by Vivian Arend
Luke’s gaze shot to her, his eyes widening for a second before he slammed a hand in front of his face as if blocking a dangerous sight. “Dammit, Ginny, you’re indecent. Put some clothes on before I go blind.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “Grow up. I’m more than adequately covered. Besides, they’re just boobs.”
“They’re my sister’s boobs, which means I don’t want to see them.” Luke waved a hand at Tucker. “He doesn’t want to see them.”
Oh, how Ginny wanted to say something blunt right then.
Fortunately, before she could put her foot in her mouth, Luke woke up enough to clue into the real issue.
He glanced between the two of them then gave Ginny hell. “What are you doing in here? This is Tucker’s trailer.”
Tucker was on his feet, deliciously bare-chested with his low-riding sweats barely clinging to his trim hips. “Tamara never got the word I was here, so Ginny got sent out as well. It’s okay.”
“Damn, sorry you had to crash on the floor.” Luke eyed Ginny who had relented and was pulling on a sweater and sweatpants to ease his mortification. “I can’t believe you didn’t let him sleep in the bed after the drive he’d made.”
“I offered,” Ginny said dryly, totally amused. “He turned me down.”
Tucker’s eyes flashed a warning, but his lips twitched at the absolute truth she’d shared.
Luke seemed oblivious to the fact his best friend and his little sister were adults, because he blithely carried on, every bit of sexual innuendo ignored. “If you’re awake enough to want food, we’re doing brunch at our place at eleven. Come over when you’re ready and I’ll give you coffee first.”
Tucker stretched, muscles rippling dangerously. Ginny couldn’t tear her gaze away.
“Coffee is good. Coffee I don’t have to make, even better,” Tucker offered with a solemn nod. “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be there.”
Luke glanced cautiously toward Ginny as if worried that she’d taken off a layer or something. “You too, I guess. Or you could go to the main house and visit with Caleb and the girls. A little like old times.”
That was one area Ginny had given a lot of thought and talked over with her foster sister and best friend, Dare. The past six months had given her time to consider the right way to go forward. “Nope. They’re building new family traditions, and while I look forward to spending more time with them, I’m not messing with that. You and Kelli are stuck with me crashing your place.”
Luke looked thoughtful for a moment then dipped his chin. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Come on over, then, and I’ll introduce you to Diane and Jack. I don’t think you’ve met them yet.”
“Not in person,” Ginny said as cheerfully as she could without edging into obviously fake.
“You’re in for a treat. They’re good people.” Luke gave Tucker a slap on the shoulder then headed off through the door, whistling brightly.
Ginny let out a slow sigh before noticing Tucker’s gaze on her. His expression was far from her favourite, the one full of smoldering heat. No, this one reminded her far more of some super sleuth determined to get the bottom of all her secrets.
“What?” she demanded.
He stood silently for a moment then shrugged. “Just hit me how strange this must feel for you. Coming back, and wondering how you fit in.”
Her jaw must be hanging open. “That was a pretty nail-on-the-head comment.”
A wry smile twisted his lips. “I’ve been in your shoes. It’s the same sensation I faced every year, coming to stay for the summer. I’d spend the entire year daydreaming about all the fun we’d have, Luke, and Walker as well.” His lips twitched. “You and Dare, when you weren’t being annoying little brats.”
Ginny held up a hand. “Guilty.”
He nodded slowly. “Truth is, I always came back and expected things to change. That Luke would have a new best friend, or that I wouldn’t feel welcome in the same way.” He stepped toward her, tucked his fingers under her chin, and lifted her face to his. “Know, what?”
She shook her head, the heat of his fingers caressing her skin far too enticingly.
“Never happened. Not once in all the years did I ever feel rejected or left out.” He leaned closer, and for one second, she thought he might kiss her.
Instead, he offered her one of his rare true smiles. “You’ll be okay, darling. Trust me. Trust them. They’re your family, and everything will work out fine.”
