by Vivian Arend
“Definitely not that part.”
“Stop it,” Luke said before allowing his grin to fade to serious. “It’s funny. I’ve always had my brothers around. But Walker was out on the circuit for a while, and Dustin’s a good kid, but he’s still young. Caleb had his head full of all the things he needed to worry about.” Luke made eye contact. “You’re like a brother and a best friend all rolled into one. Something was off when you weren’t here.”
Tucker took the comment at face value. “I’m sorry.”
Luke shook his head. “Not your fault. You had to get on with the things you needed to do. I probably didn’t help, getting tangled up with Penny for a while.”
Yeah, that hadn’t helped at all. Luke’s ex-fiancée hadn’t felt right to Tucker. “I never liked her,” he confessed.
“So you told me,” Luke said dryly.
Well, shit. “I did? I don’t remember that.”
“I think I raved about her at some point in the beginning, and you pretty much told me to take a second look.” Luke looked away. “You’re a smart man, Tucker Stewart. In retrospect, I now know that any time you poke me about something, I should listen.”
It was quite a compliment. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out, but I am damn glad you’re with Kelli. She’s awesome.”
“She’s the best.” He eyed Tucker speculatively. “Now we need to find someone for you.”
Hell, no. Or, more like hell, yes, but Luke wasn’t ready for that revelation yet, and Tucker couldn’t say anything until Ginny agreed.
Luke probably would’ve pushed it and said something else but at that moment, his bobber jumped into action and the two of them had to grab for their lines.
For a while the fish arrived. Every time they dropped a hook into the water, they had a strike, so the relaxing was over and the fishing had begun.
After they’d caught their limit, Tucker got out a fillet knife and cleaned while Luke packed up their gear and loaded it onto the back of the snowmobile.
“I’ve missed having time like this with you,” Luke said. “I really am glad you’re back. No matter how busy things get, we’re going to take time for this kind of shit, yes?”
Tucker didn’t have the heart to draw it out and tease. He agreed whole-heartedly. “Yes, we will do the shit. As much as our— Your wife and our jobs will allow.”
Luke grew quiet for a while. They packaged up a bag of fish to drop off for Tamara, and a bag for Ashton, as well as one for each of them to take home.
Then Luke shocked Tucker by pulling him in for a hug. He pounded him on the back briefly before tilting his head toward the skidoo. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride.”
“Sounds good.”
Tucker slipped into his trailer and grabbed what he needed. Then he sent a message to Ginny to meet him in the old hayloft in half an hour.
He waited for her return message, which thankfully came only minutes later.
Ginny: What are you up to?
Tucker: Come to the barn, and you’ll find out.
15
She’d seen the fishing tent out on the water earlier but had deliberately stayed away. Not only was it good for Tucker to have time away from work with his guys, fishing was not one of her favourite activities.
Figuring out what Tucker was up to now? That hit all of her interest buttons.
She grabbed a couple of important contributions to their meeting and headed out the door, striding through the crisp snow toward her destination.
She passed her brother Caleb headed the opposite way and waved a greeting. “Say hi to Tamara for me.”
“Why don’t you come and join us for dinner?” Caleb asked, pausing in the path.
She thought quickly. “Nope. Thank you for the invite, but I don’t want to stop in too often.”
He chuckled softly. “Ginny, you’re family. You live five minutes away, so stopping in on a regular basis is kind of expected.”
“Good thing I like to do the unexpected then,” she teased. “Seriously, thanks for the invite, and I will have you and everyone over to my place sometime. But not tonight.”
He dipped his chin, began to turn away then paused. “Where are you going?”
“To the barn.”
He frowned. “Ginny.”
“What?” she asked innocently.
“What are you doing in the barn that you don’t want me to know?” He said it in the same tone of voice he had used back when he took over for the family. Back then it intimidated the hell out of her, but now she was less cowed. “I am doing something that a grownup Ginny is allowed to do without further explaining herself to her brother.”
A snort escaped him. “Fine. Tell me to mind my own business.”
“Mind your own business,” she said obediently.
He downright snickered.
“I have to say, your sense of ha-ha has really improved since Tamara came on the scene.”
He mock-glared. “Go do whatever it is you don’t want to tell me you’re doing. I have dinner to get ready for.”
“I love you, big brother.” Impulsively, she threw her arms around him and planted a big kiss on his cheek.
He patted her back. “I love you too, brat. Get.”
“Getting.”
Inside the barn were familiar scents and warm contentment. She took her time walking the long line of stalls toward the old central building. Kelli was ahead of her, sweet talking one of the horses and petting its nose.
Ginny paused beside her. “You’re usually done by this time of day.”
Kelli glanced up. “Hey. Yeah, my grandpa called earlier, and I ended up talking with him for over an hour. Figured I should make up the time now, especially since Luke was out fishing with Tucker.”
“Still blows my mind that you’ve got a grandpa in the picture.” Ginny dipped her chin. “He’s a good one, too. I approve.”
Kelli snickered. “Good for Grandpa Timothy, because if you didn’t approve, I’m pretty sure he’d have boot prints on his butt right now.”
