Page 85 of Lone Star Longing
“He was a pain in the ass,” Poppy countered. “Our last names are alphabetical, and we were always in the same group. I mean, he was smart, but lazy, so he’d never do any of the work, but he’d still get the good grades.”
“Ah, why are you taking the shine off my crush? I just want to look at him. I don't think he’s lazy now, is he? I mean, he works for the highway patrol.”
“Not that that requires a lot of work around here. I know sometimes they have to go into some of the man camps north of here and take care of some issues, but not often. He’s just not high-energy.”
“Well,” Hailey said. “That’s not always a bad thing. Slow and steady and all that.”
“Eww!” The other three women chorused, then burst into laughter.
The two hour drive passed in a blink, because they were laughing, talking, singing along with Poppy’s phone’s playlist. Lacey hadn’t known Hailey too well—they’d decided to invite her because she was close to their age and didn't seem to have many friends in town, and she was always good to them when they came to The Wheel House. But she was pretty damn funny herself, and Lacey’s stomach hurt from laughing as she climbed out of the car at the springs.
“You okay?” Beck asked, appearing suddenly at her side.
The two drivers had played along the road, jockeying for first place on the two-lane road, and Beck had put on the last burst of speed to get the guys to the pool first. Con and Javi were unloading the truck as Beck put his hand on Lacey’s arm.
“Fine. Just need to find a bathroom.” Part of the reason the girls came in second was that Poppy had to stop a couple of times to let Lacey go behind a bush on the side of the road.
He scanned the area until he saw a sign and pointed, but she’d already seen it and was race-walking, along with Hailey.
“God, nothing feels as good as going to the bathroom when you have to go,” Lacey said as she washed her hands.
Hailey met her gaze in the mirror. “Girl, you have to get out more.”
Lacey felt her face heat. “Well, it’s been a while since that’s happened.”
Hailey dropped her gaze to Lacey’s belly. “Not that long.”
“Long enough.” She didn't want to think about Jesse today. She wanted to float around on this beautiful day and have no worries. She couldn't wait to get into the water.
When they walked out of the restroom, they saw the group had found a spot in the shade. They had arrived early enough that they were able to claim a table and spread out their towels. Lacey’s float was already in the water. She gave the others a glance as she made a beeline toward the water. She couldn't wait to get in.
The water was cold, and she couldn't stop a shriek. She gave the others a wave to let them know she was okay before she decided the best way to get in was just—plunge. She gauged the depth of the water and did a cannonball—well, as much of one as a woman five months pregnant with twins could do.
Her entire body went stiff as the cold water wrapped around her, as the shock went through her. She bounced up, pushing her hair out of her face as she surfaced and reached for her tube, which had floated away on the ripples of her cannonball.
Okay, getting in this was not going to be easy, or graceful. And she felt like everyone was watching her.
But then a splash rippled the water behind her, and she turned to see Beck wading toward her. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his broad chest was tanned and sprinkled with dark hair....and she was staring.
“Wow, cold!” His Adam’s apple bobbed and he bounced on the balls of his feet. “I wasn't expecting it to be so cold.”
“The website said it stays sixty eight degrees year round.”
“I didn't think sixty eight was so cold. I’ll hold the tube while you get on.”
She laughed. “I don't even think that will help.”
“Well, use my shoulder to haul yourself up.”
She looked at the curve of his shoulder and imagined the smooth strong skin under her palm. Oh, that would be a bad bad idea. This time she knew the flutter was not her babies, but her attraction to him.
Before she could make a decision, he put his hands on her waist and lifted her.
She laughed in surprise and grabbed at the slick wet rubber of the tube, but it shot free. She turned to grab onto Beck instead as he reached out a hand to pull it back, and she felt the flex of his muscles under her hand.
She could have moved away. She should have moved away. But she held on him as he moved to grab the tube, and they moved together, legs tangling a moment, and desire shot through her. The sensation took her by surprise and she looked into his face.
He met her gaze and she saw the awareness in his eyes, felt the tension in his body that had nothing to do with retrieving the tube.
