Forever Buckhorn

by Lori Foster

  Morgan glanced around the waiting room. It looked like chaos with empty foam cups and candy wrappers and kids shoes on the floor. “You okay here now,” he asked Jordan, “or do you want me to stick around?”

  Jordan stretched tiredly. “We’re fine. Go on home. You’re starting to get worry lines.”

  Case walked the rest of the way into the room, keeping his voice as low as his uncles’. “And here I thought those were laugh lines caused by his sunny disposition.” Morgan swatted at Casey, making him duck. “Gabe told me to tell you that Misty is sound asleep, konked out from the medicine Sawyer gave her, so you don’t have to keep fretting.”

  Morgan’s shoulders—wide as an ax handle—softened with relief. “And Amber?”

  Thoughts of his little cousin, now nearing the terrible twos, which on her weren’t so terrible, made Casey chuckle. “She wore herself out chasing Gabe in a pillow fight. Last I saw her, she was as zonked as the little guy there.” He indicated the boy on the couch.

  Jordan rubbed his chin, appearing somewhat exhausted and ultimately pleased at the same time. It was a strange expression for him. “That’s Adam, Georgia’s son.”

  “Georgia?”

  Morgan leaned forward and said in a whisper, “The bar dancer who Jordan fought over.”

  “I did not fight over her.”

  “Shh!” Morgan gave him a severe frown for his raised voice.

  Jordan glanced at Lisa, who was oblivious as she attempted to shuffle the cards, which sent them all flying to the floor. “It was a misunderstanding,” he growled in a lowered voice.

  Casey noticed his uncle’s color was a bit high and choked back a grin. “Hey, whatever you say, Jordan.”

  Morgan shook his head, then looked beyond Casey with a questioning frown. Casey turned and saw that Emma had backed up until she was against the wall beside a plastic floor plant. It almost seemed she was trying to be invisible, which of course was impossible for a girl who looked like Emma.

  He frowned. So brazen one minute—especially when they were alone—and so timid the next.

  He held out his hand. “Emma, have you met my uncles?”

  Her big brown eyes widened at the attention given to her, and she swallowed hard. For the first time that Casey could ever remember, her face turned bright red. “I’ve…um, that is, I know who they are of course, but we’ve never actually been introduced or anything.”

  Since Casey still stood there with his hand out, she finally stepped forward and took it, the embarrassed heat positively pulsing in her cheeks.

  He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, trying to reassure her. Damned if he knew why. “Emma, my uncle Jordan and my uncle Morgan.”

  Strangely enough, she did an awkward curtsy of sorts, then looked appalled at herself. “Uh…hi.”

  Morgan grinned, which always made him look menacing. “You two out on a late date?”

  “No.” Casey turned her loose so fast, both his uncles scowled at him. He hadn’t meant to hold her hand anyway. “I just picked her up.”

  Jordan raised both brows at that.

  Emma pulled the shirt tight around her and folded her arms beneath her breasts. “Casey is just…giving me a ride. Home, I mean.”

  “But you live in Buckhorn,” Morgan pointed out. “Isn’t that right?”

  “Yeah.” Even her neck turned red. “I was…um, headed that way, but Casey said he needed to come here first, then he’d drop me off later.”

  Morgan glanced at Casey, then back at Emma. “If you’re in a hurry to get home, I can drop you off on my way. I’m heading out now.”

  Jordan made a disgusted sound and stepped in front of Morgan. Casey knew he was trying to shield Emma, since Morgan tended to always look a bit like a marauder. “You and Casey can both head out. I think they’ll probably get Georgia’s mother settled in her own room soon.”

  Emma glanced at Casey. He took his time thinking about it, not wanting to embarrass her, but not wanting to give her the wrong impression either. “You want to call your folks first, so they won’t be worrying?”

  “No.”

  She said that far too quickly and Jordan and Morgan shared a look. It didn’t surprise Casey; he’d already figured out Emma’s home life wasn’t exactly ideal. If it had been, no way would she have been walking home alone at this time of night. Or done half the other things her reputation suggested. He turned back to his uncles.

