going to check on the homework.”

Griff reached out and took my hand. “I’ve already done that; he just had a few questions to finish. You need to have something to eat.”

“I was supposed to make you supper tonight..” I grabbed all the garbage tossed all over the table from the dressing I applied to his head.

“I wanted to do something special. How was your day?” He asked as he walked up behind me and wrapped his good arm around my waist.

“Hey, Mom, I need some help,” Parker yelled as he came down the hallway, and Griff took a few steps away from me.

“What’s up?” I asked as he took a seat at the island.

“I don’t get this.” He spun his book around, and I read the problem over. Griff took a seat beside Parker, and the three of us talked over the problem together. Resting my elbows on the counter, I watched Griff and Parker laugh and joke with one another while we finished the last of his homework.

“You know the best thing we ever did was move in here.” Parker grinned as he grabbed his books and tucked them into his backpack for the morning. “I kind of feel like I’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted again. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dad and the time we get to spend just the two of us is great, but this is pretty great, too. Oh, and you don’t have to pretend anymore. I know you’re in love. It’s kind of obvious.” He laughed and ran to his room again.

I knew having divorced parents had been hard on him, even though he’d been too little to remember Troy and I together. But he’d already felt like the odd one out at school because of his hearing, but having parents who weren’t together wasn’t the norm in most places we’d been, so it made him feel left out of more things.

“Hear that. He likes me.” Griff whispered when Parker went to get ready for bed.

“Yeah, well, I kind of like you, too, so it must be contagious.” I laughed and leaned over the counter so we could kiss. “Do you really think we’ve been that obvious? I thought we were doing really well hiding this.” I shook my head.

“Woman, I can’t keep my hands off you. I haven’t really tried to hide anything.” He winked and moved to the sink to run the water, and we fell into a comfortable silence as we did the dishes.

My mind raced as I stood beside him. Was I falling in love with him? Could I let myself love again? I didn’t want to be hurt, and Griff never gave me any reason to question him but could I be vulnerable? What if I wasn’t falling? What if I’d already fallen?

CHAPTER 31

ELLE

The full moon shone through the window and it seemed even brighter with the reflection off the lake. Parker had gone to Wyoming with Troy. All three of us thought it would be good for him to get away for the weekend and have fun with his dad.

We’d cooked and cleaned up supper together in silence. Parker’s declaration of love was weighing on me heavily. There was a very real possibility he wasn’t wrong but was I ready for that truth?

I couldn’t be sure.

I worked on Griff’s shoulder for a bit. His exercises, and the massages weren’t as effective as I’d hoped they’d be, but he was getting some relief so for now that would have to do.

Once I was done Griff eyed me from across the table and though I’d successfully evaded his gaze as much as I could all night I could feel the atmosphere in the room shifting, he was getting closer to the end of his rope. He let out a heavy sigh and my whole body tensed.

This was the problem with having a man around that perceived you in a whole new light. Not much slipped past him. “You’ve been mighty quiet tonight. Something on your mind?”

I gave a slight shake of my head and proceeded to scratch at the wood grain of the table to try to look occupied. “Nothing.” I chanced a glance up at him.

He furrowed his brow. “And you expect me to believe that?”

I didn’t expect him to. I needed him to, at least until I had the chance to sift through my own thoughts and feelings.

I stood. “It’s nothing, Griff. Do you want some tea?”

“Are you upset because Parker’s gone?”

“You know it always gets to me.” That wasn’t a yes and it wasn’t a no. Maybe we could just leave it at that.

The corner of his lips turned up. “Or is it something else to do with Parker…”

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