Page 60 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
Which made her laugh. She tangled her fingers around his then leaned in to press their lips together. Brief, chaste.
He caught her around the back of the neck and held her in place, staring into her eyes and then dropping his gaze to her mouth. “I don’t think so. Let’s try that again.”
This time when their lips met, she wasn’t in charge. He was. This wasn’t the type of kiss that would be approved of in public. It was hot, deep, and dirty, and when he let her go, Karen was breathing hard. Her heart was pounding, and her head was spinning, and—
“You are a dangerous man, Finn Marlette,” she said when she finally found enough air to speak.
He winked. “Have a nice dinner.”
The time with her nieces was wonderful. Sasha was full of lists of everything she planned to do over the summer. It was amusing as heck to hear “and Kelli says—” repeated a good half dozen times over the course of the recitation.
But what was even funnier was when little sister Emma leaned hard against Karen’s side, speaking softly but utterly clear and with confidence. “Mama says sometimes Sasha’s Kelli-isms give her conniptions.”
Karen stifled her laughter. “Really? And whatareconniptions?” she asked seriously.
Emma paused for a moment before smiling brightly. “That fuzzy feeling you get when you pet a kitten.”
Which was pretty much the best definition Karen had ever heard. “That sounds perfect,” she assured Emma even as she met Julia’s gaze and the two of them grinned brightly.
George Coleman arrived. Caleb ushered him in, and both Emma and Sasha went wild greeting their grandpa.
Family chaos ensued, the warmth of Tamara and Caleb’s home a welcoming hug. The scent of a home-cooked meal and the music of laughter filled the space from top to bottom.
Caleb had served dinner in the Stone tradition when the conversation took a twist. Nothing really terrible, but it brought an uneasy tone.
“You must be excited to head off to school,” her father said to Karen. Then he turned to Caleb as he added, “Some of the Coleman boys have stepped in to take her place. They aren’t doing badly at all…”
“Have you found out any more about your classes?” Lisa asked while she helped Emma with her dinner.
“I got a package of information,” Karen admitted. “I’ll dig through it soon, but it’s been pretty busy with the ranch work I committed to. Especially now that Finn’s in recovery mode.”
George Coleman raised a brow. “You’re working at a ranch? I thought you left early to spend time with your sisters.”
“I am. I mean, we are. But…” A stutter escaped, and she thought quickly. “I’m sure I mentioned this. Finn Marlette is here setting up a dude ranch. I’m helping them with the horses they need. That sort of thing.”
Her father’s expression grew tighter as she spoke, and he shook his head as if she had just confessed to some shameful crime.
Then he changed the topic. “What’s that boy doing out here? Last I heard he was out in Manitoba.”
Karen wasn’t about to go into a long explanation when she didn’t know all the details herself.
“He’s been around for a while.” Tamara leapt in with the answer, smiling sympathetically at Karen. “Got his hand in all sorts of ventures these days, not just ranching. He’s done well for himself.”
It was on the tip of Karen’s tongue to mention Finn was doing great, except for breaking his leg, when her father spoke.
“He always was a go-getter. It’s good to catch up with people. I should give his father a call. You say hi to Finn for me,” her father said pointedly to Karen.
“He said the next time you’re in town, he’d love to get together.”
Conversation drifted after that, but the uneasy sensation in her stomach remained.
It was still with her when she made it back to the cottage. Neither Finn nor Zach was around. They’d probably headed over to the main house where there was at least a TV to entertain them.
Some strange force of nature pulled her toward that manila envelope. She picked it up again, the heavy weight in her hand triggering zero excitement.
Great, considering you gave up everything for this.
She wanted to growl at the thought.
