Page 103 of A Rancher's Heart
“Yes, button?” he asked, leaning closer.
“I missed you.”
His heartbeat was back. “Missed you too.”
She curled an arm around his hips and held on. She was too big to suck her thumb, but he could tell she was needing a little extra cuddle time. He scooped her up, nodding to Josiah who was chatting with Lisa. “I’m calling it a day. You mind?”
“No problem,” Josiah assured him. “Dentistry can wait until tomorrow.”
“You want a hand?” Lisa offered.
Josiah blinked. “You want to help me float the uneven teeth in Caleb’s horses?”
She shrugged. “Why not? I just spent three hours driving, and I’m sticking around for a while. This will let me stretch my legs.”
“Up to you, I guess. And Caleb. What’d you think?”
Emma had laid her head against Caleb’s shoulder and was humming softly, and he was more focused on her and making sure that he didn’t do something incredibly stupid like walk over to Tamara and haul her into his arms for kiss.
Two days of unlimited physical contact was going to be a hard habit to break.
He met Lisa’s gaze. “Your choice. If it’ll help you relax, go for it.”
Tamara added over his shoulder. “Why don’t you both join us for supper when you’re done?”
“Works for me,” Lisa said brightly.
So it was him and Tamara with the girls, walking back to the house. Sasha chattered nonstop, and Emma tossed in the occasional near-silent comment.
Tamara walked at his side, not saying anything. She opened the door to the house and quickly went about getting dinner together. The girls pulled him off to the side, and while he loved hearing about their trip, it seemed strange to not have Tamara joining in.
When she put Josiah in the chair next to him at dinner, positioning herself on the other side of Sasha again, it seemed a little as if she were punishing him. Creating a physical barrier to match the emotional one still between them.
Boss and nanny instead of lovers.
It might be necessary, but he didn’t like it one bit. And that in itself was the beginning of an answer, he supposed.
