Brock and Cassie looked around the little office with pride. The walls shone with wet paint, and they were both splattered head to toe in it, too, but the task was complete.
Brock knew he should leave now that the job was done, but he waited a few extra seconds anyway.
Zach and Carter, whom Cassie had sent to work in their room rather than have them make an even bigger mess of the paint than the grown-ups, rushed into the room and started tugging at their mother’s arms. “Momma, come see all the work we did!” Carter shouted, trying to get her out of the room.
“All our toys are put away and everything,” Zach added.
Cassie groaned and leaned against the doorjamb. “Give me a second, boys. Mom’s been working very hard all day.”
“What’re we going to have for dinner?” Zach asked, sounding concerned.
Carter nodded. “I’m hungry.”
Cassie ran her hands over her face and through her hair, and Brock’s heart went out to her. She seemed even more weary than he felt. “Okay,” she said at last, “first I’ll figure out food, then you can show me all the work you did. Sound good?”
The boys looked disappointed, and Brock could sense that they really wanted her to see what they had done. “If you’re happy with sandwiches or pasta, I can work on food while you go with the boys,” he suggested.
Cassie looked as if she was about to object, so he said, “It’s purely selfish, I assure you. I’m starving and you promised me dinner and that pie, which is sounding mighty delicious right about now.” He continued, “We need to have a meal before we have dessert, right?”
Cassie gave him a half smile, making it clear she saw right through him, but all she said was, “That’s right. No dessert before dinner in this house.”
Brock smiled. “Well, then, I best rustle up some grub.”
“You talk like cowboys on TV,” Zach said, looking at Brock in awe.
Brock tipped the cowboy hat he’d just placed on his head after retrieving it from the living room, where he’d stowed it for safety earlier in the day. “You stick around here for a bit, pardner, and you’ll start talking like that, too.”
Zach’s eyes widened in amazement. He stared at Brock for another moment, trying to absorb the idea of him speaking like a cowboy, before following his mother and twin toward his bedroom. Brock chuckled and went to the kitchen. They were good kids, all right.
After a quick inventory of ingredients, he got a pot of water and an oiled pan heating on the stove, then gathered tomatoes, an onion and some cloves of garlic, and started chopping.
He dropped spaghetti noodles into the boiling water and slid a pile of chopped onion and tomato into the hot pan, where they sizzled as they began to cook. Cassie walked in, telling the boys how impressed she was with their progress. The boys beamed.
When she came up beside Brock to look into the pot on the stove, he risked a glance at her before going back to chopping more tomatoes. She just looked so damn kissable, even when she was worn out from a hard day’s work, her dark hair in disarray around her face, and a smudge of blue paint on her chin.
Brock shifted, uncomfortable as Cassie leaned in even closer, sniffing the tomatoes in the pan. “Smells great,” she commented.
“Pasta pomodoro, or, in layman’s terms, spaghetti and tomato sauce.”
Cassie chuckled low in her throat, sending a thrill through him. “Not exactly cowboy fare,” she said.
He smiled, but kept his eyes on the tomatoes as he finished chopping. “Well, you don’t have any chicken to fry or ribs to barbecue, so I fell back on bachelor fare. Easy, cheap and good.”
“I’m so hungry!” Carter exclaimed, breaking into their tête-à-tête.
Cassie turned to her son, “That was a little rude, buddy,” she said.
“Sorry,” he responded, sounding so contrite that Brock wanted to laugh.
“I’m hungry, too, but we need to wait for everything to cook. What can we do while we wait?” she asked.
The boys jumped up, shouting over each other about plates and washing hands, and suddenly there was a flurry of activity behind him.
Cassie came back to where Brock stood, stirring the sauce. “Sorry about that,” she told him as she pulled out a noodle to check.
Brock shook his head. “Nothing to apologize for.”
He was actually amazed. Cassie made raising children look so easy.
She took the pot of noodles off the stove and strained out the water, dumping them in a large bowl and bringing it over to Brock so he could put the sauce on top. Just as they had with the bookshelves and the painting, the two of them worked together seamlessly. In no time, they were all sitting around the table, everyone eating with the speed of the hungry and tired.
“’S’good,” Carter mumbled through a mouthful of noodles.
The rest of the family grunted in agreement.
Once the spaghetti was gone and their hunger abated, Brock leaned back, letting his body relax. He could see the pinks of the sky through the windows, and knew the sun had gone down and he’d spent nearly the entire day with Cassie, despite his inward insistence that he help her while having as little contact with her as possible.
