Ty wrapped his arms around Mandy, spooning flesh to flesh as she slept, her breathing calm and even.
It had only taken a week for them to tumble into bed together, but it seemed like a lifetime, and he was surprised it had happened at all, given everything. He felt drained yet strangely exhilarated. He pressed a kiss to the silky hair that swept across the pillow
He felt like he’d tumbled over a cliff and was still in free fall. Maybe that’s why, all those years ago, he had run from Mandy Prescott. Because he, maverick though he was, would have married her—and not because she was JM’s granddaughter. Not just that, anyway.
But because she was a woman he could appreciate. Strong, firm, smart, passionate, loyal. Despite the provisions of JM’s will, she hadn’t once said a word against her grandfather. She wouldn’t, he realized. Because to Mandy, JM was as much a part of her as her leg or her arm. He was family, and that meant everything.
The fact he hadn’t had much of a family—not after his mother died, anyway, and not much before, if he was honest—had set him on the path of independence early. He’d taken care of himself and expected the same of everyone else. When Trace had gotten into trouble all those years ago, he’d resented having to step in. After all, Ty had kept up his part of the unspoken bargain. He’d never asked for anything from his father or his brother. And what JM had provided, Ty had earned through hard work that resulted in stellar grades. When he stepped out into the world, he’d used his education to make a good living.
Mandy, on the other hand, had always been surrounded by family—a community of people who wanted the best for her, even if they didn’t agree on what that was. And she accepted their doubts along with their support while she made her contribution to the fabric of that community. She didn’t whine about Tucker’s lack of effort for Prescott, or resent her grandfather’s lack of faith in her. She accepted the role of making the family business stronger, even if that meant not leading it. She may have resented Ty’s interference, but she’d taken what he offered when she thought it helped the business, the family, the community that made up her company. She didn’t resent those family ties—she celebrated them. Because they made her stronger, not weaker.
He’d always been careful not to care too much about anything—or anyone. Keeping his distance allowed him to remain objective and detached, and that enabled him to make tough decisions when needed and walk away when politics got too much. And, if he was honest, it assured he wouldn’t risk feeling the pain of loss if things didn’t go his way.
That summer he’d come to work for JM, he’d felt like an orphan looking in the window of somebody else’s home and wishing he could be part of the family residing there. By then, his father had pretty much washed his hands of a son who thought he was too good for ranching, at least that was his father’s version. Maybe Ty had been that orphaned kid too long, had been looking in JM’s window these last ten years and unconsciously coveting JM’s family—and Mandy.
He closed his eyes.
He wasn’t the kind of man who fit anywhere or with anyone. So where was this need to belong coming from? And shouldn’t sex with Mandy fill that void instead of adding to it? Why wasn’t being alone, dependent on no one and no one dependent on him, satisfying anymore?
Hell, even his individualist-to-a-fault brother had become part of a family the moment Delanie entered his life. Trace was no longer an island, isolated and detached. He was talking about preschool and social workers, for Christ’s sake.
He could almost relate because being the other half of a team with Mandy had been surprisingly enjoyable this last week. Self-reliance sounded good, but was it real? After all, JM’s connections had smoothed his way, had created trusting relationships earlier and easier than if he’d had to go it totally alone.
He rolled away from her, feeling the chill where her body had warmed him. The fact he wanted to be part of anything with Mandy spooked him. He tucked his hands under his head. He had to get a grip. Being independent, needing no one, should be a good thing. Particularly since it was the only way he knew how to be.
Mandy woke up to sun streaming in the windows and the smell of bacon wafting through the room.
It took her a moment to realize where she was and what had happened the night before. So why wasn’t she panicked, she wondered as she stretched. Instead, she felt indulged, lazy, content like a lioness after a huge meal.