  “You’re sure you don’t want me to stick around, Jordan?”

  Jordan gave Casey a searching look before he shook his head. “We’ll be fine.”

  As Casey handed him the keys to the car, Morgan took Jordan’s arm. “I want to talk to Jordan for just a minute, Case. Can you keep an eye on the kids?”

  Lisa looked up and sighed at him again. Casey smiled. “No problem.”

  “Thanks. I’ll bring the Bronco around and wait out front for you both.”

  THEY WERE barely around the corner when Morgan asked, “What the hell is Casey doing out so late with that girl?”

  Jordan shrugged. “Hell if I know. But I don’t think there’s anything going on between them.”

  “Why not?”

  “She doesn’t look like his usual type.”

  Morgan snorted. “Like Georgia is your usual type?”

  Jordan almost faltered. He did frown. “Who says I’m even interested?”

  Morgan came to a complete stop and turned to give Jordan an incredulous look. “Well, let’s see. You can’t look at her without tensing up. And that hard-on you had while arguing with her might be a good clue.”

  Jordan flushed. And it made him madder than hell, because not a single one of his other damned brothers would have. They’d have grinned, hell, they might’ve even bragged. They would not, however, have turned red. But Jordan wasn’t at all pleased that all he had to do was breathe in Georgia’s scent and he wanted her. Bad.

  Morgan shook his head. “It’s a full moon tonight, did you know that? Maybe that accounts for a few things. Like Casey showing up with a girl that I know damn good and well has a reputation that far exceeds the one Gabe had at her age. And that’s saying something.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Jordan frowned, concern for his nephew overshadowing his embarrassment. And talking about Casey was definitely preferable to talking about himself. Or Georgia. Or him and Georgia.

  “Yeah. It’s a long sad story and I’m too damn tired to go into it tonight. Besides, I reckon Casey has a handle on things. Though she’s not eighteen yet, so if you get the chance, warn him to be careful, okay?”

  Jordan nodded. While Casey was only eighteen himself, he gave the impression of being much, much older.

  “At least it’s stopped raining.” The doors slid open as Morgan approached them. He looked outside, giving Jordan his back as he surveyed the starless sky. With a nonchalance that didn’t fool Jordan for a minute, Morgan asked, “Should we expect you back at the house tonight?”

  Jordan hadn’t really thought about it, but now that he did… He dropped his head forward, brooding. His muscles felt tight and he rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve some of the tension.

  But there was no hope for it. “She doesn’t have a car,” he said, stating an obvious fact. “Hers is still at the bar.”

  Morgan nodded. “I know.”

  “It doesn’t seem right to leave her and two kids at a house alone, with no transportation. What if something happened? What if she no sooner got home and her mother needed her?”

  “And odds are,” Morgan interjected, going right along with him, “even if her mother rests easy tonight, Georgia’ll still want to check on her first thing in the morning, so she’ll probably need a ride. Assuming you all get to go home tonight at all.” Morgan faced him again. “I can’t see you leaving her here alone.”

  “No, I wouldn’t do that.” Jordan gestured at the mostly quiet hospital. “With the kids and everything….”

  “Yeah.” Morgan tilted his head, his expression thoughtf
ul. “So I guess we’ll see ya sometime in the morning.” He stepped into the open doorway. “Let me know tomorrow if there’s something I can do to help.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Oh, and Jordan?”

  Wishing his damn brother would just go away, Jordan raised a brow. “What?”

  Morgan grinned. “It’s going to get worse before it gets better. I just thought I should let you know that.”

  Jordan stiffened. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

  “On the contrary, I married Malone, didn’t I? I know exactly what I’m talking about. And my advice would be not to fight it.”

  “It?”

  “The whole chemistry thing.”

  “Oh, for the love of—”

  Morgan shrugged. “You should just give up right now, and save yourself a pound of heartache. Tell her what it is you want. Be up front with her.”

  Tell her that he wanted to strip her naked? That he wanted to bury himself inside her and spend all night finding ways to make her climax—and the fact that she was a mother, that she danced for drunks, that she didn’t appear to particularly like him, hadn’t blunted his need one bit? “She has two children, Morgan.”