Which is what she’d been hoping and dreaming the entire time she was gone.
She laid a hand on Tucker’s chest because being this close and not touching was impossible. The steady beat of his heart under her palm offered balance and strength. “I hope so.”
“I know so.” He tilted his head toward the bedroom. “Now get your ass in gear and get dressed. I need coffee, plus we’re raiding Luke’s fridge. Bullshit on this brunch at eleven nonsense. I’m a growing boy.”
It wasn’t an answer to all her worries, but it was the reassurance she needed, at least for here and now.
Her mother’s voice rang in her head, even after all these years. Do the next thing, sweetie. Sometime the path won’t make sense until you do the next thing.
Ginny grabbed her backpack and went into the bedroom to get dressed. When she came out, Tucker was waiting, his hair damp and freshly combed into place.
“Bathroom’s yours.” He turned his back and began rearranging things in his gym bag.
She washed up quickly, which meant it was only a couple of minutes later and they were outside on the wintry Christmas Day.
The walk to Luke’s house from where the trailer sat on the far side of the barns took them in a wide sweep around the main arena. The morning was cold and clear, and Ginny took a deep breath, enjoying the crisp wintry air settling in her lungs.
“There are a few more changes this time,” Tucker noted. He lifted a hand to a brand-new barn with a training yard attached. “Sweet.”
Ginny agreed. It was good to see Silver Stone continue to make strides forward. The horses were a huge part of that, but raising them or training them wasn’t an area where she had ever contributed much.
She glanced toward the oversized greenhouse tucked to the west of the main ranch home and promised herself she’d take a thorough look later that day. For now, there was so much else she wanted to hear about.
“What about you?” she asked. “What about your changes? Last I heard you were working with the thoroughbred auction house in Winnipeg.”
He clicked his tongue. “Ginny, that’s at least three updates ago. Now I’m working at one of the stables on the outskirts of town. Gives me some different experience, and they’re a very reputable operation.”
“You’re helping take care of horses for people who stable them there?”
“And I give lessons. A few times we’ve gotten to do some serious training with animals who need a little extra attention before they make good rides.” He kept staring around as they walked. “Every place I’ve worked is like a tiny jigsaw piece of this place.”
“You really should work here,” Ginny said. “I don’t know why you never applied.”
His expression grew solemn. He shook his head. “Timing doesn’t always work the way we want.” They walked in silence for the final distance, then Tucker gestured her ahead of him up the steps onto the wooden porch outside Luke’s house. “Ladies first.”
“You just want to watch my ass,” she murmured softly as she passed him.
The sputter that escaped him was a reward all in itself.
3
Tucker was in dangerous territory and hated it with everything in him. Not only did he need to be careful because Ginny seemed primed and ready for mischief, but he had to admit, he was worried.
Like he’d confessed to Ginny earlier, part of him was twelve years old again. uncertain of how he fit in at Silver Stone. The sensation was made worse because he knew exactly how he wanted reality to be.
Entering into the warm comfort of the sprawling ranch house gave him another of those torn between the past and the future sensations. The scent of coffee and something sweet and spicy drifted on the air.
He automatically helped Ginny take off her coat, hanging it on one of the hooks by the door.
Then he paused because she was staring, her expression somewhere between amusement and an all-out smirk. “What?”
She gave a quick little curtsy. “Thank you for being a gentleman.”
It would’ve made her happy if he’d rolled his eyes, so instead he caught her by the shoulders and pushed her into the main part of the house. “Coffee first. You’re too hard to interpret when I’m low on caffeine.”
“Poor baby,” she crooned. “Tell you what. I’ll get the coffee, you raid the fridge. Luke won’t get as cranky if you’re the one rooting around in there.”
“Deal.”
Their entrance into the house had finally been noted. Luke and his wife Kelli were seated on an oversized but ancient looking couch. Across from them on a slightly newer, but equally enormous couch, was a smartly dressed and very attractive couple.
