Cowboy Brigade

“I can get her,” Lindsay whispered.

He ignored her protest, scooping his hand beneath the little one and lifting. Light as kitten, the little girl rolled into his arms and snuggled against his chest. The scent of baby shampoo invaded his senses. Her silky, soft hair tickled his arm and everything about the little girl filled Wade with longing for something he could never have.

Lindsay turned back the covers on the other bed and moved aside.

Wade laid the child down on the bed and tucked her feet beneath the sheets.

Lindsay took over, adjusting the pillow beneath her head and drawing the blanket up under her chin, then pressing a kiss to the girl’s forehead. When she’d finished, she returned to the other bed and performed the same ritual.

A lump the size of Texas lodged in Wade’s throat. He could barely remember his mother, but the memories he did have involved a goodnight kiss just like the one Lindsay gave her daughters. “You’re a good mother.”

Lindsay switched the light off beside the bed and motioned Wade toward the door.

With one last glance at the sleeping children, he left the room. A sudden need for fresh air pushed him down the hall. Not until he was almost back to the dining room did he remember his initial task.

Wade conducted an about-face and bumped into Lindsay who had followed him. He grabbed her arms to keep her from falling, his fingers sliding across her skin, the urge to draw her closer so powerful that he shook with the effort to resist. “Your grandfather wanted to talk to you,” he gritted out between clenched teeth.

“We need to talk,” she said at the exact same time. “What?”

The green of her eyes drew him in, mesmerizing him, the curve of her full lower lip begged to be kissed. Wade swallowed hard on the rise of desire. He hadn’t come to the Long K Ranch to rekindle a burned-out flame. His mission was to expose this woman’s grandfather for attempted murder.

With all the self-control he could muster, his hands dropped to his sides, his fingers still tingling with her warmth. “Your grandfather said that if you want to talk to him, hurry up. He’d like to go to bed.”

She pulled that full bottom lip between her teeth and chewed on it like she always had when she worked a problem in her head. “Okay, but we really need to talk.”

“Tomorrow.” Wade turned and left before he forgot why he’d come. Before he started thinking there might still be something between them, if he gave it a chance.

He should have learned long ago that he didn’t deserve the boss’s granddaughter. Even less so now. A man who could betray his unit had no business dreaming about a life with Lindsay and her little girls. They deserved better.

Wade stepped out on the porch and dragged in a deep breath, which did nothing to relieve the pain in his chest. As a high school kid, he’d been a dreamer. He’d long passed the dreams. Time to get on with life and accomplish this mission as soon as possible.