“Darn tootin’,” Ginny said, raising a hand and waiting for Kelli to give her a high-five. “You and Luke heading out dancing this Friday?”
Kelli nodded. “Tansy will be there as well. Rose might have to do something with their little sister. Driving her to Calgary for a prosthetic fitting or something.”
“We should suggest Dustin give her a ride,” Ginny said innocently. “You know, so Rose can come out dancing.”
Her sister-in-law looked confused for a moment. “Why would Dustin want to give Fern a ride? I mean I know they’re friends, but he’s busy hanging— Oh. I see what you’re doing.” Her eyes flashed. “If Dustin is driving, it’s pretty sure Shim will come along, is that what you’re thinking?”
Ginny blinked innocently. “Heaven forbid I interfere in someone’s driving schedule, but maybe it’s an option.”
They looked at each other for a moment then burst out laughing. “You know, I’ll mention it,” Kelli offered. “We’ll let Tansy and Rose decide if they want to meddle in their little sister’s love life.”
Ginny sashayed past and left Kelli to her tasks, slowing as she moved into the oldest sections of the barn.
She had memories tied up in every inch of this place. The worn wood, the hooks on the walls. The scents and the sounds and the dust motes dancing in the overhead lights. All of it as familiar as breathing.
Lost in a daydream, Ginny rounded the corner too quickly and bumped full on into one of the ranch hands.
“Jeez, sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she admitted, grateful he’d reacted fast enough and caught hold of her before they both bounced to the ground.
The man was tall and solid, with dark scruff neatly trimmed into a beard, but when he held onto her a little longer than necessary, Ginny stepped back, forcefully swinging an arm to knock his hand away.
“No need to get feisty.” He looked her up and down, lingering on her chest too long for politeness.
&n
bsp; Ginny had had guys staring at her boobs ever since she started to blossom at age thirteen. He wasn’t the first man to try and hold a conversation with her chest, and he probably wouldn’t be the last.
But she didn’t have to like it.
“Hey.” She clapped her hands then pointed upward. “My face is up here.”
“Not admiring your face, darlin’,” he drawled far too confidently.
And when he took the longest time to actually lift his gaze, Ginny was pretty sure she had daggers shooting out of her eyes. “What’s your name?”
“Jim Allen.” He took a small step closer, towering over her as he once again slid his gaze over her body. “And I hear you’re one smooth, cool drink of gin.”
“Lovely. Did you also hear that I’m one of your bosses?” She stepped back, because as much as she wanted to make a point, she wasn’t stupid enough to think about physically challenging the bastard. “Mind your manners. I’m sorry for running into you. Now, get back to work.”
He lifted a hand and saucily tipped his hat. “Yes, ma’am.”
She kept an eye on him as he turned and wandered off, heading out the door and toward the bunk houses.
Well, fuck.
It didn’t happen often. Not at Silver Stone, where one of the first talks with new hires regarded the women working the ranch. Kelli had been a lead hand for years, and before Ginny left, while she hadn’t worked in the barns, she’d been around often enough that Ashton and her brothers had made sure nothing ever got dangerous.
Ginny knew the rules. It was a ranch, and with animals around acting like—well, animals—sexual jokes were a given. But she and Dare had been told from the very start they were to report any hand who went beyond the comfortable level of teasing.
Shit, shit, shit. Because the person she should report this to now was probably Tucker.
She quickly thought back. Jim hadn’t really said anything terrible, had he? Was she overreacting? There were plenty of times she’d been out in public and admired a good-looking man. Was it wrong for Jim to check her out when she knew she was put together in a way that made guys take a second look? Maybe she’d done something to encourage him…
…and the fact that she was even having this mental debate with herself meant the answer was she needed to talk to Tucker. But damn, it wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have.
The door opened behind her, and she snapped her head up, worried that the man had returned.
It was Tucker with an oversized gym bag in one hand and wearing a pleased expression. “Hey. Sorry it took me a little longer than expected.”
“That’s fine,” she offered cheerfully. “What’s the big secret?”
He tilted his head toward the hayloft. “Head-on up. I’ve got something to show you.”
She snickered but kept any dirty comment to herself. She also decided she would tell him about Jim, but first things first.
They were in the oldest section of the barn now, solid as a rock, with only a couple of window openings on the west wall. She followed Tucker, admiring his broad shoulders as he led her to where someone had obviously put in some time and created a perfect seating arrangement out of the bales.
She stepped into the neat little hideaway, with a wide comfortable bench seat facing the window, backrests behind it and a footrest in the front. When Tucker reached into his duffel bag and pulled out pillows for them to sit on and put at their backs, Ginny smiled.
“This is comfy.”
“This is Operation Prove it headquarters,” he told her seriously.
“Get out.” She ignored the pillows and jumped up to catch Tucker around the neck, squeezing hard and enjoying the feeling as he wrapped her up tight.
They stood there for a few moments, just holding each other. Ginny took a deep breath and felt herself synchronizing with him. Chests moving easily as they found a rhythm and a pace.
He tucked his knuckles under her chin and lifted her face to his. “Missed you.”
Then he kissed her. Gentle and soft. Sweet even, which after the hug made her feel one hundred kinds of wonderful.
