Page 103 of Rocky Mountain Devil

He laid a hand on his chest and attempted to look shocked. “I can’t believe you asked that question.”

Laurel snickered. “I notice you didn’t say no.”

Rafe grinned and turned her to face the ladder then patted her on the butt. “Right. I just couldn’t believe you had to ask. Youknowwhat terrible mischief we get up to in hay lofts.”

This one wasn’t guaranteed as private as the one on Angel land, but there was a shiver of excitement running up her spine—or maybe that was the melting snow. Whatever it was, she made the decision to go along, climbing the ladder with him crowded close behind her. Letting him guide her when they reached the top. He brought her through the sweet-scented air toward a corner filled with stacked bales.

At the very edge a narrow path had been left open, and he guided her down it toward the far wall.

“Are we going to disappear like magic?”

“I had something to show you,” he insisted innocently.

She thought he was kidding, but he led her to a small platform on the west wall, unlatched the wooden partition in front of them and swung it open.

The height gave them a view of the entire Whiskey Creek house and yard, the enchanting building with its wraparound porch perched at the top of the hill, the backyard sloping to the south until it leveled off where it met a wide bend of the river. Grazing land beyond the house and the garden on the east was snow covered, but it was probably the prettiest of all the Coleman houses, except maybe for Gabe and Allison’s.

Laurel rested her arms on the windowsill and leaned forward. “Wow, I didn’t know they had such a great view.”

“Tamara and Lisa used to bring me up here when I was little. We were figuring out the best places to build jumps to go off with our sleds, but I’ve always remembered being jealous they had a hill and we didn’t.”

“Everyone else in your family built on level ground, didn’t they?”

“Whiskey Creek’s got more of the rolling hills right in their backyard. The rest of us have them scattered over different portions of the land.”

“Well, it’s pretty.” Laurel twisted to face him. “Did you really bring me up here to show me the view?”

Rafe blinked. “What else would we do in a hay loft?”

She fought to keep from smirking. “I have no idea.”

Leaning past him to grab hold of the window let her deliberately brush their bodies together as she closed and secured the latch. He chuckled, but didn’t step out of her way.

Didn’t make a move to ravish her, either, more’s the pity.

She slipped her fingers into his. “We’d better rejoin the party. It looked as if there were some free sleds.”

Playing for the rest of the afternoon allowed some of her earlier concerns to fade. They went up and down the hill a dozen times, the Six Pack nieces stealing rides with her. Rafe joined some of the teenage boys on the oversized inner tube, which tended to bounce everyone into the air and leave them in piles on the snow.

Inside the house there was food and laughter, and with Rafe’s hand around her waist, keeping her close, Laurel realized maybe it didn’t matter that she didn’t know these people inside and out.

So what if everyone had some secrets? The people she saw on the outside were still worth spending time with.

Shewas valuable as well—it was a truth she reminded herself of daily as she fought to keep from falling into sadness.

A wonderful, blessed sense of peace flowed through her as Laurel took Rafe home, slipping into her tiny apartment and guiding him directly to the bedroom.

He curled himself around her, stroking his fingers through her hair. He tightened his grip and tilted her head back. “Did you have a good time?”

She nodded as she tugged his shirt free from his jeans so she could slip her hands underneath and press her palms to his warm skin. “I like your family.”

“They like you,” he returned, dragging in air as she brushed a fingertip over his nipple. “I want to stay the night,” he murmured.

“I want that too.” She glanced over her shoulder at her bed. “You have no idea how much I’m regretting that twin mattress.”

Rafe swept her up in a tight embrace before rolling onto the bed. “I don’t know. I kind of like the fact there’s not enough room for you to get away.”

She pulled at his shirt until he stripped it off, pressing her lips to his chest. “Hmm. Warm. And tasty.”