Page 88 of A Rancher's Heart
Chapter Twenty
Lisa handed her a brightly coloured package about the size of a bottle of whiskey, but far lighter. “Don’t open it until you’re in the car on the way home,” she ordered, slipping her arms around Tamara and hugging her. “You deserve to be happy,” she told her fiercely.
“Thanks, little sis. When you find out what bee’s up Karen’s butt, let me know, ’kay? We Whiskey Creek mice have got to stick together.”
Lisa rolled her eyes before offering a kiss and backing away. She eyed the room until she spotted Emma, swooping in and lifting her up. “My turn for cuddles.”
They said their goodbyes to Sasha and Emma who were buzzing with excitement to have a sleepover with extended family. Goodnight kisses and hugs and waves followed, then they were back outside, nine p.m. and a long drive ahead of them.
A large question hovering.
Caleb held the door for her and she climbed in, feeling a little unreal. Of all the times she wished she had the courage to jump to a conclusion, she just couldn’t.
What if he actually wanted to go back and have some time in the house quiet-like, without the girls?
They were barely out of town, heading south when Caleb cleared his throat awkwardly. “Sorry I didn’t warn you ahead of time.”
“I’m surprised the girls kept it quiet as long as they did. Now I understand all the questions about chores better.”
She watched his profile, her blood beginning to race as he swallowed, his throat moving.
“I’ve been thinking. I’ve been thinking hard, and I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but you know that issue we had on Christmas Eve?”
Issue? “Can you clarify what you mean, because I remember a whole bunch of things going down on Christmas Eve.”
He cleared his throat again. “I think both you and I want the same thing when it comes to protecting the girls.” He reached across and caught hold of her fingers, and this time her heart rate tripled. “But you and I both have something else we want really bad. I thought we could meet some of those needs without complicating things for the girls.”
Oh boy. “You want to fool around?”
His fingers squeezed tight. “Fool around. That sounds like something we did back in high school, and I don’t mean for us to stop at kissing, or petting.”
Oh boy again.
It made sense, because this thing between them was so huge and combustible, she didn’t think they could deal with it by sneaking around corners and hoping for the best. But she wasn’t looking just to rub out some excitement. “Caleb, I meant it. I don’t want to hurt the girls, I’ve come to care for them, and if you and me giving into this—”
“Violent urge to fuck?” he interjected.
A flush of heat struck straight between her legs. “Yeah, that would be one way to put it. I don’t want to do something that’s going to make you want to fire me. The girls don’t deserve that.”
Shedidn’t deserve that, but they’d stick to the girls for the moment.
Caleb stroked his thumb over the back of her hand. “I have no intention of firing you. But we’re not ready to go from where we are to where we want to be in one day, and I can’t hold back much longer from showing you exactly how much I want you.”
A lovely rush of endorphins washed through her system. Tamara considered it better than any high she’d reached before. “So we’re going home to let this thing between us progress to its natural conclusion.”
He glanced over, and what she’d hoped to see earlier, all that fire and need and passion, scalded her as if she were kindling, and with onewhooshshe went up in flames.
“Okay by me,” Tamara responded.
And then incredibly, they sat there. Holding hands in the car as he drove down the highway. Tamara wiggled in her seat as she debated the proper response. Because, yes, it would be a little crass to simply stop the truck, pull over to the side of the road and go for it.
Then again, that wasn’t the worst idea she’d ever heard.
Distraction. She needed a distraction.
Her eye fell on the vibrantly wrapped present Lisa had given her, and she tore the paper away, discovering as she expected a box that would usually hold a bottle of Jameson Whiskey.
Only when she popped open the top and removed the festive tissue paper what poured into her lap were dozens of packages of condoms. Brightly coloured, flavoured, ribbed—large.