Well, at least if he worked longer days, he could always finish early and spend the last days of his visit to Spring Valley Cassie-free, right?
He couldn’t fool himself into believing that was a possibility, though. He knew that he would find something around that place to fix up until the day of the rodeo. Even then, it would probably feel like it was too soon.
But for today, at least, he had gone beyond an acceptable visit, and he should leave Cassie and her children in peace to spend the rest of their evening as a family. Without him.
“How about some pie?” Cassie asked him.
“Sure,” Brock answered as he began to clear the table.
Well, he couldn’t leave until after pie, right?
* * *
CASSIE STOOD IN the doorway as Brock walked out. “I’m going to leave my truck here so we can take the lumber out of the bed tomorrow,” he said, gesturing to the vehicle piled high with planks of wood.
They’d been so busy with painting that she had totally forgotten about the lumber. “Sounds good,” she told him.
With an awkward little wave, as if he wasn’t quite ready to leave, Brock turned toward his parents’ home and walked away, eventually disappearing into the inky night. Even then she lingered, though she couldn’t have explained why. Knowing he would be back tomorrow didn’t quite erase the desire to run out into the darkness and bring him back.
The more time she spent around this man, the more things she discovered about him that she liked. Her decision not to date was the right one, of course, but she couldn’t stop herself from wishing they had met when the boys were a little older, their father’s memory a little more faded.
Cassie shook her head, annoyed with her own train of thought. It was obvious enough to her that he didn’t lead a settled life, and never planned to, either. He was a wanderer. Even if the boys were old enough for her to go on dates, Brock would still only be in it for a quick fling, no strings attached.
She came with lots of strings. Two identical strings in particular.
Cassie sighed. There was no hope for it. Brock McNeal was something she wanted that she simply couldn’t have.
She shut the door, but it didn’t shut out the picture of him kissing her. Or the one of them sitting around the table, eating pie like a family...
She found Zach and Carter in a sleepy heap on the couch and her heart jumped. Even if she couldn’t have that picture, she had her boys. “Come on, guys. Time for bed,” she said, prodding them gently.
They raised their arms to her, and she lifted them both up, trying to ignore her aching muscles. It wasn’t that late, but they’d had a long day and were clearly feeling as weary as she was. She carried them to their room and settled Zach onto the lower bunk and Carter onto the upper. She took off their shoes but didn’t bother with the rest. The twins curled into their brand-new bed and slept on, oblivious to the world.
* * *
BROCK WALKED SLOWLY through the dark country night. The sun had set long before, and a slice of coolness cut the warm summer air. Exhaustion kept him from noticing it much, though.
He tromped upstairs and went immediately into the bathroom, where he scrubbed at the splatters of blue on his hands and arms. Impatient as he was to get to bed, he still wiped down the sink, trying not to leave a trace of paint anywhere. He was a grown man, but he had a healthy fear of his ma’s wrath, and nothing could set it off quite like leaving a mess for her to clean.
Brock was so tired. Not just from the day full of fixing and painting and hauling, though that was draining, but from spending the entire time in Cassie’s presence.
It wasn’t that she was difficult to be around—in fact, it was the exact opposite. He felt too comfortable with Cassie. His mind and body yearned for impossible scenarios, which set him constantly on edge around her. After all, he knew that even if she was magically cured of her loyalty for her lost husband and she suddenly decided she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, there was still the problem of the twins.
Kids made everything more complicated, and he knew he couldn’t take over any type of a fatherly role. Not with the kind of life he led.
He thought of Jay and the abandoned mines, and the idea of having children waiting for him to come home sent a shudder through him. What if he never came back?
It was better to have no ties, nobody to hurt.
So all Brock and Cassie could have was a temporary fling, and even that seemed astronomically unlikely at this point. He knew all that. So why was he picturing waking up beside her day after day? Why did he let the twins steal a little bit of his heart when they begged to help their momma prepare her doctor’s office?
Brock splashed cold water onto his face, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. It was all moot, anyway, so he might as well let it go. He’d seen her expression after their kiss.
The kiss where she pulled us closer together, a small voice reminded him. Even if she didn’t want to date him, she did kiss him back. He could still taste her, feel the energy that radiated from her as she responded to him.
Brock walked down the hall to his room, wishing he’d stayed away from Spring Valley and the woman who had so quickly taken over his mind.
