Page 58 of My Cowboy Trouble
"Gavin."
"Fine." I pull her against me for one more kiss. "But this isn't over."
"I know."
"I mean it. I want more of this. More of you."
She looks up at me, something vulnerable in her eyes. "Me too."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. God help me, but yeah."
By the timewe make it back to the roof, Trent and Asher have finished their section and are checking us out with knowing looks.
"Productive break?" Asher asks, pulling a piece of straw from Kenzie's hair.
"We were checking the structural integrity of the hayloft," I say with a straight face.
"Is that what we're calling it?" Trent's trying to look stern, but I can see him fighting a smile.
"Very important work," Kenzie adds, her face bright red. "Safety first."
"Right. Safety." Asher grins. "That's why you're both covered in hay and looking thoroughly... safe."
"Jealous?" I ask.
"Maybe a little," he admits, his eyes on Kenzie. "My turn next?"
"There are no turns," she protests. "This isn't a carnival ride."
"Could be," I suggest, and she smacks my arm.
We finish patching the roof just as the sun starts to set, painting everything gold. Kenzie's sitting on the edge, legs dangling, looking out over the ranch like she owns it. Which, technically, she does.
"Yoo-hoo!"
Clara Mae's truck pulls up, and she climbs out carrying what looks like enough pie to feed an army.
"Brought sustenance for the hardworking men!" she calls up. Then she spots Kenzie. "And lady! Look at you up there like a regular ranch hand!"
"Just helping out," Kenzie calls down.
"Uh-huh." Clara Mae's eyes narrow as she takes in the scene—Kenzie's mussed hair, my scratch marks that are definitely visible, the way we're sitting just a little too close. "Helping. Right. That's what the kids are calling it these days?"
"We fixed the roof," Trent says, climbing down the ladder.
"I can see that. Fixed the roof and maybe a fewother things?" She winks at Kenzie. "Good for you, honey. These boys need someone to keep them in line."
"I'm not—we didn't?—"
"Save it for someone who didn't see Gavin's truck parked by the creek last week when you were supposedly 'checking fences.'" She sets the pies on the tailgate. "Apple, cherry, and pecan. Eat up. You've all clearly worked up an appetite."
She drives off cackling, leaving us with three pies and the distinct feeling that the entire town's going to know about this by morning.
"Well," Asher says, grabbing the apple pie. "That's going to be fun to explain."
"Nothing to explain," I say, wrapping an arm around Kenzie's shoulders. "We're all adults here."
