“I want to buy the ranch from you. Sell Forget Me Not to me.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Surely he’d misheard Jake.
“Come again? What did you say?”
“I want to buy the ranch.”
Shea took off his hat and set it on the blanket, his lips twitching, but it was impossible to contain the laughter busting from inside him. “You wanna buy the ranch. You. The man who’s afraid of horses and falls into a body of water anytime he gets near one.” He rolled on the blanket. “I bet you can’t even drive a stick shift.”
“No, and so what? Stop laughing at me.” Jake pounced, pinning him to the ground, his very hard body pressed up so tight to Shea’s, he could feel every muscled dip and curve. Did he mention hard? And getting harder by the second. Shea watched as a dangerous spark he was fast becoming familiar with flared in Jake’s eyes, turning the icy cool jade to a hot emerald green.
Shea clamped a hand around Jake’s waist to hold him and pressed his nose right under his ear. Damned if that smell of heat with a touch of vanilla that Shea remembered from his early morning shower in Jake’s apartment in New York didn’t give him an instant hard-on like nothing else. He kissed wherever his lips touched hot skin, and Jake’s dick thickened against his thigh.
A warning growl escaped Jake. “You need to stop.”
“Mmhmm.” And Shea did it again. Smothering a curse, Jake rolled off him and shifted away. Shea waited for him to take a drink of cold water. “Stacey asked me if I was your boyfriend.”
Jake choked and wiped at his mouth. “She what?” he croaked out.
“You heard me.” Shea popped a grape into his mouth. “Don’t go lookin’ all surprised, neither. I’m around you all the time and holding your hand. Princess is a smart cookie. She don’t have to talk a lot to see things.”
“So what did you say to her?”
“The truth. I said I don’t know ’bout that, but we were very good friends and that was most important.” Shea squinted into the distance. “But I don’t really like lying to a child.”
“What’re you lying about?”
At that moment, Stacey ran over to them with a fistful of flowers. “I hafta go to the bathroom.”
Shea bit back a smile at Jake’s frustration, but he was glad for the interruption. He needed to get his head on straight about everything going on around them. Jake buying the ranch barely entered his consciousness. That wasn’t a serious offer. Jake couldn’t run the place—it needed someone who understood the life. He knew it was an emotional reaction to his daughter reclaiming her voice.
“Let’s go to the cabin, and head back after. Y’all are gonna want to clean up for dinner.” He allowed his fingers to brush against Jake’s as they picked up the blankets. “Last night tonight.”
In silence, they walked to the cabin, where he waited outside for Jake to take Stacey inside, and then they trekked to Rambo, who’d wandered the field but came trotting up to him when they approached. Jake eyed the horse. “Good thing I’m driving. He’s okay taking you and Stacey?”
Before Shea could answer, Stacey scooted over to the big horse, who bent his head so she could pet his nose.
“He likes me, Daddy. Don’t be a scaredy-cat.”
Shea snorted with laughter. “She’s got you there.” He picked Stacey up and put her on the saddle. “You tell ’em, Princess. We know what we’re doin’, right?”
“Yeah. Me ’n Shea do.”
Jake eyed them. “Well, I’ll follow behind you. The ATV gives me enough of a shaking to my insides.”
“Shea can help you with your boo-boos, Daddy.”
“I sure can.”
Shea winked, and Jake rolled his eyes and dug the keys out of his pocket. “Let’s go.”
Shea gave his backpack to Jake to hold and hoisted himself onto Rambo. “Hold on, Princess. Take the reins with me, and you can help show Rambo how to git home.”
The horse knew the way, but he could see by Stacey’s delighted smile she was thrilled to think she was leading him. Shea would do anything to help rebuild her confidence.
“Okay. This way, Rambo.” She put her little hands on the reins, and Shea held them behind her to guide the horse across the field and up onto the trail. The dog followed them, her tongue lolling out of her mouth, and Jake brought up the rear.
They reached the barn, and Craig and Johnny came running up to