“G’night, Brock,” Ma called down the hall. “Don’t forget, Amy and your brothers will be here tomorrow, so I’ll need you home early for a nice big family dinner. No lollygagging over at Dr. Stanford’s, you hear?”
Brock felt a retort rise in his throat, but he bit it back. It was certainly true that his mother had been the one to orchestrate his acquaintance with Cassie and offer his help to her, but he didn’t need to point that out to her.
There was no reason to snip at his ma anyway. Just because he was grumpy about the unfortunate circumstances that kept him from what he wanted and desired didn’t mean he should take it out on the woman who had cared for him nearly all his life.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said instead, tilting his hat to her. “G’night.”
Ma kept looking at him, and for a moment he thought she was going to ask about how her matchmaking between him and Cassie was going, but instead she simply nodded and disappeared into the master bedroom. Brock turned to his own room, feeling relieved; he didn’t have an answer to that question.
Right now, the one and only thing he needed was a good night’s sleep.
* * *
CASSIE WOKE UP and stretched, feeling aches in muscles all along her arms and back. With the all the chores from the day before, she’d expected as much.
What she hadn’t expected was the hours of tossing and turning as she fought a war about Brock McNeal. No matter how many times she’d told herself nothing would happen with him, it didn’t stop her body from complaining about the decision. The more time she spent around him, the more longing she felt, and their kiss kept repeating itself over and over in her head. Not only was that moment mind-blowing and a promise of so much more to be had, Brock was kind and funny, not to mention attractive as all get-out.
All she wanted was to keep her hands off him, yet at the same time, she desired him more than anyone she’d ever met. Thoughts like that had made it nearly impossible to sleep.
Cassie felt lighter this morning, however. By the time the sun had come up, she’d finally decided to allow herself to accept her feelings for Brock. He wouldn’t be kissing her or asking her out again after already being shot down, and there was no reason to be stiff and distant with him, so long as she never went any further again. They had agreed to be friends.
So long as she had too many responsibilities to start up something with the sexy bull rider, why not enjoy light banter with her helpful neighbor?
And speaking of responsibilities...
It was nearly eight, and the fact that she hadn’t heard from her sons could either be very good or very bad. Normally they would be banging down the door by now in their excitement to start the day. Cassie groaned and stood up, even though she badly wanted to curl back under her covers.
She slipped on panties and bra—not her sexiest ones, because that would be taking things too far—but on the slinkier side. She told herself it was because the silk felt good against her sore and tired body. Then she dressed in jeans and a blouse that hugged her curves nicely, because it felt good to look good sometimes.
Then she went searching for her sons. She discovered the reason for the twins’ absence quickly enough, when she heard thumps and giggles from their bedroom and went to investigate. She opened the door to find Zach hanging on to the railing of the top bunk and swinging himself into the bottom bunk as Carter attacked his brother’s legs from the shadows of the lower bunk.
For a second, Cassie considered just closing the door and pretending she hadn’t seen what she’d seen. She was sleepy and aching, and being a good parent seemed like a lot of work.
But the doctor in her wouldn’t let her walk away. “What are you two doing?” she asked pointedly, knowing she wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Playing on our new bed,” Zach explained matter-of-factly.
Cassie softened at their worry-free expressions. “Well, stop playing in ways that might send you to the emergency room. How about we go make some breakfast?”
The boys jumped up and raced past Cassie toward the kitchen. She followed, her heart filled with love for the two rascals.
“Are we going to have pancakes again?” Carter asked once she joined them.
“Cereal today,” she answered, glancing at her watch.
They had gotten a late start, and she wanted to get to the horse barn before too much longer. If Brock’s brothers were going to be over that afternoon, she wanted to make sure they were back in plenty of time. Plus, she needed to spend some time preparing her office, since Emma had sent a text confirming she’d come by with her neighbor bright and early the next day.
Cassie poured cereal for herself and the boys, then sat down to eat, wondering if Brock would be arriving soon to see the horses with her.
Part of her hoped he would decide not to, but most of her jumped with joy when a familiar knock sounded at the door, as if her thoughts had conjured Brock out of thin air.
“I’ll get it!” Carter shouted as he jumped out of his seat and ran to the door.
Cassie put another spoonful of cereal into her mouth to hide the smile she couldn’t stop from spreading across her lips.
Carter came back to his seat. “Brock is here!” he announced unnecessarily, as Brock stepped into the room right behind him.
