Gone Country (Rough Riders #14)(113)

Gavin scooped her up, threw her on the bed, and loomed over her. “You don’t have a choice. I custom ordered it. It’s on the way and it’s nonrefundable.” He studied her face. She had that determined set to her jaw, which meant arguing was pointless. So he kissed her.


“No fair,” she panted after he slid his mouth between her breasts.


“Say, thank you, Gavin, for such a thoughtful gift.”


“I will pay you for it.”


“Now you are starting to piss me off, Ree. I didn’t buy it out of guilt. I bought it because you needed it and because I could. I wanted to do something nice for you.”


“This goes way beyond nice.”


“I know. What I feel for you can hardly be described as nice. I love you.”


That’s when she softened. When her pride took a serious smackdown from her heart. “I love you too. It’s just weird to have you buy me things. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.”


“Get used to it. And practice that saying thank you thing, because I had them toss in a new tractor with a trailer attachment.”


Her mouth dropped open. “Did you really?”


“Yes. But it’s just a little tractor, so a little thank you will be fine.”


She laughed. “You are so ridiculous. That’s probably why I’m ridiculously in love with you.” She lifted up and kissed him. “Thank you, Gavin, for such a thoughtful gift.”


“My pleasure.”


“This greenhouse is enormous,” Ainsley said.


“Tell me about it. It’s twice the size of the one I’d been saving for.”


“And Gavin just bought it for you three weeks ago? Out of the blue? Was it a lucky guess?”


Rielle unhooked a hose coupling. “No. He talked to Rory and she told him. I suspect she exaggerated just a bit about what I wanted.”


Ainsley laughed. “How is Rory?”


“Busy. We only get to catch up about once a week.”


“So has she come around as far as you and Gavin being in a relationship?”


“Actually, yes. She apologized to me and to Gavin, although he didn’t go into detail about what she said to him.”


Ainsley’s eyebrows rose. “That’s progress.”


“I thought so. I’ll admit I suspected Rory was trying to pull one over on me. Claiming she had accepted the relationship in the hopes I would confide the intimate details to her. She’s sneaky that way.”


“Has she been hinting around she’d like to know more?”


“No.”


“Uh-oh. I recognize that contemplative look. What’s up?”


Rielle twisted on the spray nozzle until it loosened and fell off. “What I don’t understand is even when everything is going so great between Gavin and me, why do I still feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop?”


“Ree. That’s natural. It’s completely normal that you’re afraid now you’ve found this incredible happiness, you’ll lose it or something will screw it up.”


“Exactly! If it’s so natural and normal did you talk to Ben about this stuff at this stage in your relationship?”



Ainsley squirmed and Rielle wished she could retract the question. Although Ainsley alluded to it, she never came out and said her intimate relationship with Ben was…more intense.


“Not until Ben and I decided we wanted the same thing. We didn’t have the added pressure of kids meddling or trying to manipulate our emotions. So is Sierra completely accepting of your relationship with Gavin?”


“Most days. She’s sixteen, though. One day she’s on top of the world, the next day she’s in the pit of despair. Everything is a crisis in her life. A bad hair day. A B minus on a test. If a friend ignored her in the hallway. Or she’s elated because her favorite song came on the radio. Or if she’s having a good hair day.”


“Was Rory that way?”


“Worse. I think most girls are like that. I’d forgotten how small things are such huge angst inducing incidents in teen girls’ lives. Things we dismiss as irrelevant are life changing events in their world. It boggles my mind, what event constitutes a major breakdown and then is easily shrugged off the next day.”


“Now that you mention it, I remember being exactly like that,” Ainsley said with a groan.


“Gavin handles it really well. He’s a great father. And I know this will sound weird, but his nurturing, unconditional love and fluid discipline style he shows as Sierra’s father is one of the reasons I was so attracted to him.”


“You and Gavin are so perfect for each other. The hippie chick and the businessman? Who’da thunk, right? But it works.” Ainsley squealed and hugged her. “I am so thrilled for you—for both of you. Just think, when you and Gavin get married? We’ll be sister-in-laws!”


Rielle’s belly tumbled. “Married? That’s jumping the gun, isn’t it?”


“Neither of you went into this relationship thinking it would be casual.”