  “So? She’s still sexy as hell. Any man who’s seen her in that getup she’s wearing tonight can damn sure vouch for that. Besides, the more you fight it, the worse it is. You’re caught. You might as well accept it.”

  Morgan walked away before Jordan could correct him, before he could assure him that he wasn’t caught at all! He was turned on, to where he couldn’t seem to stop shaking, to stop wanting.

  But that was all it was.

  Hell, Morgan had taken one look at Misty Malone and started acting the fool. He’d fallen head over ass for her in a single heartbeat.

  But he wasn’t Morgan. Just as he wasn’t Sawyer or Gabe. He wasn’t looking for a wife, had no desire for home and hearth, and even if he was, Georgia wouldn’t qualify as wifely material. Not for him.

  Still, maybe Morgan was right. What did he have to lose if he told her flat out that he wanted her? She had reacted to him, he wasn’t imagining that. Maybe that chemistry mumbo jumbo had some truth to it. Maybe she wouldn’t mind an uninvolved sexual relationship.

  Jordan swallowed hard at the mere thought, imagining her saying yes, imagining her peeling off that skimpy costume for him….

  Oh, hell. Her outfit. If she came back to the waiting room before Jordan could head her off and give her the change of clothes, who knew how Casey might react. There was no doubt he’d be surprised, because who would expect a woman to be running around a hospital dressed as she was?

  He didn’t want Casey to accidentally hurt her feelings with his shock. And he didn’t want his nephew ogling her either.

  Unfortunately, Jordan reached the waiting room just in time to see Georgia stumble over her own feet. She stared toward Casey, who’d stood when she entered the room.

  “Who,” Georgia asked, eyeing the way her daughter clung to Casey’s hand, “are you?”

  “He’s Casey,” Lisa said.

  Casey smoothed his dark blond hair out of his eyes, then held out his free hand. “I gather you’re Lisa’s mother?”

  Georgia looked mesmerized, then gave him her hand. She tipped her head back to see Casey’s face, before looking him over with awe. “Why, I wonder, did I think you’d look like an average kid?”

  Casey grinned, showing off his killer smile and shaking her hand gently. “I don’t know, ma’am.”

  “Is the whole family like you?”

  Emma, who had been sitting quietly on the couch by Adam’s feet, spoke up. “Yes, they are.”

  “Incredible.”

  Jordan stepped up behind her. “Casey brought you a change of clothes.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Casey reached for the bag and offered it to her. “Honey, my stepmother, wasn’t sure what size you might be, so she told me to apologize and explain that she sent things that would adjust.” To Jordan, he said, “She refused to send her a man’s shirt.”

  Georgia looked into the bag and pulled out white, elastic waist cotton slacks, a soft pink cotton T-shirt, and a long sleeved matching cardigan. There was even a pair of slip-on casual canvas shoes.

  She glanced back up at Casey with a grateful smile. “Please be sure to tell her how much I appreciate this. And I promise to return the clothes right away.”

  Casey skipped a look toward Jordan before smiling. “You can tell her yourself. She said to invite you and your family over to the big cookout at the end of the month. Honey likes to show all our neighbors how much she appreciates them by having this huge get-together. It worked out real well last year, so she wants to make it a traditional gathering.”

  Jordan choked and considered stuffing Casey into the damn bag. Georgia, he noticed, looked panicked.

  “But…” She sputtered, her gray eyes wide, “We’re not neighbors!”

  “You live in Buckhorn?”

  Georgia nodded.

  “Close enough.” He ignored Jordan when he added, “You don’t have to wait till then to visit though. Our house is pretty far off the main road without any other houses close by. Honey said to tell you she’d love the company anytime you feel up to visiting.”

  Lisa clapped her hands together, staring with naked adoration toward Casey. “Can we, Mommy, please, please, please?”

  “But…”

  Casey ruffled Lisa’s hair, then turned to the couch, caught Emma’s hand and pulled her to her feet. She tried to hang onto his hand, but Casey made that impossible. “We’ve got to go before Morgan leaves without us.”

