*
Shay stumbled out of her bedroom, her red slippers whispering down the cedar hall to the kitchen. Rubbing her eyes, she saw Reese in his pajamas and tan T-shirt sitting at the table, a cup of tea in one hand. “You too?” she mumbled, going to the kitchen counter. The clock read 2:00 A.M.
“I beat you out here.”
She grinned lopsidedly, placing the teakettle on the stove. “By how much?” She turned to see his mouth curve faintly. Right now, Reese looked so incredibly handsome. His beard stubble made him look dangerous, in a good kind of way. And his hair, recently cut and now carefully combed, was mussed, giving him a boyish look. Reese was always so mature, so courtly toward her. That kiss they shared had told her that beneath his officer’s decorum, there was a primal man who made her heart race and her lower body ache for him.
It had been a week since they’d kissed and she still hadn’t discussed it with him. Shay knew they were both avoiding it. Probably for different reasons. It was the elephant in the room neither was willing to talk about.
“Probably half an hour.”
“Hmmm,” she said, pulling down a mug from the cupboard. The chamomile tea was open on the counter. “What’s your excuse this time?”
“Can the excuse be that I ate my donut at bedtime and it caused indigestion and woke me up?”
She laughed outright. “Like Pixie’s baked goods would cause anyone indigestion? I don’t think so.”
“I’ve learned I shouldn’t eat anything a couple of hours before bedtime, but it was there on the dresser staring at me and I couldn’t say no.”
“Somehow,” she teased, turning, watching him, “I think you’re telling a big fib, Reese Lockhart.”
Chuckling, he held up his hands. “Guilty as charged.”
Absorbing his smile, drowning in his eyes, which danced with merriment, her heart lifted and hope infused her. The teakettle started to whistle and Shay turned, picking it up and pouring the hot water into the mug. “Busted,” she called to Reese over her shoulder. Setting the teakettle down on the stove, she picked up her mug and a tea bag, turning toward him. “I was wondering if you were ever a kid. Now, I know you have that side to you.”
Reese felt his face go hot as she wandered over in a pale yellow granny gown. This time, because of the light from over the sink, he could see the silhouette of her body through the thin cotton material. He was sure Shay wasn’t aware of it, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to point it out to her. “I do have a playful side.”
“Hmm,” she said, sitting down, smoothing the ankle-length gown over her lap. “Well, you sure fooled me until just now.”
“I might say the same of you,” Reese murmured, looking at her over his cup as he sipped his cooling tea. He saw her cheeks deepen in color. And this time, there was no mistaking the interest in her eyes. It was a clear, undiluted message.
Chapter Fourteen
Shay wanted so desperately to have alone time with Reese. His kiss . . . She would never forget that kiss. The responsibilities of the ranch had to come first, not her personal life. Not her dreams, which were many, but only that.
“Tell me about your growing-up years.” She was eager to know more about Reese. The demands of the ranch hovered over them, and personal time alone with him was rare. Shay saw his mouth pull into a faint smile as he moved his fingers up and down on the mug of tea in front of him. Max had come over, laying between them, his head on his paws.
“I was born when my father, Joe, was in the Marine Corps,” he began, holding her gaze. “He stayed in ten years, made sergeant and then got out, coming home to Caspar, Wyoming, to set up a small garage and fix cars. My mother, Maggie, started a day care center. She loves kids, and both their small businesses took off. That’s what they do to this day.”
“Where were you born?”
“Camp Pendleton, the big Marine base in Southern California. My father had just returned home from his third deployment overseas. He was home in time to coach my mom through the birth process. I was a home birth.” He smiled a little. “My dad fainted afterward.”
Shay laughed and nodded. “Yeah, birthing isn’t for the faint of heart, for sure.”
“My mom soldiered on. Said I was a ten-pound bowling ball she gave birth to.” Reese chuckled fondly.
“How long had your dad been in when you were born?”
“Five years.” Reese’s mouth tightened. “My mom pleaded with him to get out after I was born. He’d been wounded once already. She feared he’d be killed, leaving her and me without support. But he’d just re-upped at four years for another six, so he was stuck in the Corps until he hit that ten-year mark. They sent him and his team back to the Middle East.”