Always On My Mind (The Sullivans #8)(53)

He hadn’t realized Lori and her sister spoke every day. Despite opening up to each other about their failed relationships after their first night together, by tacit agreement since then, they hadn’t pushed each other hard for anything. Instead, they’d both simply enjoyed their time together.

But it was getting harder and harder for Grayson to deny that he was starved for more of Lori. Not just her body. Not just her laughter. But to know her better.

All of her, inside and out.

So even though he knew he shouldn’t listen in without her knowledge, he didn’t head back outside to let her finish her call in private.

“Oh!” he heard Lori exclaim. “Is that a baby laughing? Really, it’s two babies laughing at the same time?” He felt the wonder in her voice deep in the center of his heart. “What could be better than that?” she asked on a sweet little laugh of her own. “I can’t wait to see them on Sunday. I’ve missed my little niece and nephew so much.”

He’d known since that day he’d taken her to the General Store to pick up boots that she’d be leaving him for lunch this Sunday.

Unfortunately, he also knew that the odds of her coming back to his farm—and to him—after that were slim to none. Because once she re-entered her real life, she’d see how ridiculous hiding out on his farm was. Lori was a world-class dancer. She had a family who loved her. As much a part of the land as she seemed to be every time he looked at her, the truth was that she didn’t belong on his farm.

It was why he’d been careful not to get too close, telling himself again and again that it was smarter just to fill up on pleasure so that it wouldn’t hurt as much once she was gone.

But Grayson knew better: It would hurt like hell.

And he would have to let her leave anyway, because keeping Lori hidden away on a farm would deprive the world of her truly special gift. He’d known from the first second she showed up that she wouldn’t last very long. But he’d thought she would leave because she hadn’t been able to hack the hard work.

Now he knew the truth. Lori Sullivan could do anything she set her mind to. But while there could be plenty of great farmhands out there, only a few people were meant to be dancers.

“Yes,” she said to her sister, “I do feel better.” She gave a contented little sigh. “Lots better. What can I say? Being a farmhand obviously agrees with me. Oh,” she added on a playful note, “and lots of super awesome sex with a hot cowboy doesn’t hurt, either.”

She laughed at whatever her sister said. “Don’t worry, Soph. You’d like Grayson. He’s nothing like Victor.” Lori was silent for a few moments as her sister spoke again. “I don’t know. I’m still working that out.”

What didn’t she know? Grayson asked himself. If she was finally going to confront the douchebag she used to date? Or was she telling her sister that she thought there was a chance of a future with the cowboy?

Shit. This was why it was a bad idea to listen in on a conversation. Especially only half of one.

“I love you, too, Soph. Kiss each one of Smith’s and Jackie’s perfect little fingers and toes for their Aunt, okay?”

Grayson slipped back out the side door and stood in the driveway, staring up at the moon, wondering when in the hell he’d managed to completely lose hold of his heart. A few minutes later, Lori came outside to join him and slipped her hand into his.

“I swear,” she said in a voice filled with wonder, “the moon looks prettier here than anywhere else. Everything does.”

“It’s even better from the middle of the pasture.”

Hand in hand, they started slowly walking out across his land, the night air clean and crisp, the sky an inky blue. For once, she was quiet as she stared up at the sky and he knew he should be appreciating the rare moments of silence.

Only, more than he wanted a return to the quiet he’d grown so accustomed to over the past three years, he wanted Lori.

“Tell me about your family.”

He felt her start in obvious surprise, but she quickly covered it with a laugh. “The sun will probably be back up by the time I finish doing that. There are eight of us, remember?”

“You only have one sister, right?”

She nodded. “We’re twins.”

“There’s two of you?”

“Don’t sound so horrified. We’re nothing like each other. In fact, I can guarantee you would love my quiet, calm, librarian sister. Everyone does, especially Sophie’s pub-owning, tattoo-covered husband, Jake.”

He raised an eyebrow. “How’d they possibly end up together?”

“Sophie and Jake have been in love with each other since they were kids, but neither of them wanted to admit it until they finally gave in and had a one-night stand at my brother Chase’s wedding. Sophie got pregnant with twins and the rest is history.”

By now, he wasn’t terribly surprised at the way Lori acted as if something like that would be a perfectly natural progression for a relationship to take. She didn’t expect life to be normal, or by the book.

“My brother Gabe is just a little older than me and Soph. He’s a firefighter in the City and recently married Megan after saving her and her daughter Summer from a bad apartment fire last year.” With barely a breath between sentences she explained, “Summer is an amazing eight-year-old who made my brother Zach take her new puppy for a couple of weeks while they were gone on vacation. He ended up meeting Heather, who’s a dog trainer and wanted nothing to do with him. But then her dog fell in love with his puppy, and Zach realized he couldn’t live without Heather either, so now they’re engaged.”