Chapter Seventeen
Seventeen
Ryan knew Morgan and Chelsea were discussing something serious, likely something to do with him, from the way Chelsea kept glancing his way. He’d love to know what Morgan shared with her sister, but on the other hand, maybe it was best he didn’t.
“Aubrey, you look stunning.” Morgan reached for her soon-to-be sister-in-law and gave her a hug. “Of course, you always do, but that gold is perfect on you.”
“Thank you.” Aubrey beamed. “That white with your red hair is drop-dead gorgeous.”
Ryan didn’t know about color matching and what looked good with skin or hair or any accessories, but he could definitely agree on the drop-dead gorgeous. Morgan was always a stunner no matter how she dressed, but tonight she absolutely shone.
“What are you getting Chels and Nolan for a wedding present?” Vic asked.
Morgan shrugged. “I don’t know. Want to go in on something together?”
“Yeah. Let’s talk tomorrow.” Vic replied as he wrapped his arm around Aubrey’s waist and pulled her in to his side.
Jealousy speared through him. Ryan wanted to touch Morgan, to show her some affection, but they couldn’t do that in public without raising more suspicions.
They didn’t need anyone knowing what was going on.
..not yet anyway. He still held out hope they would be announcing their engagement by Christmas.
The ring was ready, he was ready. He just needed Morgan to be ready.
How could he protect his legacy if the relationship remained one-sided?
“I hope Heath stays away tonight,” Ryan added. “He’s caused enough of a scandal and folks just want to focus on having a good time and looking ahead to the holidays.”
Vic nodded. “He’ll be at the wedding next weekend. He’s Nolan’s best man.”
“As long as Chelsea and Nolan’s day isn’t ruined, that’s all that matters,” Morgan told them.
Vic took a sip from his drink of choice and glanced around the spacious ballroom. “Jayden’s here. I need to talk to him.”
Morgan’s brother slid his hand into Aubrey’s as he eased her away. “If you both will excuse us.”
Ryan nodded and once he was alone again with Morgan, he still kept his distance. Playing this part was ridiculous, but necessary. He wanted to get them over that hump and to the other side where they could be free and didn’t have to hide any aspect of their relationship or the child they’d created.
“Is this just as awkward and difficult for you as it is for me?” she asked on a sigh, clearly frustrated.
Ryan slid his hands into his pockets. “These clothes are damn uncomfortable, but yes. In the past week, I haven’t kept this much distance between us and I’m starting to get cranky.”
Morgan stepped forward and motioned toward the dance floor. “Then let’s have that dance now,” she suggested. “Even friends dance together, right?”
He moved to close the distance between them, still not touching her, but close enough to see those bright blue eyes and the navy flecks.
Her familiar floral perfume enveloped him, pulling him in even deeper.
He’d grown so accustomed to everything about Morgan that he couldn’t imagine trying to build a life with anyone else. This just made sense on so many levels.
“Is that where we are?” Ryan purposely dropped his gaze to her painted red lips, then back up. “Friends?”
“I don’t know what label to put on us, honestly,” she confessed on a whisper. “I know that I want to dance with you and then I want to go back home and let you fulfill that promise of peeling this dress off me.”
“I like that you refer to the ranch as home.”
He hadn’t heard her say that before, and he wondered how long she’d thought of Yellow Rose as hers. Or maybe that was just a slip of the tongue. Regardless, he could tell she’d gotten comfortable at the ranch and he could easily see her there long-term with their child...and maybe more.
One step at a time, though. He had to win her over first.
When he’d built that house and started his life there, he had designed everything around his future and the family he would ultimately have.
Morgan didn’t say a word. She just offered a sweet smile as she turned and headed for the dance floor.
They could talk about her thoughts of calling the ranch her home later.
Right now, he wanted to dance with the woman he planned on spending his life with.
Ryan followed those swaying hips at a distance and hoped he didn’t appear too eager.
“I’m not sure I could’ve pulled this off without you by my side. Thank you.”
Morgan stared down at the spread of food and bit her lip.
“You did it. I just supervised,” Nelson assured her. “Ryan is a simple man. He likes meat and potatoes. You couldn’t go wrong.”
Morgan snorted. “Oh, I can go very wrong in the kitchen,” she assured him. “But having your guidance gave me confidence.”
Nelson patted her shoulder. “Ryan has never brought a woman to the ranch to stay, and just the fact you want to help and learn about his favorite meals really says a great deal about this relationship. Dare I hope this is serious?”
Having a man’s baby was pretty serious, but even beyond that, Morgan had fallen for the man when she swore she wouldn’t get more involved. Yet here she was, learning tips from Ryan’s chef and waiting for him to come in from the pastures.
Morgan had called Nelson and asked him to come in on his day off. With her shop in good hands with Kylie, this was the perfect day for a surprise because Ryan never took days off from Yellow Rose. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face if she actually managed to pull this off.
“I’m not sure where we are right now,” she answered Nelson honestly. “But I do love it here.”
She wanted the conversation off the relationship and onto anything else.
Morgan faced the elderly man and smiled. “I really do appreciate you coming in on a Sunday. I’m sure you had other things to do like spend time with your family.”
“My wife is likely at home quilting and enjoying some movie.” His own grin had the wrinkles around his eyes creasing deeper.
“I promise, she doesn’t mind one bit. After nearly fifty years of marriage, you realize what really matters.
She has her hobbies and I have mine. Cooking never feels like work and I love that you wanted to surprise Ryan. ”
Fifty years of marriage. Morgan couldn’t even fathom fifty days, let alone years.