“Missed you, too,” she confessed.
Then instead of heating things up, he motioned toward the pillows. “We’ve got some reporting to do.”
His afternoon spent with Luke had only confirmed Tucker’s decision. It didn’t matter how busy he was, at the end of the day, he wanted to go home to Ginny, and he didn’t give a damn who knew it.
No, correction. He sure the hell wanted everyone to know he was the one coming home to the woman.
But this was more than that. He’d seen her, truly seen the way she stepped in and did things, often without anyone noticing. Ginny was always there for her family. Always doing what she thought was right for them.
Doing what was right for herself? Those moments seem few and far between. She knew how to go after what she wanted—seducing him, for example. Heading off on the apprenticeship program.
But her insistence they keep their relationship quiet had been to make his life easier. Well, screw that.
He didn’t want easy. He wanted her.
He wanted her to know she was potentially the most important thing in his life. Kind of hard to do that when they were living in two different places and barely able to speak to each other except over the phone. Fuck it.
“You’re glowering,” Ginny teased.
Shit. He settled back on his pillow and put up his feet, deliberately set up so he could look her in the face. “I hope you know I don’t plan to stay this busy.”
“Some times of the years take more energy than others,” she returned. “And you want to do a good job, so diving in at five hundred percent is a given, knowing you.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that Luke gave me hell today. Rightly so,” he added quickly as her expression turned indignant. “It was good to spend some time with him. And I need this time with you.”
She put her feet up beside her and curled her arms around her knees, smiling sweetly. “I miss talking with you in person. The phone and texts are fine for so long, and then I want a real body in the room with me.”
He spread his hands. “Real body, right here.”
Ginny made a terrible face. “Okay, before we start, I need to tell you something. It’s just a heads up, but I don’t want this to get away and be forgotten.”
She gave him a quick summary on her run-in with Jim.
He stifled his first impulse which was to immediately track down the bastard and teach him some manners. “I’ll talk to Ashton. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
She nodded quickly. “Thank you, and thanks for not making a big fuss over it. I want to focus on us. So tell me, what’s on your report?”
Tucker stared at her for a moment. “Not dropping that topic yet, darling. I won’t make a fuss, but we will do what needs to be done, understand?”
Ginny wrinkled her nose. “I know. I just—I don’t think I did anything wrong, but I don’t want to get Jim in more trouble than he deserves.” She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t you dare go beat him up in some he-man ritual, got it?”
“He-man ritual?”
“Fists. Cursing. Blood and bruises.” Her expression got harder. “You and Luke used to do that all the time, and I hate it.”
“It’s sometimes inevitable.”
“I don’t have to like it. And inevitable means stuck in the past, where nothing changes until something changes.” Ginny inhaled sharply. “Don’t expect me to approve.”
“Want to make an herbal weapon for me?” he asked, trying to lighten the situation.
Ginny tilted her head and gave him a very well-executed dirty look. “You’re not funny.”
“I’m hilarious,” he insisted even as he took a deep breath and rebooted, although the incident with Jim was pushed aside, not forgotten. “I want to start with a success,” he said, aiming them back into safer territory. “I’ll have you know Ashton now thinks I am a minor god when it comes to me
chanical repair.”
She leaned forward eagerly. “What? Did you fix something he couldn’t?”
“Of course, although it was a close call,” Tucker said dryly. “I googled the problem when he went to the head, so when he came back, I instantly fixed the wires that had gotten crossed.”
She hooted, the sound echoing through the loft as she pressed a hand over her mouth. “Oops. Sorry, our headquarters has very open acoustics.”
Amusement rumbled up. “How about you? Something you’ve been successful with?”
She looked thoughtful for a moment. “It’s still too early to plant anything, although I did put in the order for all the herbs and jars that I’ll need. Beyond that, I’ve been pretty laid-back. Poking a little bit into that strange mystery present my mom and dad left me. No success on that quarter, sad to report.”
“Bring it to one of our meetings, and we can check it out together,” he promised.
“That would be nice.” Ginny shrugged. “I’ve been hanging out with my nieces and visiting with my girls. Spending time getting to know Tamara better. Nothing important, really.”
She simply didn’t see it, and he was getting damn tired of listening to her downplay her own worth. Tucker folded his arms over his chest. “You know my parents?”
Ginny stalled. “Not really. Never met them, although I’ve heard a little about them over the years. Never from you, though. It wasn’t really something we discussed when we got together the past few years. Ahem.”
He focused on the point he wanted to make.
“You wouldn’t like them,” he said confidently. “Within half an hour of meeting them, you’d call my dad a stick in the mud and ask my mother if she ever smiled. You’d be right on the first one, and the answer to the second would be no.”
“Well, that’s terrible.” Ginny offered him a sympathetic pout. “I’m sorry. I knew you came to spend summers with us, but I thought it was because Ashton wanted you around—rightly so. Because you are awesome.”
“My parents are not kid people, and I was an inconvenience.”
She swore softly. “Jackasses.”
He snorted. “Just not good parental material.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I told you this because you need to understand something. All the time you spend with your nieces? The moments you share with Tamara? Those are important things, so you need to stop putting yourself down and realize your value.”
