He’d be a fool if he didn’t think someone in the place hadn’t noticed him watching her like a lovestruck teen, but they deserved a little privacy so he’d keep up the status quo in public for now.
“That pub is going to be one heck of a hot spot.” In the backseat of the quad cab, Finn draped his arm around his beautiful wife. “Should have opened a pub years ago.”
“Town wasn’t ready for it then.” Sean kept both hands on the steering wheel.
“They sure are now,” Joanna added.
“It’s going to be lots of fun.” Eileen looked over her shoulder at the two in the backseat. “And I for one am delighted to have a place to go and unwind after a long day of ranching.”
“Well,” Sean glanced at her, “you won’t have to do that again for a while. Luke will be by tomorrow to load up his cattle and we’ll have the fences up again in no time.”
“Yep,” Finn agreed. “We’ve got everything secured at Connor’s. He and DJ will be over first thing in the morning to pitch in with the fence line.”
“Does anyone know how much longer Fancy and her friends will be in town?” Joanna asked.
“Actually, I do.” Eileen shifted sideways in her seat for a better view of Joanna and Finn. “Chatted a bit with Allison and they’ve worked out a plan. Not much different from what she and Ethan had decided. They’ve been referring to Fancy as Mama Fancy and showing Brittany pictures. They never wanted her to forget who her real mother was. Now that Fancy has turned a corner of sorts, she’ll be visiting Tuckers Bluff whenever down time allows.”
“But Allison will be more like Brittany’s mom than Fancy?”
Sean looked at Eileen and saw the momentary pain in her eyes. “Not more like. Fancy will always be her mom. Allison will just have the job full time.”
Joanna sat back looking more confused than when she’d asked, but Sean knew what Eileen meant. The entire relationship would be different because unlike Helen, who could not return to visit her children, Fancy had made choices that in the end were all from a love of her little girl. A little girl she could come back and share time with.
Joanna leaned back against her husband again. “I guess with all the celebrities going home things should return to normal around here.”
“Yep,” Sean agreed. Everything would be back to normal. Except for one very important thing. Already a great team, he and Eileen were about to get even better.
At the entrance to the ranch, Sean turned the truck onto the property.
“Man,” Finn yawned, “I could sleep for a week.”
“What is that?” Eileen pointed straight ahead.
The truck headlights bounced up and down the driveway, flashing on dark movement. Sean couldn’t quite make out what lie ahead. “Not sure.”
As the house drew in closer, the porch light combined with the headlights made their night time visitors easier to see. “Well, I’ll be.”
Pulling to the side of the house, Sean hopped out of the car first. Doors slammed behind him.
Before he could reach Eileen’s door she was down and out of the truck and moving full speed ahead to the two guests perched, patiently waiting, on the front porch. “What are you two doing here?”
Gray lifted a paw to her and barked. As though agreeing, Mrs. Gray dipped her head and barked too.
Finn laughed. “I should have known.” Stopping to pet each dog behind the ears, Finn looped his arm around his wife, and shaking his head, waved goodnight. “Y’all can figure this out. We’re hitting the sack.”
Down on his haunches, Sean held Gray’s head with one hand, scratching under his chin with the other. “Did you know about this all along?”
Gray lifted his head up then down again then, rising to all fours, took a step back. Mrs. Gray came to stand beside him. Both gave a single bark, then tore off around them to the back of the house.
“Think that was a yes?” Sean followed with Eileen on his heels.
The dogs had scurried past the house, around the kennels, and into the barn. In the far corner there were two small mounds of hay neatly arranged. Gray curled up on one and the Mrs. on the other.
“Okay, now I’ve seen it all.” Sean slapped his hat against his leg.
Eileen came up beside him and slid her arm through his. “Do you think this means they’ll be staying?”
“I haven’t any idea, but they’d be a great asset to the ranch.” He turned to look at her. “You know what this means?”
“How foolish of us.” Eileen’s head tipped back in a short laugh. “Thinking we would get to choose our future.”
“These two should have parked their butts here a week ago. Would have saved me a lot of grief.”
“Grief?”
His hands rode up the side of her arms. “You know what they say. A person too often doesn’t know how much something means to him until he’s about to lose it.”
“Or has to give it up.” Eileen leaned in, pressed her lips to his, then slowly rolled back on her heels.
“Guess this means we’re stuck with each other.” He smiled.
She grinned back. “Sure does.”
Fingers threaded together, they took one last look at the two dogs, all set for the night, a sharp eye on each of their people. The new normal. Two adult dogs for the two adult people. They should have known.
****
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MEET CHRIS
USA TODAY Bestselling Author of more than a dozen contemporary novels, including the award winning Champagne Sisterhood, Chris Keniston lives in suburban Dallas with her husband, two human children, and two canine children. Though she loves her puppies equally, she admits being especially attached to her German Shepherd rescue. After all, even dogs deserve a happily ever after.
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Table of Contents
TITLE PAGE
More Books by Chris Keniston
Copyright
HANNAH
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
EPILOGUE
IAN
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
EPILOGUE
JAMISON
CHAPTER ONE
&nb
sp; CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
EPILOGUE
KEEPING EILEEN
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
MEET CHRIS
Farraday Country Page 57
