Page 15 of The Prey (The Hillers of Barratt County #6)

The Hiller parents were hosting the annual Hiller Barbecue at the Hiller Ranch. Hudson had been plotting just exactly how that was going to work in his favor for days.

It was something he had attended many times before—just not in the last three years. Now he wished he had. He was a man with real regrets where one certain Hiller was concerned.

He’d been avoiding a certain she-demon back then; he wasn’t going to hide that fact. It was probably one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Hudson had taken the call from Gia’s brother with the invite, and found himself agreeing almost immediately.

Of course he had. He wanted to be with the woman he wanted. Outside of the office. There was only so far he would or could go when they were working. That would just put her in a position of vulnerability he would never want her subjected to at all.

Equal footing between them the whole way. That meant outside of the county attorney’s office, no matter what. That protected both of them from any complications .

He was hoping she’d see him less as her supervisor, and more as her older brothers’ annoying lifelong friend who just happened to be someone she worked with.

Like her sister Genny had originally seen Chad Fields. Genny and Chad couldn’t keep their hands off of each other now. Lucky bastard. Hudson had caught them half-naked twice during his stay at the ranch. Fields was definitely a lucky, lucky bastard.

Hudson had a very similar end goal with Genny’s older sister.

Hudson had been friends with her brothers long before he had ever become her boss at the county attorney’s office. Time for him to remind her of that—to make that beautiful, exasperating woman remember that he wasn’t just her boss, he was someone who had been in her life for decades.

But he also wasn’t going to just tiptoe to the finish line. Life was too damned short for that. Today was a good start.

He wanted to be where his woman was. Period.

At fifteen minutes before noon, he pulled in to the drive of the Hiller Ranch, an extremely excited four-year-old boy in his booster seat behind him. “You sure Miss Gia be here, too?”

It was at least the fifth variation of that same question he’d been asked on the five minute drive. Gia was all Ryan had talked about since he’d wakened. She was all he’d talked about since the night after they’d eaten lunch at the diner with her, actually. Gia—and one of the Hillers’ puppies.

Ryan really wanted a puppy. And…to see Miss Gia again.

“She lives here now, bud. We’ll definitely see her.” Hudson was going to make sure of it. Ryan had been talking about her nonstop. And Hudson…well, he’d been thinking about her nonstop. “Why?”

“Because, Daddy, you has to be with her and kiss her lots and lots, then she’ll be in loved with us, we’ll have to give her a really shiny ring, and make a big party wedding, and then she’ll be my new mommy forever, like Miss Chantal gets to be Calvin’s new mommy forever now too.

After they do all the wedding cake stuff.

That’s how it works. Calvin said so. You and Miss Gia has to do the wedding cake stuff first then she’ll be my mommy forever and ever and ever!

” Ryan was almost erupting in his seat as he practically yelled it in his excitement.

His cast kicked against the carseat repeatedly, jarring Hudson’s damned teeth out.

“What gives you that idea?”

“Because Calvin says that’s how he gets his new mommy now.

But bad guys taked Miss Chantal first. I don’t want that to happen with Miss Gia, Daddy.

So you gots to be really careful. There are lots and lots of bad guys out there.

We have to take care of her really, really good so she’ll love us forever and forever! ”

Well, interesting. She’d captivated his son as much as she had him—which didn’t surprise him at all. “Why Gia, buddy?”

“Because she’s really, really nice. She holds me, and plays with me, and washes my face, and ties my shoes, and hugs me, and colors with me, and takes me to see the puppies, and tells me stories and sings me songs like a mommy does.

And she loves me lots more than my other mommy does. My old mommy from before.”

Talk about a knife to the heart.

“Your mother does love you, Ryan. She just doesn’t know how to be a good mother.

” Once a year, a check arrived on Ryan’s birthday.

That was the extent of contact they’d had with Cindy since his son was six months old.

He’d send her an email in response, with updates about Ryan’s life and how he was doing.

She never asked questions, just sent a thank you in return.

“Well, Miss Gia knows how to be a good mommy. A really good mommy. And I know you think she’s pretty, too.

And you probably want to kiss her, right?

You has to, because you has to kiss your fon-says lots and lots.

They like that, Calvin said. His daddy kisses Miss Chantal all the time now.

Dr. Chad kisses Miss Genny lots, too. And now they are all going to have a party wedding.

And Calvin said he seed Dr. Guthie kiss the doctor lady with yellow hair lots, too. ”

Well, apparently there had been a lot of kissing going on at the Hiller Ranch lately. He’d suspected as much when he’d stayed there before. He wouldn’t mind doing some kissing at the Hiller Ranch, either.

“That is between grownups. Gia is very pretty and very nice, though. So you just focus on having her as a friend for now, okay?” And leave the capturing of her forever to Hudson.

“I want her as my mommy real bad, Daddy. More than anybody else ever. I wished in the wisheding wheel by Calvin’s barn and wished Miss Gia could be my mommy forever.

But Calvin says wisheding wheels have to be secrets, or it doesn’t work.

‘Cause he did it for Miss Chantal to be his mommy a long time ago and now she is going to be. After the wedding cake stuff. See? That’s how it works. So don’t tell, okay?”

His heart melted, thinking of two little boys making those kinds of wishes—and believing a magic well held their answers. “I won’t. I promise.”

