Page 113 of Unguarded

I pull back, grinning down at her. The blue in her eyes is brighter, and the dark circles that have been under her eyes the past week are finally disappearing. I think my baby is starting to heal, and it’s a beautiful sight to see.

“I’ll tell you soon, I promise.”

“Hey, I’m Brooks.”

I turn to see Brooks introducing himself to my sister.

He removes his ball cap and extends a hand her way. She takes it shyly.

“Dolly. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Dolly? You sure look like a doll.” He grins at her.

She blushes.

Duke laughs, clapping Brooks on the shoulder. “Man, you just got here. Lay off my sister, all right?”

My eyes shift to Sam’s face, catching the dark glare in his eyes aimed at Brooks. His jaw flexes, but he doesn’t say anything. Duke is oblivious. He guides Brooks out the backdoor, pointing toward the arena and telling him that they need help with finishing up the calves tomorrow. I have no doubt it’s his way of hazing the new guy.

“You ready to go, love? Sun’s gonna set in an hour.”

She nods, intertwining her fingers with mine. “Am I dressed okay?”

I look down at her, noting the cozy matching sweatsuit she has in a pale green color. “You look perfect. It might get chilly when the sun goes down.”

I grab the picnic basket, and we walk outside, hand in hand, toward the ATV that I already loaded down with necessary supplies. She eyes the gear loaded into the back of it, but doesn’t say a word. We hop in, and I twist the key that’s already in the ignition. The engine roars to life. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and she scoots closer until our thighs are touching. We start driving toward the man-made road that’s been carved out of the forest.

Holden and Rosie are wandering up, holding hands. They both wave at us as we drive up. Holden is smirking at us, and a wide grin is on my sister-in-law’s lips. Her baby belly is finally starting to poke out.

“She’s the cutest pregnant girl ever,” Monroe says.

I nod. “Yep. They’ll make great parents.”

We sit in silence for a few minutes while passing through the lush green fields blooming with spring wildflowers. The leaves are filled with bright green leaves, as full as I’ve ever seen them. We’ve gotten a lot of rain, which was very much needed. We drive past a herd of cattle. They turn to watch us, hoping we brought them cubes.

After another three minutes, we start to climb a hill, and Islow down once we reach the top. I bring the ATV to a full stop when we get to the firepit and tent that I brought up here and set up earlier.

Monroe sits very still, eyes shifting from me to the tent and back again. “Um, I … wow.”

I chuckle, leaning in to peck her on the cheek. “Don’t worry, Blue; the best part of camping is when it gets cold and the only way you can stay warm is with body heat.”

“I’ve never been camping.”

I open the door and step out. “That doesn’t surprise me. But you’re dating a country boy now. And if you hate it, we’re only a few minutes away from my bed.”

She nods, hopping out of the ATV. “No, I can do this. It looks fun.”

Her face says something different from her words, and I can’t help but laugh. “Okay, well, I appreciate that, but there’s another reason I brought you out here to camp with me.” I step forward, gripping both her hands.

She looks up at me, eyes widening. “What?” she whispers.

I look out over the hill at the breathtaking view. From this point, you can see the river curling through the property, the main house in the distance, and every tree for a hundred miles. She sucks in a breath.

“Oh wow. This is … gorgeous, Cash.”

I smile at her, looking down at our feet. “The place you’re standing right now is going to be our kitchen sink.”

Her lips form a circle. She tilts her head down, staring at her white tennis shoes. “Right here?”

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