Sinclair Justice (Texas Rangers #2)(27)
Ross’s smile dimmed. With a last gentle kiss on the rosy cheek, he offered the boy back. “I’m getting too old for that. So what brings y’all into town from Lubbock?”
Jasmine gladly accepted her son, even if she looked skeptical at his remark.
Chad only shrugged. “Took a few days off to handle some business.”
“Great; you’re both welcome to stay here, you know that. I even have a bassinet somewhere that I keep for the reunion s.” When they hesitated, Ross insisted, “Believe me, I’m glad for the company.”
“I like to stay at the homestead when I’m here, check up on things,” Chad replied. He waited, then added, “Besides, you may have other things to do. I hear there’s a new arrival in town. Someone from back East?”
Jasmine and Chad exchanged a look. Ross noticed. He scowled. “Can’t a man keep one little thing private around here?”
CHAPTER 6
Chad grinned tauntingly. “I never could. To your great delight, I might add. I remember a certain ribbing I took, complete with a leather-holstered sex kitten above my desk.”
Jasmine laughed, cradling her son closer to her impressive bosom. She’d rounded out since she’d given birth to the Foster heir. She was still trying to lose the last fifteen pounds, but based on the pride and adoration oozing from Chad’s every pore, he loved her just as she was. He put an arm around her and murmured something in her ear that made her blush.
Ross squelched a sigh, feeling like a lovesick idiot, but he couldn’t help it: Jasmine’s pale green eyes suddenly became blue, her rioting auburn curls a straighter, deeper brown that begged for a man to bury his hands in those thick tresses, and . . .
“Ross? You okay?” Chad’s head tilted slightly to the side in that way he had when he was confused.
Emm did the same thing . . . Ross turned to the bar to hide his flush. “I’m sorry, woolgathering; it’s been a tough week. How are y’all liking Lubbock?” He mixed them each their favorite, a margarita with fresh lime juice and A?ejo premium tequila.
Accepting their drinks, they sat down on the couch, very close together. When their son began to doze, Jasmine set the boy down next to her and piled pillows on the edge of the plush couch to keep him away from the edge. Ross noted that, just in case, she also kept her hand pressed on the edge of the couch in front of the pillows to stop them from sliding to the floor. Chad handed Jasmine her drink from the table beside him periodically as they discussed the little things in life, like her new coursework at Texas Tech, Chad’s new boss, and how they both liked Lubbock but missed the ranch. Ross noted Chad always seemed to sense when she was ready for another sip and gave her the glass without her saying a word.
He’d observed that strange empathy between the two of them almost from the beginning, the unspoken ability to read each other’s thoughts and wishes. He was convinced it was the sixth sense only couples shared that was the real glue holding marriages together. Superficial things like status and looks waxed and waned over time, but this warm bond grew stronger with the years. If it was there to begin with . . .
Again, Ross had to collect his scattered thoughts when Chad asked, “So, what’s happening with the family’s buildings? I hear the conservator who came into town is quite a looker.”
Succumbing to their curiosity, Ross admitted, “Yes, and a royal pain in the ass. We’re waiting for a structural survey, and then she can make her finding and boogie back East, where she belongs.”
Jasmine eyed his averted face. When he still concentrated fiercely on the dregs of his own margarita, she smiled slightly. “She sounds interesting. We’re at the ranch for a couple of days . . . would y’all like to come out for lunch this weekend?”
When Chad grasped his throat and made a choking sound, she whacked him lightly on the thigh. “I’m trying to be a better cook, but since Trey junior came—”
Chad’s hands fell, but he scooted slightly away from Jasmine as he needled, “Poor kid, it’s good he’s still on milk because your cooking might stunt his growth.” He had to dodge a halfhearted whack.
Jasmine’s mock glare became real. “We’re not paying all this money for law school so I can be Suzy homemaker. If I don’t make law review, my dad will have a conniption, especially as he’s funding me now so I can spend my savings on the ranch . . . You can take over cooking once in a while, Mr. Hotshot Lieutenant—”
Ross picked out the pertinent information from her complaint. “Lieutenant? When did that happen and why didn’t you tell me, you SOB?”
“That’s one reason we made this trip. Took a few days off to celebrate, and see to some repairs at the homestead.” Chad accepted Ross’s warm handshake. “I really have you to thank for it. I took your approach into the Lubbock office with me and our conviction rate has climbed twenty percent in a year because our evidence methods are so much more ironclad. They noticed and promoted me accordingly.”
Ross sat back down, unable to resist his own jibe. “No more Texas-style justice?”
“Yessir, it just works better if it’s slow and maybe.” Chad and Ross shared a laugh, and then Chad pulled his scowling wife under his arm and kissed her cheek. “’Course it doesn’t hurt to have two attorneys in the family. Keeps me on the straight and narrow.” He bent his head to kiss her caustic comment away.