Taking Charge (Lone Star Burn #4)(27)

They came to a stop beside Lucy’s truck. “I know it was rough for you after your brother left, Lucy. I hope things are going better for you now.”

“They’re turning around,” Lucy said with a smile, then stepped inside her truck.

As Lucy drove back to her place, she thought about what she’d said to Michelle about toys. Was there really a difference between the large mechanical device she’d giggled like a schoolgirl at the night before and the regular vibrator she’d owned since college?

I can do this.

Lucy was still smiling when she drove back up her driveway. She waved to David, who was standing near the barn with Wyatt, parked her truck, and walked into her house without stopping to talk to either of them. She didn’t want to risk ruining the positive energy. She went inside her office and pulled down all the blinds.

I’ve been letting a little thing like a crazy number of controls intimidate me when I should . . . embrace the challenge, so to speak.



David pushed his hat back and fought the urge to follow Lucy into her house. She’d bolted that morning, and he’d had trouble concentrating since. All day he told himself she’d be fine in town by herself, but he was relieved when she pulled into the driveway, missing the mailbox he’d fixed.

He didn’t know what to think about how happy she looked as she waved to him before heading inside her house without a word. Could be visiting the bank had put her mind at ease, and that was the reason for her smile. He wanted her to be happy, but he felt a pang of jealousy at the thought that someone else might have put her in such a good mood.

He didn’t realize he’d grunted until Wyatt said, “If you let yourself get worked up this early, you’ll be a wreck by the time you’re actually dating. Let her come to you.”

David could have denied his level of interest in Lucy, but he didn’t see the point. Wyatt cared about Lucy and had known her a long time. His opinion wasn’t one to be carelessly dismissed. David leaned a hip on the porch railing as he continued to look at Lucy’s house. “I gave her space the first time, and she went off and got engaged.”

Wyatt laughed. “You’re not afraid to tell it like it is, are you? I like that about you. I know Lucy well enough to say she’s not looking to get engaged anytime soon. And she likes you, but that won’t be enough. Women and men aren’t as different as they like to claim they are. They both find it hard to appreciate anything that comes too easily to them. Give the girl some time to pine for you.”

David glanced at Wyatt out of the corner of his eye. “What is it about me that makes everyone think I can’t do this on my own?”

Wyatt took a moment to seriously consider the reason before he said, “You’re a good man, David. Those are few and far between. Lucy’s always been a sweet girl. We were all holding our breath when she got engaged to that snake, York. No one wants to see you mess this up, son.”

“I won’t. Not this time.” David rubbed a hand over his chin and sighed. “I consider myself a patient man, but I don’t want to be out here when I could be in there.”

Wyatt cackled another laugh. “I remember those days. Don’t you worry, David, I’ve got plenty of boxes for you to unload from the last truck run. Come on, we’ll feed you dinner for your trouble.”

Pushing himself off the railing, David nodded toward the house in the back that Wyatt’s family was moving into. “Does your wife make her own biscuits?”

“They’re so good I would have married her for them alone.”

David’s stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. “Then you’d better treat her well, or my sights might turn in that direction.”

“Try it and you’d live only as long as it took me to find the right corner of the field to bury you in.”

David’s eyebrows shot up. The man was in his sixties and so was his wife. He had to know he was joking. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He laughed again and gave David a pat on the back. “You do that. Something tells me you’ll be the same way with Lucy when she’s yours. My daughter-in-law has my son getting manicures and waxing off hair from where God intended for it grow. She might as well geld him. It’s good to have a man’s man around. Hopefully some of you will rub off on him.”

David let the waxing comment pass. He didn’t want to know. “What you’re saying is that you want your son smelling like he spent the day cleaning out paddocks?”

Wyatt’s nose wrinkled. “Now that you mention it, I’ll ask my wife to hold supper until after you shower. Let’s get my truck unloaded first.”

David agreed. What Wyatt had said about giving Lucy some time made sense, and he could use a distraction. He had a feeling that if Wyatt’s family was anything like him, it would be highly entertaining.





Chapter Seven


A week later, feeling calmer than she had in a long time, Lucy walked between her piles of inventory and tried to pick the next one she’d try. Her initial embarrassment with them gone, she was taking a much more practical approach.

There was nothing wrong with a woman enjoying herself as much as a man did, and if these items helped women do that, she was actually doing them a service by making them available. Sure there were some toys in the room Lucy was convinced she’d never use, but she was okay with that.