Page 102 of A Rancher's Heart

Maybe deep inside he’d been hoping to sneak it past her. If she’d agreed, he’d have been done, and the only thing that would change going forward would be where she spent her nights.

Only she was right—changing their relationship wasn’t going to be as simple as that.

He wanted her physically. He wanted her for his girls. It was still frightening to admit he wanted her for anything more, but now that he’d stewed about it for most of the afternoon, he’d figured it out. That was exactly what she was hinting at.

She wanted him to sayI love you. And he didn’t know if he could yet.

Waiting was the only solution.

Josiah’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Of course, you could breed watermelons.”

Caleb blinked at that. Nope, made as little sense the second time as the first. “What?”

His friend slapped a hand on his shoulder. “I told you three times we’re ready to move to the next horse, and you didn’t budge. You’re wool gathering, which makes me suspicious.”

No way was he admitting to anything. “Of what?”

Josiah eyed him closely. “You miss the girls.”

“Yup.” That would do as a distraction. Caleb would admit to anything else right then to avoid confessing he cared for Tamara more than he’d expected.

That he might be falling in love.

“Must have been weird, not having them around the place for the first time ever.”

“Quieter.”

“Surprised you didn’t give me a shout. I would have come over, helped to pass the time. It was quiet for me at the shop.”

Caleb felt bad for a second. Very briefly, though, considering what he’d been doing instead of visiting with Josiah and playing cards. “Next time.”

“Hello.” Tamara’s call interrupted them. “I have two small people with me who have a ton of energy to burn after sitting in a truck for too long. Anyone in here want them?”

Caleb didn’t have to pretend anything as he stepped from the pen to greet his daughters.

An instant later they were both in his arms, squeezing him tight as they planted kisses on his cheeks. “We fed the goats, Daddy. Tamara said she did our chores while we were gone. Did you eat all the candy canes? Hi, Josiah.”

The whirlwind that was Sasha dropped to the ground and ran back to Tamara’s side, but she reached behind her for another woman’s hand.

She tugged Tamara’s sister into view, pulling her forward. “Lisa brought us home. Lisa, this is Josiah. He’s our godfather. Kelli says he’s too pretty to spend his days talking to animals.”

Josiah let out a guffaw, turning it quickly into a cough as Caleb gave his daughter a stern look.

Only Lisa was grinning as she held out a hand. “I don’t know. Maybe bright blue eyes and killer smiles make the horses happy. Hello, Mr. Coffee Shop.”

“Hello, Woman With Opinions About Breeding Etiquette. Nice to officially meet you.”

Caleb glanced at Tamara who was trying to keep a straight face and not succeeding. “Do you know why my best friend has lost his mind?”

She blinked innocently. “Josiah? Oh, he’s fine. He got a raw dose of my sister a while back, and she’s a touch sharp on the unprepared palate.”

“Some people like their food with a bite,” Lisa quipped.

“I like sharp things,” Josiah said at the same time, and the two of them laughed as if they’d just done something hysterically funny.

Caleb looked to Tamara for further explanation, but she just shrugged.

Emma slipped her fingers in his hand and tugged to get his attention.