He pulled his truck into the driveway of the Granger Ranch, and he immediately saw Roman. It wasn’t unusual for Roman to be there since he lived just about fifty yards from the house. But it was Roman’s expression that had Lawson’s stomach knotting. Because that was Roman’s troubled look. Lawson had already met his trouble quota for the year and definitely didn’t want any more.
“This had better be about a cattle sale gone wrong and nothing personal,” Lawson snarled when he stepped from his truck. “Because if it’s anything but ranching business, I don’t want to hear it.”
“It’s personal.” Roman clearly hadn’t heeded his warning. “I just saw Eve, and she had a hickey on her neck.”
Lawson cursed. “If I left a hickey, it wasn’t on her neck.” Though one on her inner thigh was a possibility, but he seriously doubted that Roman had seen that part of her anatomy. Which meant this was a fishing expedition. One to reel in some personal information.
“So, you did have sex with her.” Roman huffed. “Now, normally I wouldn’t care a rat’s nuts about that, but she looked upset.”
Hell. Lawson didn’t doubt that. He was upset and likely looked it, too. “Did she say anything?”
“Only that she was out for a walk to clear her head. I’m pretty sure we already had a conversation about you not dicking around with her.”
“I’m not dicking around with Eve!” Lawson said that a lot louder than he’d intended, and he got not only some ranch hands’ attention but also the attention of Nicky and Belle, who were in the sunroom.
“Then what are you doing?” Roman asked.
Lawson didn’t have a clue, and he didn’t have to think of an answer that wouldn’t have satisfied Roman anyway because the sound of a car engine gave him a reprieve. Or at least he thought it was a reprieve.
A confusing one.
It was Mila, but she wasn’t alone. Her small car was jammed with people. Specifically, Tessie, Cassidy and Aiden, who was strapped into his infant seat between Cassidy and Tessie. No sign of Eve though.
Mila had a big smile on her face when she got out. A smile meant for Roman because she gave him a long kiss before she even acknowledged that Lawson was there.
“I brought some guests,” Mila said, still beaming.
Cassidy and Tessie didn’t share Mila’s glee. Tessie was sullen. Cassidy was scowling. And Aiden was fussing and kicking. Cassidy took him from the seat and immediately handed him to Lawson.
“Aiden’s gassy, cranky and teething,” Cassidy informed Lawson. “Why don’t you spend some time with the kids while Mila and I have a cup of coffee. I won’t be long, and then Mila, Tessie and I are taking Aiden to the park to give Eve a break.”
Cassidy didn’t linger to make sure that was okay with Lawson or Tessie. It sure as heck wasn’t okay with Aiden because he fussed, farted and kicked even harder.
Apparently, Roman was a fan of Cassidy’s plan because he only gave Lawson a flat you’re on your own look and went inside with the women.
Tessie gave him a flat look, too, but she did at least try to soothe her brother by patting his back. It didn’t work. “Jiggle him a little,” Tessie suggested. “And kind of rock him while you keep a good hold on the back of his neck. His head’s not supposed to jiggle too much.”
Lawson wasn’t an expert at jiggling or rocking, but he gave it a try. “Since it appears you weren’t hog-tied and dragged over here against your will, does that mean you came to talk to me?”
Judging from her suddenly sour expression, the answer to that was no. “I just wanted to get out of the house.” She tipped her head to Roman, who was still in the doorway of the sunroom. “He’s my cousin, right?”
Lawson nodded. “And you’ve got plenty more of them. Uncles and an aunt, too.”
Her expression stayed sour. “I met Lucian.” Well, that explained the sucking-lemons look. “I think he’s a bit of an ass,” she added.
There was nothing wrong with her instincts. Well, instincts about that, anyway. “I can be an ass, too, when it comes to the stunt you pulled.”
Bringing up the subject was a risk. Tessie could just clam up or ask Mila to take her back home. But Lawson didn’t intend to avoid the elephant in the room just because it could be risky. The biggest risk of all was having Tessie do something that stupid again.
“Are you going to lecture me about it, too?” she asked.
“Damn straight I am.” He frowned though at the cursing. It was mild, but he was still doing it in front of two kids. “What you did was wrong, period. From here on out, no drinking at all until you’re legal age. That should be about the same time your mom ungrounds you.”
“If I’m lucky,” Tessie grumbled.
Well, he certainly accomplished putting a damper on the mood. Not that it was a particularly good mood before the mini-lecture. But Tessie’s expression immediately perked up when she spotted the new Appaloosas in the corral, and she hurried toward them. Lawson caught up with her, and while he continued to do some baby jostling, he recognized the look in Tessie’s eyes.
Horse love.
Yeah, she was his kid all right.
For such a simple thing, it made him feel a whole heck of a lot. Like wanting to know more about her. And wanting to kick any guy’s ass who ever laid a hand on her. That was an especially strong feeling. Ditto for wanting to repeat the whole drinking lecture until it sank into her teenage head.
“What are their names?” she asked. As if she’d done it her whole life, she climbed onto the wooden fence, straddling it. She held out her hand and made clicking noises to get the horses to come over.
“We don’t tend to name the working horses,” Lawson told her.
Aiden caught sight of the Appaloosas, too, and while he wasn’t exactly starry-eyed, he quit fussing.
One of the horses moseyed toward Tessie, nudging her hand and causing her to smile. That smile washed away all the crappiness of the day. Lawson was afraid though that it wouldn’t last when he had to ask her a question.
“Does your mom know you’re here?”
Tessie nodded, kept her attention on the horses. All four of them were headed her way now. “Miss Mila came by and asked if she could bring me to the ranch, and Mom said yes—after she thought about it for a long time. It was Cassidy’s idea to come with me.”
Probably because Cassidy wanted to keep an eye on Tessie to make sure she didn’t run off or anything. But she wasn’t running anywhere right now. Instead, she looked ready to get in the corral with the horses.
“There should be a bag of treats just inside.” Lawson tipped his head to the barn. “There’s a tack room on the left.”
Tessie got off the fence as easily as she’d gotten on, and she headed in that direction while Aiden volleyed some glances at Lawson, the horses and his sister. With the intensity of an artist analyzing a model, the kid stared at Lawson. Then he belched, farted and laughed all at the same time. Good. Maybe the belching and farting would put him in a better mood. It certainly put Lawson in a better one, and he brushed a kiss on the kid’s head.
It wasn’t long before Tessie came back, the bag of treats in hand, and she climbed on the fence again. Lawson was about to instruct her on how to give an open palm treat to avoid a bite, but she’d already figured it out.
“You know how to ride?” he asked.