soaking wet.”
“We’re not exactly afraid of Bria,” Ryder explained, grinning. He sat back in one of the chairs and stretched out his long legs to prop them on the ottoman. “But we’re not stupid, either. We know better than to get on her bad side. She’s one of the best cooks in the whole damn state and we don’t want to run the risk of her not making any more birthday dinners.”
“Mariah’s pies were good, too,” Jaron added, sitting down in one corner of the big leather couch.
Sam and his other four brothers exchanged amused glances as they all found seats. “When are you going to give that girl a chance and take her out?” Lane finally asked, grinning. “You know she’d go in a heartbeat.”
“She’s just a kid,” Jaron scoffed. “I’m way too old for her.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, Methuselah, she’s a grown woman now,” Nate pointed out. “And a damn fine-looking one at that.”
“You stay away from her, Nate,” Jaron warned. “You’re too old for her, too.”
The hard edge in Jaron’s voice had them all raising their eyebrows, but before any of them could react, T.J.’s cell phone rang. From his terse responses, Sam could tell the news wasn’t good.
“That was my ranch foreman,” T.J. said, cursing vehemently as he clipped his cell phone back on to his belt. “The neighbor’s stallion jumped the fence again and spoiled two more of my mares.”
Raising champion reining horses, T.J. had been complaining for the past year about the woman’s stallion coming over to romance his mares. “If that woman doesn’t keep her stud on her side of the fence and away from my herd of mares—”
“I think the man is protesting a little too much,” Lane interrupted, wearing a knowing grin.
“Give it up, T.J.,” Nate teased. “You like when that stud jumps the fence just so you have an excuse to see his owner.”
T.J. looked fit to be tied. “A jackass will sprout wings and start flying before I look forward to being in the same county with that woman. She just flat rubs me the wrong way.”
As they continued to laugh and catch up with each other, Sam’s thoughts kept straying to the woman down at the creek. It was clear that Bria liked doing things for others and that it made her feel good. He had no idea why he hadn’t understood that about her before today, but for the first time in their marriage, he began to see what she meant about wanting him to let her do things for him. It gave her a sense of purpose and she thrived on that. But he had been so determined not to be anything like his lazy, irresponsible father, he had taken that away from her. He had viewed her concern and doing little things like bringing him breakfast in bed as her thinking of him as weak and pathetic.
Maybe that was the direction he should take in starting to make things right between them. Maybe if he relied on her a little more, let her do more for him and allowed her to see that he appreciated the care she so selflessly wanted to give, she might have a change of heart.
He took a deep breath. It wasn’t going to be an easy thing for him to do after a lifetime of being fiercely independent, but at this point, it sure as hell couldn’t hurt to try.
* * *
By the time Sam’s brothers and Mariah waved goodbye and drove from the ranch yard later that evening, Bria had mixed emotions about the day. She had loved having family around, loved watching the closeness Sam and his brothers shared. But it saddened her to think this was probably the last time she and Mariah would be included in one of their birthday celebrations.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” Sam said, putting his arm around her shoulders as they stood on the porch watching the taillights fade into the evening darkness.
“No need to thank me,” she said, meaning it. “You know I enjoy getting together with family.”
“What do you say to turning off the lights and heading up to bed?” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re bound to be bone tired and I know I am.”
She was extremely tired, but her exhaustion had nothing whatsoever to do with cooking a big meal and everything to do with the man holding her so snuggly to his side. For the past several nights she had lain awake in his arms, thinking about