  Georgia hustled after him. “Wait! Please, tell your stepmother—”

  “Honey.”

  “Yes, well, tell Honey that I appreciate the offer, but I can’t possibly come.”

  “Jordan’ll bring you.” Casey stared at Jordan, knowing exactly what he was doing. His brown eyes warmed to glittering amber as he said, “He wouldn’t want to disappoint Honey.”

  Keeping a relationship purely sexual, Jordan thought, would be pretty damn tough if the whole family got to know her. But then he looked at Lisa, and he gave up with a sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh. “No, I don’t want to disappoint Honey.”

  Georgia held the clothes clutched to her spectacular chest, her pale gray eyes flared with dismay, her golden brown hair practically standing on end.

  And perversely, Jordan said, “I insist. It’ll be fun.”

  “But…”

  He turned away and bid Casey and Emma good-night, noticing that Casey was staying just out of Emma’s reach. He shook his head.

  “What?”

  Georgia stood beside him. He could smell her, warm and sweet, and he wanted to press his nose into her neck, taste her skin. “My nephew,” he said in a rough voice, filled with lust, though she didn’t seem to know it, “didn’t even notice what you’re wearing.”

  He hadn’t quite realized it until he said it. But not once did Casey look her over. He’d kept his gaze respectfully on her face, his manner as polite and friendly as ever.

  Georgia looked down at herself. “I know you think I should be embarrassed.” She met his gaze, her eyes now somber, sad. “But I’m just too worried.”

  Jordan touched her cheek. That didn’t seem like enough so he put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the chair Casey had just vacated. Luckily, there was no one else in this particular waiting room. Earlier a man had come in with a badly cut finger, and a woman had shown up with a twisted ankle. But they had each been attended to and no one had shown up since.

  Once Georgia was seated, her hands twisting in the clothing Honey had sent, Jordan asked, “What did they say about your mother? How is she?”

  He knelt in front of her, unable to stop touching her. This time his hands rested on her knees. Her skin was so incredibly warm, so silky, he wanted to part her thighs, wanted to tip up her face and kiss her deeply as he moved between her legs. Her thighs we
re strong, he’d seen that as she danced, and he could only imagine how tightly she’d hold him.

  She didn’t seem to notice his touch or his preoccupation, or else she didn’t care.

  Jordan shook himself. Adam snored nearby on the couch and Lisa was starting to get bored with the cards. She’d taken to deliberately scattering them, and the last time they’d flown everywhere, she hadn’t bothered to pick them back up.

  He had to get hold of himself. Lusting after a woman in front of her children wasn’t something he ever would have done. He wouldn’t do it now. Out of all the brothers, he was the one most circumspect, most discerning.

  “Will she be all right, Georgia?”

  Georgia nodded. “Mom has emphysema. My father was a big cigar smoker and they say it was his secondhand smoke that…” She looked furious for a moment, then started over. “She’s never been a smoker herself. In fact she hates the things.”

  “Me, too.” He took one of her hands, and she didn’t pull away.

  “They think she has bronchitis. With her lung disease, that’s a big problem. They’re going to keep her a few days, put her on IV antibiotics, do a breathing treatment every four hours or so. As soon as they get her settled in her room and I make sure she’s got everything she needs, I’ll be able to head home. I just don’t want to go until I know—”

  “Of course not. There’s no rush.”

  She gave him a distracted, grateful nod.

  “When was the last time you ate?”

  She looked at him as if he were crazy. “I’m not hungry. But the kids…” She glanced over at the couch. Jordan looked, too. Lisa was still sitting on the floor, but she’d slumped sideways, sound asleep, her head mere inches from her brother’s big toe.

  Jordan grinned. “I fed them. It wasn’t the most nutritional meal going. Just sub sandwiches from the vending machine with chips and hot chocolate.”

  She rubbed her forehead with a shaking hand. “I should have thought of it. Thank you. It didn’t even occur to me…”

  “Hey.” Jordan leaned lower to see her averted face. Very gently he touched her chin. “You had your hands full.”