Chapter 19
From the Ground Up – Dan + Shay
Gunner
Ever wake up with excitement deep in your belly and for a moment wonder why it was there?
It was a lot less than a moment before it struck me, why I had hosts of damn butterflies.
It was that kiss. Both the kisses. Can’t say I wasn’t shocked when Cassidy pulled me in for another one, but I wasn’t about to say no.
As kisses went it was pretty spectacular.
Hard when it needed to be, gentle when it needed to be, and her lips were as soft as the plumpest pillows.
The honker I woke up with was proof of how good it was. Not that I didn’t wake up with one every day, but today’s was all about Cassidy and was a full on angry bishop. It was her I’d dreamed about when I’d finally got some sleep.
It was her that I’d have loved to have dragged into my bed last night.
Her who’d I’d have loved to have feasted on and to have fucked all night long.
I stopped myself, though, because it would have been wrong.
We’d only just stopped bitching at each other, or maybe it was a temporary ceasefire, but one day of being pleasant to each other wasn’t the best basis for a night of bambam.
Besides which, we might have been hostile with each other for the last three years, but she deserved my respect.
A few dates, a nice dinner first…maybe. Although, if she carried on eating her breakfast yoghurt in the way she was then I might just throw her over my shoulder and fuck the respect.
The only respectful thing she would be getting would be the attention I paid to her while she lay naked on my sheets.
“Enjoying that?” I asked as she licked the spoon clean. Thank fuck I’d gotten dressed before coming down for breakfast because a steel hard dick in my pajama pants would be obvious, never mind obscene.
She frowned. “Yes, why?” She gave the spoon another lick before dropping it into the bowl. “Is it yours or something?”
“Nope. Just checking breakfast is to your satisfaction.” Was it illogical to be jealous of a spoon?
“Pancakes?” Nash asked from over by the stove. Bertie was sitting on the counter next to him, slowly pouring the batter into the pan for him.
“You should say yes,” I told Cassidy. “He makes the best pancakes.”
“And cupcakes,” Bertie chimed in. “Remember when you made them for Getting To Know You Day, Daddy.” She turned to us. “They were an absolute triumph, Miss. Turner.”
Cassidy smiled widely, her eyes soft on my niece. “I remember. They were the talk of the moms, if I remember.”
Nash turned and grinned with a shake of his head.
As a single dad he’d been very popular with the ladies of Silver Peaks.
His heart had always been with Lily, though.
Anyone else never had a chance. Even Bertie’s mom had only been a one night thing.
Thankfully, for us, and Bertie, she didn’t want anything to do with the amazing little girl helping her dad with pancakes.
Her mom signed all responsibility of her to Nash and then went to work on the cruise ships.
That meant we got to have her in our lives permanently, because she was our sunshine and not just on the rainy days.
Raised by three men, who’d practically raised themselves, it meant her vocabulary leaned more toward a twenty-five year old rancher than a ten year old princess but Lily was working on that.
“How many pancakes do you want?” Nash asked, changing the subject.
“As many as you’re willing to make,” I told him and rubbed my stomach. “I’m a growing boy.”
Cassidy cleared her throat and shifted in her seat, glancing at me as Lily came in with Billy toddling at her side.
“Oh babe, you’re making pancakes. Thank you.” She went over to Nash and reached up to kiss his cheek. “I’m starved.”
I watched as Billy went over to his toys and dropped his little ass to the floor and began building a tower with plastic bricks.
Lily leaned in to kiss Bertie’s cheek and tickled her sides getting a loud belly laugh from her.
They were the ideal picture of domesticity, and I envied them.
I would love what they had, but maybe in another lifetime.
For now, I had my horses and the camp to concentrate on.
I looked at Cassidy as she gazed at the tableau of family perfection, too.
For as good as our kisses had been we were probably best just staying as frenemies.
Breakfast continued with the usual chaos as we all tucked into the stack of pancakes Nash put on the table. They were almost gone when Wilder appeared looking a little worse for wear.
“Wow,” Bertie said, a forkful of pancake halfway to her mouth. “You look icky Uncle Wilder.”
He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “I feel icky baby. I need coffee.”
We watched as he walked over to the jug and poured himself a mug. All his movements were slow and deliberate, and it was clear he was suffering from the hangover from hell.
“How the hell did you get back from town?” I asked, glancing through the window at the snow still settled outside.
