Page 75 of A Rancher's Heart

What the hell?

Luke let out a rude snort. “Yeah, don’t give me that innocent look. You spent all evening looking at your watch as if you couldn’t wait to be back here. You’ve become a complete homebody, and you should see your face any time you’re around her.”

“I appreciate what she does. It’s been a relief having her—”

“I would’ve accused you of wanting to get into her pants, but it’s more than that. And I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but you know, before you start messing around with my life you should fix your own first. Because maybeyouhave some hard decisions to make.”

The urge to tell his brother to shut up and mind his own business probably wouldn’t go over well considering Caleb had just been a nosy body himself.

The two of them got out of the truck, doors slamming with well-timed synchronization.

He glanced over at the same moment Luke looked up, both of them scowling, both of them stomping their feet.

Both of them suddenly grinning because it was too funny not to notice.

“Ass,” Luke said nonchalantly.

“Goat.” It was the most offensive insult he could think of.

His brother’s lips twitched before he broke into laughter. “We’re both not thinking very straight these days.”

“Maybe that’s something we need to change,” Caleb suggested.

“Maybe.” Luke stepped in closer and laid a hand on Caleb shoulder. “We didn’t want any of those horses anyway. We should lay low on the spending until the finances settle in the spring. In a way, Penny mixing up the sale dates worked to our advantage.”

“That silver lining is going to come out your ass if you keep pushing so hard,” Caleb warned.

“And I will think about it. My relationship with Penny, although I don’t think it’s as bad as you suggest. We’ve both been a little distracted, is all.”

Luke waited as if it was Caleb’s turn to make some grand confession.

Hell, no. Not happening. Instead, Caleb punched Luke on the shoulder. “Good.”

He turned and walked back to the house, Luke’s laughter drifting after him.

It was far too late to expect Tamara to still be up, but he was surprised to find she hadn’t tidied the kitchen like usual, her cup and her e-reader abandoned in the living room. Fireplace still glowing with coals, the damper left open.

He moved quietly down the hallway, peeking in on Sasha. When he opened the door and found Emma’s bed empty, he stood there for a moment, shocked. She’d gone to sleep in it, the sheets tangled and messy, but she wasn’t there now.

And when he carefully cracked open the door to Tamara’s room and found it empty as well, he was even more surprised. The first flicker of fear slipped in.

He shot to the window to double-check, but Tamara’s truck was in the parking space, and he didn’t think she’d have left Sasha unsupervised if they needed to rush away.

Discovering his missing persons in his room sent that tension in his heart a foot lower. Pulsing in his gut as if something were wrestling there as he stared at two sleeping faces.

Tamara’s hair lay across his pillow, Emma’s blonde curls peeking from under the covers where she was curled under Tamara’s chin.

It was wrong, perhaps, to have such a visceral reaction when he didn’t know what had brought them there in the first place. He didn’t think Tamara would simply pop into his bed without a good reason.

His bed.God, Tamara was in his bed. What he wouldn’t give to have her there for real. He wanted what was best for his girls, and he knew they had to wait, but…

He justwanted.

He stepped in closer, intending to silently grab a change of clothing and escape, but Tamara woke, big brown eyes shining as the light from the hall fell across her face. She met his gaze, and his heart leapt into his throat because he was pretty sure what he saw there waswantas well

Caleb stepped close enough he could brush his knuckles over her cheek, tenderly. Slowly.

Forbidden, and yet he couldn’t have stopped himself if he tried.