“How much longer?” Kylee asked softly.
“Six weeks.” Ryder and Annabeth spoke in unison, making everyone laugh again.
“You quit trying to rush those babies,” Flo jumped in. “Once they get here, there’s no going back.”
“I know.” Annabeth took her grandmother’s hand in hers. “You’re right. I just miss sitting comfortably. And not getting up to go to the restroom ten times a night. And not having indigestion. And the sight of my feet.”
“You make pregnancy sound so tempting,” Josie said.
As the pregnancy talk continued, Fisher glanced at Kylee from the corner of his eye. She was staring around the room, getting her bearings. While Shawn seemed at ease, Kylee wasn’t. She had that jumpiness he hadn’t seen in a while.
He leaned closer to murmur, “Can I show you around? There’s a great view outside.”
She blinked, looking at him. “I don’t want to be rude.”
“You’re not. This is the only night the Lodge wasn’t booked up with guests, so dad wanted to get the family together,” Fisher explained.
“So, it’s like a hotel?” she asked, seeming relieved. “Oh.”
He smiled. “Dad hates being on his own.”
She nodded. “Your mom?” Her blue eyes met his. “It’s none of my business—”
“She died when I was in high school.” Fisher explained. “He still misses her.”
“That never goes
away.”
“Miss her every damn day,” Fisher agreed.
“Mine, too,” Kylee’s words were soft. “My mom, I mean.”
Her words opened the door to a dozen questions. What had happened to her mother? How long had she been alone? Who had hurt her and Shawn? And how had they ended up in Stonewall Crossing? “So, a quick tour?”
Her attention wandered back to the rest of his family, laughing and talking among themselves. The boys had relocated to a table in the corner, two stacks of playing cards and several game boxes piled on the edge. “Okay,” she agreed.
He took her outside first, where the view from the deck was amazing. The sun was descending, turning the sky shades of purple and deep blue edged in a fiery red. Even with the sun on its way to bed, there was no denying the heat. The breeze was soft, but didn’t do much to ease the temperature.
“It’s beautiful.” She spoke with such yearning that he turned her way.
She was staring, openmouthed, at the scene before her. From their vantage point, she could see the rolling hills speckled with livestock, shadowed valleys and the distant creek. The ranch was his home; he knew it like the back of his hand. But there were times the beauty of the land left even him speechless. Watching her, he wondered if he’d ever seen something as beautiful.
“Been in my family for generations,” he murmured, getting lost in the swell of her lips, the curve of her cheek and the sweep of her long dark lashes.
“Generations...” She breathed the word. “You grew up here?”
“Pretty much.”
“And now?” she asked, turning to face him.
“Dad divided up the property between us. I have a house,” he said, pointing behind her. “On that hill, the far side. Being there, it’s almost like I’m the only one out here.”
“You like that?” she asked, her blue eyes searching his. “To be alone?”
“Sometimes. I have a big family.” He looked at the door with meaning. “Sometimes I need the quiet, the space, to be me.”
She nodded, a slight smile on her face.