“Tucker.” Luke rose to his feet and gestured him over. “Come meet everyone.”
The dark-skinned man on the couch rose as well, extending a hand. “Merry Christmas. I’m Jack Emment. This is my wife, Diane Jakarta.”
“Merry Christmas to you both. I’ve heard good things,” Tucker said, shaking Jack’s hand then reaching over to do the same with Diane. The beautiful Black woman had a mass of tight curls that were braided in an intricate pattern then gathered in a huge cascade over her right shoulder. “You must have an extraordinary sense of humour if you’ve been hanging out with this guy for any length of time and still like him.” He jerked a thumb toward Luke.
“Darlin’, Luke and Kelli are two of our favourite people,” Diane said, her voice sweet southern honey. “And from the way he’s been talking about you, you’re one of his favourite people.”
“That’s because he’s currently ahead of me in our annual summer who’s better than who score,” Tucker said conspiratorially. “But I aim to change that up pretty quick.”
“You also beat me up the last time we fought,” Luke reminded him, “But I’m not holding any grudges. Much.”
“Not what I heard…” Tucker said before clearing his throat and glancing toward the tree. “Oh, look. Decorations.”
They were still laughing as he turned toward Kelli who had leapt to her feet and was now approaching with a grin. He knew her from way back as well. One of the Silver Stone ranch hands, and if he remembered correctly, she’d been around since the summer he turned nineteen. Now no longer a ranch hand, but married to the man Tucker still considered his best friend, her changed situation gave him a kick. “Kelli James—excuse me, Kelli Stone. Congratulations and hot damn. You always knew how to pick the best.”
She squeezed him tight, patting his back with enthusiasm. “We missed you,” she complained as she pulled away and offered an uncharacteristic glare. “The first summer you didn’t show up, I got stuck with most of your shitty chores.”
“Sorry about that. As much as I loved coming out here, the reality of a full-time job finally reared its ugly head.” There’d been more at play than that, but the answer sufficed for now. He glanced to the side, looking for Ginny.
The damn woman was in the kitchen.
“Hey. Ginny. Come and say hi to our friends,” Luke ordered.
“Coming. Just have to get some wake-me-up happening.” She grabbed two mugs and walked boldly toward them, handing one to Tucker before placing her own on the side counter and going through the whole greeting routine. “It is really nice to finally meet you,” she told Jack and Diane sincerely.
“And you.” Jack settled back on the couch, arm curled around Diane’s shoulders.
Kelli all but vibrated with excitement. “I know I got to hug you last night, but it wasn’t enough. Plus, I kind of want to repeat what Emma said and declare you’re not allowed to ever go away again. I missed you, girlfriend.”
“Missed you, too,” Ginny agreed, hugging the other woman tightly.
Tucker was the only one in the room who could see Ginny’s face, and the slow breath in she took, and the way her eyes squeezed up tight. Her expression was laced with so much sadness—which seemed odd in conjunction with what the women had both said was a happy event.
He pushed aside his curiosity, waiting until Ginny was free to gesture her toward the only other chair in the U-shaped seating arrangement. “Sit. I’ll grab us some food.”
“I can wait,” Ginny countered. “You sit.”
Nothing was ever straightforward with this woman. Still, he wasn’t about to start arguing in front of Luke’s very classy friends. Tucker planted his ass in the oversize easy chair.
Then he barely held onto his coffee when Ginny settled on the oversized arm rest, hip against his torso.
“How long are you visiting?” Ginny asked Diane.
“Two weeks.” Diane glanced out the window and shivered visibly. “Which goes to show how much I love you guys, because there is snow on the ground.”
“Right? What’s up with that?” Jack asked, deadpan serious. “Snow in Alberta in December. Who would have guessed?”
Diane snickered, but she tapped her fingers on his shoulder. “Stop it.”
Ginny crossed her legs, which pressed her hip a little tighter against Tucker’s side. He could not get over how oblivious Luke and Kelli were to the fact that Ginny was inches away from sitting in his lap.
