Chapter Twelve

At five minutes before noon, Stone arrived back at the ranch and strolled in the front door, feeling lighter and happier than he had in years. Spending the night with Jovy had turned out to be more than an incredible physical release. His mind felt at peace. Transformed. Clearer. Less burdened. And he had no idea why. It was unexpected, but so damned welcomed. Being in the woman’s presence, in her arms…inside her sweet body had brought him a peace he never knew existed. Heaven help him, he wanted to experience it again. And never leave. Which was foolish, dangerous, considering the woman herself was leaving in a few weeks. Still, any time with her would be worth having.

But now that he was back home, back to reality, a sliver of guilt clawed at his gut for feeling this content when so many others didn’t. Then there was Leo. Stone hadn’t thought about him once since leaving the Beer and Steer last night. Not until his conversation with Jovy this morning.

No one had alerted him to any trouble or disasters while he’d been with Jovy. Life had gone on. The world hadn’t stopped. Only for him.

Brick walked out of the office, stopped dead, and frowned. “You just had to go there, didn’t you?”

Stone’s heart dropped. “You’re the one who pushed me to go. Why? What happened?”

“Relax.” His brother cursed. “Nothing happened. I meant I could see you’re happy but feeling guilty over it. Don’t go there, Stone. Just cut it the hell out. Enjoy your sex afterglow and get on with life.”

Once Stone’s heart rate returned to normal, he followed his brother back into the office. “So, Leo is all right?”

“Yes.” Brick dropped down onto the couch, and as usual, papers crinkled while others flew into the air. “He’s fine. I talked to him an hour ago. He’s having such a great time he’s staying until Monday.”

“Wow. That’s a first.” Stone stepped over a pile of papers to get behind the desk and sink into the chair. In the past, Leo had usually been in a hurry to escape his family and their well-meaning but prying questions.

His brother nodded. “I know. So quit worrying. It’s all good. Unlike this office. Damn shame. It was starting to look good, too. Any chance you can persuade Jovy to help you finish organizing this mess?”

Stone glanced around. How the hell had things gotten so messy again? Papers and receipts littered every surface. And it sure as shit wasn’t because of him. “Maybe if you and the guys would use that app and file like I showed you, this place wouldn’t look like a tornado hit it.”

“No can do, bro.” Brick shook his head as he rose to his feet. “This is your domain. I run the machinery, remember?”

He grunted. “You’re not the only excavator.” They both operated the bulldozer and backhoe when required. “No reason I should be the sole paperwork prisoner.”

“Sure there is. None of us want to do it,” Brick stated with a grin. “So, while you were getting laid, we broke ground on the new bunkhouse. Want to check it out?”

At the mention of the new women’s quarters, Stone’s aggravation subsided. He shot to his feet. “Hell yeah! You started to dig the footer? I thought we had to start the Hastings job today.”

“No, he called and asked us to start on Monday. So we switched to plan B and broke ground on the bunk today.” Brick slapped his shoulder as they headed for the door. “The footer is dug, and so is the storm shelter behind it. I finished a half hour ago, helped with the sand and gravel, then stopped to have lunch. The guys are framing the footer and putting in the forms they got from the concrete company for the storm shelter.”

Excitement quickened Stone’s steps. The men were already framing out the foundation? He couldn’t wait to see the blueprints he’d worked on with Cord several months ago finally come to life. “When will it be ready for inspection?”

“Today,” his brother replied, walking through the empty kitchen and out the back door. “I already called city hall and sweet-talked the inspector to stop by this afternoon at three.”

Stone shot his gaze to his brother, pleased to see the laid-back guy take the initiative.

“I also scheduled the concrete for first thing in the morning.”

Shit. Not that much initiative. He grabbed Brick’s arm and brought them to a halt in the side yard. “What if it doesn’t pass inspection? We can’t afford a cancellation fee. Hell, we can barely afford the concrete.”

“Relax. You need to have faith. Besides, I know what I’m doing. This isn’t my first foundation, you know.”

Stone blew out a breath and released his brother. “I know. It’s just that everything is so tight. We can’t afford even the smallest slipup.”

“Then we treat this like a mission,” Brick said. “Prepare the shit out of it. Double-check our triple-check. No mistakes.”

He nodded and fell back into step. “No mistakes.”

“Speaking of no mistakes…” His brother glanced sideways at him. “Are you going to see Jovy again? I kind of like what she’s done to you.”

So did he.

Stone loved what Jovy had done to him. And with him. Heat skittered down his spine at the memory of their incredible night and morning. “Yes, I’d like to see her again. In fact, I’m seeing her tonight. Why? What exactly has she done to me?”

Brick laughed. “She’s removed that stick from up your ass. You’re not as stiff, bro. You’re more relaxed. It looks good on you.”

This time Stone laughed. The woman had magic hands. He loved the feel of them on his skin. But it was more than that. It was the woman herself. She was addicting. Being in her presence made him feel whole. Something he hadn’t felt in a damn long time. And he had no idea anything was missing until he met the beautiful northerner with a heart of gold, who stood by her word, even if it meant tattooing a rival Major League Baseball mascot onto her mouthwatering ass when she lost a bet.

Letting Jovy go was going to be tough as fuck, but staying away for the remainder of her stay would be even tougher. Stone wasn’t that strong. Or stupid. Tonight couldn’t come fast enough.