“I didn’t go to town.” He took a swig of coffee and groaned. “After getting the cattle into the storm shelter the guys had a poker game in the bunkhouse. It went on until about three this morning.”
I glanced at Cassidy, aware that we had been making out on the sofa until just before three. We were lucky that Wilder hadn’t caught us.
“You win?” Nash asked, reaching for his coffee.
“Just about broke even. Charlie, though, she cleaned up.”
“Charlie was in the bunkhouse playing poker?” I knew all the guys we hired were decent men, but the idea of Charlie in there with almost twenty men all drinking was a little unsettling.
“Don’t worry.” Wilder took the seat next to me and dropped into it with a huff. “She can handle herself, but also we were all totally respectful and I walked her back to the stable apartment at the end of the night.”
“That’s good. But talking of Charlie, you should all know she’s leaving.” My eyes met Cassidy’s who gave me a small smile. One that said, ‘it’ll be fine’.
“No way!” Nash exclaimed.
“Why?” Lily asked and then turned to Wilder. “You didn’t, did you?”
“No!” He pushed his fingers against his temple and then repeated, softer, “No I didn’t.”
“She’s got a job back home in Tennessee. Heading up a training program.”
Nash slapped my shoulder. “This has to be a pain in the ass for you. You going to promote from within?”
I shook my head. “No, no one is ready. Katie might have been if she hadn’t left for veterinary college.
So, I’ll place an ad on the usual websites, maybe talk to Deacon.
He usually knows a few people on the circuit looking for something.
” I pointed at Wilder with my thumb. “So, he isn’t why she’s leaving, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t. ”
“Damm it,” Wilder exclaimed. “I told you I didn’t.”
“What never?” I asked, surprised.
Wilder held his hands in the air. “No never I just liked you to think I did because it annoyed the shit out of you.”
“You really didn’t?” Nash seemed equally as shocked as I was that Wilder had never hooked up with Charlie.
“No, I didn’t.”
“What didn’t Uncle Wilder do?” Bertie asked, pushing her finger through the syrup residue on her plate.
“He didn’t do disgusting things like wipe his plate with his finger,” Nash grumbled, taking Bertie’s plate away from her. “You dirty little munchkin.” They grinned at each other, love shining through and that twinge momentarily came back in my chest.
“Go and wash up, baby,” Lily told her, giving my niece just as brilliant a smile as Nash had.
As Bertie made a song and dance about leaving the table to go to the bathroom, I looked over at Cassidy.
She was staring out of the window. I wasn’t sure if she was distracted by the weather outside or deliberately ignoring the goings on at the table.
I often found myself doing that, since Nash had gained his own little tribe.
When they were together, loving each other and family time, I felt like an outsider, even if Wilder was there, too.
Someone encroaching on their private time.
Although, I knew for a fact if Nash or Lily knew I felt like that they’d be devastated. Maybe that was how Cassidy was feeling.
“You okay, Cassidy? Worried you might get stranded here another night?” I asked with a chuckle.
Her gaze swung to mine. “Not worried, but I was just wondering if I could get back to town. I have stuff I need to do ready for school tomorrow.”
Nash pulled out his phone and clicked on the screen. “Says the roads should be clear by noon. The plows out since dawn.”
“That’s good,” Cassidy replied, though she didn’t sound as enthusiastic as I’d have expected.
Funny because I didn’t feel it about her leaving either. “Before you go,” I said standing up a little too quickly, “we should finalize those camp permit applications that we started on yesterday. Make the most of being snowed in together.”
Lily shot me a glance, narrowed her eyes on me and then grinned. “Good idea. Then have some lunch here before you go back to town.”
“Okay, if you’re sure?”
“Absolutely,” Lily replied with a nod. “It’s chicken with all the trimmings.
“Don’t you think it’s weird we live on a cattle ranch and yet eat chicken?” Wilder asked, lifting his head from where it was resting on the table.
“No, because I don’t want any of you dying of a heart attack.” Lily patted his back. “You boys used to eat far too much red meat.”
“Well, it sounds good to me.” Cassidy stood up and started to collect dishes from the table. “I’ll do the dishes and then we can get started.”
“No way.” Lily waved her off. “You two go and work. Wilder can help me, can’t you sweetie?”
My brother groaned and with his head back on the table reached out for a plate and shoved it toward Lily. “There you go.”