He parked, and made certain no other cars were moving before he got his son out. Hudson hugged him close. “You know, even if it’s just me and you and Aunt Hala, we’re going to be happy and okay, right? Because we have each other and we love each other forever.”

“Yep. But we can love Miss Gia forever, too. I think that would be really nice.”

“Yes, me, too. Let’s go find her together, okay?”

He was still trying to put what Ryan had said into proper perspective when he walked into the Hiller house and there she was. Right there. Like she’d been waiting. Giavonna Annalise Hiller—the most beautiful, intriguing, maddening woman in the world.

She held a baby in her arms. His own sister was right next to her, another baby in her own arms. They were just chattering away about something, holding babies and looking beautiful.

He thought the babies were the Fieldses’ grandchildren.

The Fieldses lived next door, and now their daughter Chantal was marrying Giavonna’s brother Gene, and their younger son Chad was marrying Gia’s sister Genny.

And apparently having big party weddings, big enough to capture a pair of preschoolers’ attention.

“Miss Gia, Miss Gia, we’re here!” Ryan almost yelled, clunking to her side. “Hi, Aunt Hala!”

“Hey, Ryan. We were waiting for you to get here. Calvin and the girls are in the backyard, if you want to go back there. There are lots of other kids back there, too. Everybody is playing,” Gia told him, after giving him a one-armed hug.

He got the same from Hala. Ryan patted each baby gently on the head, and then was gone.

“My nephew, a real tornado,” Hala said, as Grady came in the kitchen. Hudson’s sister tensed, and she shot the man a wary look that had Hudson’s attention sharpening. Grady Hiller and Hala tended to bicker and snarl at each other quite a bit—almost as much as Hudson and Gia had.

Until recently.

Grady reached out to Gia. “I’ll take that kid. It’s my turn, woman. You’ve hogged him long enough.”

Gia handed the baby boy over. “Great. Just in time for you to change him. He’s wet.

Diaper bag is by the bathroom door, if you think you can handle a diaper.

His mother is helping her mother-in-law bring over pies from their place.

Rory will be back in about fifteen. But his dad is outside somewhere with Ronnie’s brother. ”

“Great. Soggy kid. Still, he’s really cute. Think Charlie will trade him to me in exchange for a puppy?” Grady made faces at the kid and then was gone.

Giavonna just laughed, open and free. Hudson’s gut tightened. He loved it when she laughed like that.

“Grady’s always been a sucker for babies and kids. Hala, I think we need to pool our resources and find him a decent woman of his own. He’s getting old. He deserves ten kids. And I want more nieces and nephews.”

“This one is wet, too,” Hala said, in a strange tone that had Hudson studying her for a moment. “I’ll be right back. Hudson…behave yourself or else. No arguing with Gia today.”

“I haven’t argued with my favorite female demon in more than a week. Other than about Martinell vs. the State of Texas , anyway. And she was right about that. I just liked making her mad at me so her gorgeous eyes shoot fire.”

His sister shot him a pointed look, cuddled the baby girl in her arms closer, and took off after Gia’s brother. Probably to tell him exactly what she thought.

Then, just like that, he and the woman he was after were alone in the Hillers’ kitchen.

He took his first really good look at the woman he’d had some seriously heated dreams about the night before.

She wore a tank top. Pink. Apparently, she liked that color outside of the office.

And jeans that were ripped in the best places. “I like the hair like that.”

Two braids hung down, one behind her right shoulder, and the other over her left breast. Talk about teasing a man. She looked gorgeous and so damned tempting, he almost couldn’t breathe.

“I’ve learned my lesson with kids around. Otherwise, it gets pulled and tangled…”

“And covered in pancake syrup?” He couldn’t help himself; he grabbed one braid gently—not the one hanging down her front, he wasn’t crazy—and ran the satin through his fingers. “You have gorgeous hair. I learned that when I stayed here. It tempts me…no denying that.”

“Well, grow some will-power, then, Hanan. It’s just hair. It’s very impractical. I thought about cutting it again, but I just haven’t had the time for the appointment. What do you want?” She crossed her arms under her breasts. Defensively?

He shifted his hand, running his fingers over her bare arm instead.

Hell, he wanted to touch her all over. “No…you shouldn’t cut it…

I think…that if I told you what I really want, you’d disappear to the furthest reaches of your ranch and hide from me forever.

I haven’t been able to get you out of my head lately. ”

“I think that accident you were in scrambled your brains, then.” That particular snappish tone snuck in immediately.

Now he recognized what it was. A defense mechanism.

Nerves. Fear. He cupped her neck in his hand.

She had the softest skin. He couldn’t wait to touch her all over.

He just had to figure out how to make that happen.

“Why are you so afraid of me? I promise, I will never hurt you. You have my word. But you…I can’t get you out of my head; not since the night I found you holding my son in the moonlight. I’m going crazy now.”

“No kidding.” Her words were light and breathless.

He slipped his hands down to her waist. He wasn’t the kind of man who waited for what he wanted.

But he wanted to be so gentle with her. He would be gentle and unthreatening, even when he just wanted to carry her off and show her the animal side of him that she triggered so effortlessly.

He leaned down. Brushed his lips lightly against hers. So lightly, she might not have even felt it. “Let me kiss you? Please.”

He had been waiting to kiss her for what seemed like forever.