Lisa Worrall Always Hope

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cowboy s face. Hope was secure in the truck by the time Kaleb stomped out
and slid behind the wheel. Ash kept his face innocently impassive as the other
man glared at him and started the engine. He d learned one very important
thing in the three weeks he d known Kaleb Gibson the cowboy could dish it
out, but he could not take it, which was proving to be a never ending source of
entertainment. For him at least.
The drive to Mae s was silent and Ash had to bite the inside of his cheek
several times as Kaleb kept picking at his shirt and brushing his hand down the
faded denim encasing his legs. The man was too much. As they rounded the
bend, Kaleb took a long dirt road and Ash gasped aloud at the house that drew
closer.
Holy shit, Ash breathed, leaning forward and staring out of the windshield.
It s Southfork.
Kaleb snorted as he pulled up behind one of what seemed to Ash, all of the
trucks in the world, and braked to a stop before turning off the engine. You
were expecting a wooden shack with a hillbilly in a rocking chair strumming
the theme tune from Deliverance? Ash rolled his eyes as Kaleb opened his
door. Come on, little pig, let s go before Gram sends Marji looking for you.
Ash ignored the smirk on Kaleb s face and slid across the long seat to clamber
out beside the other man. Funny, Cowboy. My ass is still bruised from last
week s Sunday lunch. Marji s pinching hand was voracious and Ash had the
marks to prove it. Padding around the other side of the truck, Ash unclasped
the seatbelt and lifted out Hope s car seat and hooked it over his right arm.
Let s go put my ass on a seat before Marji sees it.
Ash! Kaleb! You re here, boys. About time, too, your Gram was about to
pitch a fit.
Too late, Kaleb sniggered. Hey Marji, you re looking prettier than a firefly
in July.
You always were such a sweet talker, Kaleb Gibson, Marji simpered. Why
don t you take Hope so I can introduce Ashdon and keep him safe from the
grabby hands of the Reverend s wife and her cronies from the Church
Committee.
Absolutely. Kaleb took Hope s car seat out of Ash s arms and grinned
widely. He s all yours, Marji.
Ash smiled down at Marji and then glared at Kaleb over the top of her head as
she led him away. He tried to listen to what Marji was saying as she guided
him around the back of the house where his eyes nearly popped out of his head
at the sight before him. A huge kidney-shaped pool was the focal point of the
back yard and there were people everywhere and that was not an
exaggeration. To Ash it looked like the entire town had turned out and the
brief thought that Freedom must look like an old western ghost-town right
now, with tumbleweeds and all, skittered across the surface of his mind. The
squeeze of Marji s hand on the gentle swell of his bicep brought him back to
the here and now.
You re very firm, Ashdon, honey. Do you work out a lot?
Mae s voice echoed across the yard, Marji, put that boy down!
Do you mind, Mae Gibson& Ashdon and I are having a private
conversation.
About what? Mae said derisively, reaching out and grabbing Ash s hand.
How much he can bench press?
I reckon that s about ninety-five, Kaleb drawled from behind him, and Ash
turned his head to stare at him in stunned silence. I don t think, City Boy
could cope with anything heavier.
You d be surprised what I can and cannot handle, Kaleb Gibson, but since
you re never likely to find out, the point is moot wouldn t you say? The
words were out, hanging between them before Ash could stop them and a tiny
curl of satisfaction bloomed in his belly at the flicker of surprise in Kaleb s
eyes before the other man regained his composure.
Is that so? Well, just so you re prepared& it s one-eighty. Kaleb dropped
Ash a wink and said in a stage whisper, And I think that makes Uncle Kaleb
and Uncle Ash even.
Ash watched Kaleb head across the lawn to a tall man wearing a kiss-the-chef
apron and waving a spatula authoritatively in the air at the barbecue grill. He
bit his lip to stop himself from serving a scathing rejoinder& which he was
sure to think of at any moment. Kaleb had obviously heard him talking to
Hope earlier as he strapped her into her car seat. Asshole. He huffed out a
breath. If there was one thing he didn t need to prepare for it was Kaleb
Gibson. That was one cowboy he was never going to be tempted to rope.
Really? But look at that ass& you remember that ass, don t you? High, firm,
just begging to be touched& hell, I bet you could bounce a nickel off that
thing. You re telling me you don t want to try? Firmly securing some duct tape
over his inner voice s flapping lips, Ash hugged Mae and pressed his lips to
her soft cheek. Thanks for the welcome party, Mae. Did you invite the entire
state?
Just a few friends and neighbors, honey. They all wanted to meet Annie s
Ash. Now come on, let s go and introduce you around. Ash followed the
direction of her gaze and his eyes widened as the chef climbed onto one of the
picnic tables dotted around the yard. Oh, for goodness sake, what is that old
buzzard doing now? Kaleb! Get your grandfather down off there before he
breaks a hip!
Following Mae to the barbecue area where Kaleb was laughing hysterically as
his grandfather tried to get to his feet on top of the table, Ash bit the inside of
his cheek to stop his own laughter escaping and steadied Mae as she almost
skidded to a halt. Of course, keeping the laughter at bay was the hardest thing [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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