Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Mac listened to the soft click that ended the call, but he didn’t put the receiver down.
He hadn’t been kidding about the bulge in his pants, and there was no way in hell he could turn around yet.
He hadn’t planned on the call turning into an erotic experience, not considering the thousands of times he’d talked to Tess on the phone.
Mostly he’d been curious about how she’d handled the delivery of the daisies and if she was pleased with them.
I guess so, MacDougal, if she’s rubbing them over that sweet body of hers. But he had to get that image out of his head or he’d never be able to leave this phone. Tess was amazing. When he’d suggested himself as her summer lover, he’d had no idea what a Pandora’s box he was opening.
As he stood with the silent phone to his ear, he forced himself to think about something else.
The exorbitant price that Stan Henderson wanted for his stallion, for example.
And the fact that his father was seriously considering paying it.
Finally he was able to hang up the receiver and turn around.
His father was standing not ten feet away, watching him.
“Hey, Dad.” He walked over with what he hoped was a nonchalant smile. “I figured you’d be haggling with Henderson over that stud for the rest of the afternoon.”
“I decided to take a break and let him think about my last offer.” Andy MacDougal was a tall, lean cowboy who didn’t look his age any more than Nora MacDougal looked hers.
Most people assumed Mac’s parents were younger, but they’d suffered through several miscarriages before he’d come along when his mother was almost past childbearing age.
“I’m guessing you’ve got girl trouble,” his father said. “Am I right?”
Mac grinned. A partial truth was probably his best approach. “You could say that.”
“I also have a feeling she might be a serious girlfriend this time around.”
Mac didn’t like hearing that. “Nah. I’m not ready to settle down.”
“Oh, I think you are. I’ve seen the way you look at the Blakely boys and their families.
I also realize you’re choosy, and that’s fine.
But I’ve never known you to be this distracted.
So if the woman you’ve been trying to call all day long is ready for a home and family, then I suggest you go for it. ”
“She’s not.”
“Oh.” His father gazed at him for a long moment. “Want to grab a hot dog and a beer and talk about it?”
“A hot dog and a beer sounds great, Dad, but there’s really nothing to talk about.”
His father nodded. “If you say so. But the offer stands, anytime.”
“I know that, Dad, and I appreciate it.” Mac swung an arm over his father’s shoulders. “Let’s go eat. I’m starved.”