That had to be one of the strongest bonds Morgan had ever heard of and she suddenly found herself wanting that deep connection.
But how? A one-night stand hardly seemed the firm foundation for a lifelong commitment.
Although they had moved beyond all the bickering they used to do.
Maybe they’d made some substantial progress.
Maybe she could start trusting the evolution of this relationship.
The alarm from the back door chimed through the house and the familiar sound of cowboy boots echoing off the hardwoods filtered into the open kitchen and living area. Morgan didn’t know if she was more nervous or excited to show Ryan what she’d done. Well, what she and Nelson had done.
When Ryan rounded the corner, he stopped just on the other side of the island and stared at Morgan, then Nelson.
“Aren’t you off today?” Ryan asked. Then his attention went to the various dishes on the counter. “Damn. I knew something smelled amazing when I walked in.”
“Miss Morgan wanted to surprise you with your favorites,” Nelson explained. “So she called me and I came to give her a quick lesson in the kitchen.”
Ryan removed his hat as his eyes landed on her. “Is that right?” he asked with a grin.
There went those silly, naive jitters racing through her simply because the man smiled at her. She was carrying his child, they’d been intimate multiple times, and they were temporarily living together, yet the sweetest gesture somehow stirred up her emotions.
“If you don’t need me anymore, I’ll head out and let you two enjoy your dinner,” Nelson told them.
Morgan couldn’t help herself. She reached out and gave the elderly man a hug.
“You are the best,” she told him, then eased back. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“No thanks necessary. I love what I do.”
Nelson untied his apron and started to head toward the back door, but stopped and turned to face Ryan.
“You’ve got something special in that one,” he stated, nodding toward Morgan.
Without another word, he left. Once again, the chime echoed as the door opened and closed. Morgan rested her hands on the top of the island and stared across at Ryan. He still had that silly grin and she couldn’t help but smile back.
“I have no idea what made you want to do this, but it all looks amazing.”
Morgan shrugged. “You’ve done so much for me and you’re so busy. I don’t know, I just wanted to do something to show you that I appreciate how much you’ve made me feel at home here.”
Ryan started to circle the island, his gaze never wavering from hers. Morgan shifted to face him and when he kept advancing, she backed up until she hit the edge of the counter. Ryan leaned in, and his hands came to rest on either side of her hips.
“You smell like the barn.” She laid her hands against his chest and laughed.
Ryan leaned in even closer. “You don’t care,” he murmured against her lips. “You might be prissy with your specialty clothes, but deep down, you’re still a rancher at heart.”
“I’m not,” she argued.
“You love it here,” he countered. “You told me so multiple times. I think you just needed a ranch where you could put your stamp on it.”
Those bright blue eyes held her in place and had her heart quickening and breath caught in her throat.
“I haven’t put my stamp here.”
Ryan’s low laugh sent a warmth spreading through her.
“I assure you I wouldn’t have put Christmas decorations up on my house or extra trees inside.
I wouldn’t have cleared out an extra stall for you to have a horse of your own if you want, and I never would have come in so early from working today had you not been here. Your stamp is everywhere.”
She supposed that might be true, but she hadn’t thought of things in that way before. She hadn’t realized just how deeply she’d fallen into the ranch because she’d been too consumed with falling into the man.
Morgan slid her hands on up to his shoulders. “Your food is getting cold and I worked too hard for you to not enjoy it fresh.”
Ryan nipped at her lips. “I’d rather enjoy other things right now.”
Oh, this man knew exactly what to say to distract her and make her mind believe that this temporary setup could be something long-term.
But he’d never said anything about loving her or wanting something beyond building his legacy and raising the next generation of Carters.
“Let’s eat first,” she told him. “Then you can enjoy me however you want.”
Ryan groaned and dropped his head, then took a step back.
“I really can’t believe you called in Nelson for a cooking lesson.”
Morgan crossed her arms and pulled in a deep breath, trying to focus after that promise of the extracurricular activities coming soon.
“I really didn’t know what else to do for you and I’m not the best cook, so I thought I’d try. Who knows, maybe I’ll like cooking and can whip up something on Nelson’s days off. Don’t count on that, but if we can go from fighting like crazy, then maybe I’ll like cooking for us.”
Ryan’s brows rose as his eyes widened. “You’re staying here?”
Morgan chewed her bottom lip and weighed her next words carefully. “I haven’t made up my mind, but I’m not in a hurry to go just yet.”
The way he smiled, like he knew something she didn’t, had Morgan shaking her head.
“Don’t get so cocky, now,” she warned. “I didn’t agree to anything. I just said I was staying awhile and thinking about this. The baby has to eat, too.”
Ryan glanced to the mashed potatoes, baked steak, rolls, asparagus wrapped in bacon, and a chocolate cake and then back to her.
He quirked brow. “Interesting that all of this is my favorite.”
“Yeah, well, I started with your favorites as a way to say thank you for all you’ve done,” she told him. “But that doesn’t mean I’m staying, so stop looking at me that way.”
“If you want to get naked, I can look at you a different way,” he retorted.
Morgan smacked his chest. “Go sit down and I’ll get us some plates.”
He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “You go sit. You made the meal, the least I could do is serve you.”
“Serve me? I do like the sound of that.”
His lips feathered lightly over hers as his hand slid down to her backside. “I’ll be serving you later, too.”
A thrill shot through Morgan and she wondered if she would always have this feeling of excitement where Ryan was concerned. Was it just the fast-paced new scenario she’d found that made her so giddy? Or was there something much deeper that she should try to hold on to?
Her month was quickly coming to an end and she might just stick around a little longer to see where this all would lead.