Cassie looked up from her bowl, trying to keep her face as serious as she could make it, though inside she was grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Back for more punishment, huh?” she asked, thankful she’d decided to let herself flirt without feeling guilty so there was no inward scolding.
Brock gave her the kind of smile that could turn a woman to mush. “I was told we were going to see some horses today. What kind of a cowboy would I be if I passed that up?”
She laughed, unable to contain her glee any longer. She couldn’t help how good she felt when he was around, and for the moment the impulsive side of her was winning. She would hate to admit how nice it was to give it free rein.
“Sit down and have some cereal, if you’re hungry,” she told him, gesturing to the empty seat at the table.
“Oh, I’m fine. Don’t trouble yourself,” he said, but Zach had already hopped up and grabbed him a bowl and spoon.
She said nothing, just gestured to the empty seat again. He conceded without any more argument. Soon they were all eating, the only sound the clink of spoons on ceramic bowls. Cassie felt more at ease than she had since first meeting Brock. She couldn’t pinpoint what, exactly, had happened overnight to so change her attitude toward him.
Perhaps it was that her soreness and exhaustion, along with the excitement of her first patient’s looming appointment, had all combined to weaken the tight grip she’d been keeping and made her temporarily foolish. Perhaps the kiss from yesterday had worked some magic on her during the night, creating this newfound inner quiet. Either way, this new, relaxed version of her was exactly what she’d needed.
Cassie smiled down at her bowl again before looking up at the boys and Brock. “Should we go visit some horses?”
* * *
BROCK WASN’T SURE what it was, but Cassie seemed different today. More at ease. Was it because she was sure he’d gotten the message when she turned him down yesterday and no longer needed to worry about him making advances? If so, she was right about that, and he was glad the air between them seemed clear.
Brock led the way out the door as Cassie helped the boys put on shoes, but he stopped when he stepped off the porch. His truck was still parked in front of Cassie’s house, the back still full of the lumber they’d purchased the day before.
He and Cassie would need to unload it once they got back from the horses, and then they could start on the paddock. Then Brock remembered the crowbar he’d left on the porch, and he decided to grab it and toss it into the truck bed so the boys wouldn’t trip over it or anything.
Brock ran up the porch steps to grab it, only to find that Cassie was rushing down them at the same time, the boys right behind her. Brock stopped in his tracks and Cassie came to a halt, too, but the boys weren’t paying attention and bowled into her legs, propelling her forward into Brock.
He put his arms out to steady her, catching her before they could tumble down the stairs together. His heart thumped so hard he was sure she could feel it where their chests met. She looked up into his eyes, and without thinking, he leaned toward her. Luckily, she turned away from him to check on Zach and Carter, and he was able to catch himself before doing something phenomenally stupid like kiss her. Again.
Brock forced his gaze from Cassie and instead looked to where her children had been only seconds before. Now they were in a heap on the floor of the porch. Brock started to go to their aid, worried they had gotten injured in the collision or hurt themselves on the crowbar somehow, but then he noticed that they were both doubled up, laughing hysterically.
Cassie put her hands on her hips, but she was smiling. “Now just what exactly is so funny? You’re not laughing at me, are you?”
The teasing lilt in her voice made Brock grin. He loved seeing Cassie being silly with her boys.
“Carter said we made you into a Momma-sandwich,” Zach said at last, gulping for air.
Brock couldn’t help but laugh at the humor of four-year-olds. Cassie gave her sons another falsely stern look. “Well, making me into a Momma-sandwich has suddenly turned me into a tickle monster!”
And with that she was on the floor with the boys, all three of them laughing as Cassie grasped at her children, who rolled desperately to evade her fingers.
Brock was laughing so hard his side hurt. He couldn’t remember a time he’d laughed that much. Cassie glanced at him with a conspiratorial smile, and for a moment he felt as if he were a part of the scene instead of an outsider.
He didn’t want to admit how good that felt.
Cassie stood up, her cheeks red from exertion and amusement, her hair wild and her eyes shining. She was so pretty it hurt.
She looked up at Brock, and his heart stuttered. “You ready?” she asked.
Oh, he was ready, all right. For all sorts of things. It took him a moment to realize that she was asking if he was ready to go visit the ranch where the horses were being stabled. Once he understood, he nodded and followed her down the steps to her SUV. For the moment, he didn’t trust himself to speak.