He focused on keeping his drinking arm steady as he took a sip.
“That’s a very shiny looking ring,” Ginny commented. “I seem to recall Luke telling me that you two weren’t married, so the Mr. and Mrs. must be a recent addition.”
“It is. Shiny and brand-new.” Jack tightened his embrace around Diane’s shoulders, and pointed a finger across at Luke and Kelli. “Took a page from their book and finally managed to sweet-talk my woman into getting hitched without any pomp and circumstance.”
Diane curled against him, and pressed her hand with the ring against his chest. Diamonds flashed bright enough to blind. “He surprised me on the way here. We stopped in this cute little chapel before we even hit the airport. The next thing I knew, we’d said I do, and the deed was done.”
Kelli snickered lightly. “So to speak.”
Diane shook a finger. “You’re such a naughty girl.”
Beside Kelli on the couch, Luke grinned hugely. “I’m glad it turned out well for you. You have no idea how much trouble we got into with our impulsive let’s hold a wedding right now moment.”
“Really?” Ginny frowned. “Who gave you trouble? I thought it was super romantic that you guys called in Mr. Fields and said your vows down by Heart Falls. Heck, you even had wild horses as witnesses.”
“That was part of the problem.” Kelli wrinkled her nose. “None of them offered their signatures. We ended up doing a bit of a repeat, just to make everything solid and legal.”
“Okay, that makes sense. The government always causes problems.” Ginny folded her arms over her chest, coffee cup cradled in her free hand. “I thought maybe someone in the extended family had given you grief, which, hell no.”
“It worked out okay in the end,” Kelli assured her. “I still count the vows by the waterfall as our real ones.”
“Remember, we didn’t have you here to defend us,” Luke teased. “That means we had to follow the rules.”
If Ginny hadn’t been sitting on the arm of his chair, Tucker never would’ve even noticed. But with her body in contact with his, the very slight stiffening of her spine was as loud as a shout.
Jack turned his attention fully on Tucker. “Luke told us about your wild drive to get here. We’ve always enjoyed our time with Ashton when we’ve visited. Is your uncle okay?”
That he could answer easily. “Other than being confused why there’s a message on my phon
e that’s not on his, he’s fine. We spent yesterday afternoon getting caught up. I don’t know where he gets his energy from, but I sure hope it runs in the family. I want to be hightailing it around everywhere when I’m sixty. Mysterious text messages in the middle of the night, notwithstanding.”
“He’s lucky to have you,” Diane said softly. “It’s good to know you got family willing to come and back you up at the drop of a hat.”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s the best type of family,” Tucker agreed.
It wasn’t his imagination. Ginny kept getting more and more uncomfortable perched on the arm of his chair. While he answered questions about his job at the stables and listened to their plans for the next couple of weeks, he wondered what was going on.
It had to be a part of that thing that they talked about before. The whole figuring out where they fit in. They’d both been gone for a long time, but while this had been an important place to him while growing up, it was Ginny’s home.
He let the talk swirl around him until his stomach protested loudly enough that they all heard it, and with laughter following him, he made his way to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.
He had time. Two weeks—although it seemed he wouldn’t get to spend as much of it with Luke as he’d hoped, not with his friend and Kelli needing to entertain their guests.
Still, Tucker was at Silver Stone. Somehow that made things better. When Ginny snuck beside him, stealing a muffin off his plate, he decided enjoying the time with whoever he could would not suck.
Ginny excused herself as soon as the brunch dishes were cleaned up. “I’m heading over to the main house.”
“We’ll be there for supper,” Kelli promised. She gave Diane a shake of her head. “It feels strange to plan to leave you here by yourself.”
“Girlfriend, Jack and I having a simple Christmas dinner by ourselves? That’s one of the best gifts you could give us,” Diane insisted. Then she looked slightly sheepish. “And by simple, I mean we bought everything prepackaged and prepared, so before you go, show me how to use your oven.”
