The Sheriff's Mail-Order Bride (The Watson Brothers #2)(33)

“Hey, where’s Fisher?” He suddenly remembered his little sidekick.

“Whoa, stop right there. He’s hanging out with Aunty Callie. She was desperate to have him to herself so who am I to deny her the simple pleasure of an eighteen-month-old?”

He breathed easy. “Okay. For a minute there I started to panic. Right, since we have the place to ourselves for a little bit, let’s get down to it.”

Gina pulled away, a shocked look on her face. “I am not having sex with you in this house until it’s way cleaner than it is now, do you hear me?”

Rory burst out laughing. He’d been about to suggest it and was glad he didn’t. “I meant working out what we want in this place. And you’ve done so much work to the house already. I can’t believe how good this room looks.” He slid his arm around her waist again and pulled her out of the kitchen. “I want to add a few rooms, one for Fisher and hopefully a brother or sister, and a decent-size open-plan family/summer room. If you want the kitchen made bigger, now would be the time to speak up.” The poky room had everything it needed although it lacked the space and open-plan style that Chance’s house had. He liked that kind of setting and hoped Gina did too.

“If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’d like something bigger with room to move. I’ve always wanted a kitchen like Chance and Callie’s. One where the family can all be together even when they’re not actually eating.”

“Exactly what I was thinking too. Now, how about the bathroom? Do you want to change that?” They walked in arm in arm and looked at the old fittings, both chewing over how it would look updated.

“I wouldn’t mind if we updated it, the size is pretty good, don’t you think?” She looked up at him, a small frown on her forehead.

Rory raised his hand and wiped at the lines in her skin. “What are they for?”

“I don’t want to spend all of your money. Plus, I don’t want to give your brother or anyone else cause for those comments yesterday.”

“Don’t worry about him, I’ve already told you that and as for money, you’ll never have to worry about it. We have more than enough to live on.”

*

That thought didn’t make her feel as good as she thought it would. Even though everyone said Tyson was just like that and she really shouldn’t take it personally, it was hard. She came into this relationship without a dime to her name and it rankled. If only Rory would let her take on a part-time job she would be able to relax about it but that idea had been squashed. He wanted a stay-at-home wife and she could hardly deny him that.

“I mean it, Gina. Don’t let him get under your skin. Ignore him. And if you can’t, get me or Callie to sort him out. I’m pretty sure she enjoys getting back at him. When she arrived, he just about blew a gasket, gave her a hard time. A woman to run the ranch and from Australia to boot; it was almost too much for him to take.” Rory laughed and hugged her. “Come on, let’s see what else we can do.” He walked her back to where the old bed stood without a mattress.

“In here.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I was thinking of extending and adding a dressing room and bathroom for us. What do you think?”

“Tell me something; if you wanted a bigger house, how come you bought this place? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

He grinned and grabbed her hand, tugging her through the house and out the back door. Rory didn’t stop until they were out near the barn. He stood her in front of him and pointed at the river that flowed through the back of the cottage. “See that?”

“Yeah.” She followed the angle of his finger.

“See the way those paddocks across the river curve up and go across the rise to the mountains?”

Gina nodded her head.

“That paddock is the beginning of Chance’s ranch. If we want to, we can build a bridge and get to his place that way. And over the rise is the start of Tyson’s place. I never thought I’d be able to buy a place this close to home, but Chance heard about it going on the market before it officially did, so I got in and grabbed it. And since the place was so cheap, I can afford to knock the house down if I want to. But I love the character. It has good bones, so the contractor tells me anyway, so I figured it would be better to just renovate and add on what’s missing.”

“Fair enough then.” She spun around and linked her hands behind his neck pulling his mouth down to hers. “Can we get this over and done with please? I really think I need an early night. I’m feeling so very tired.”

Rory shook his head and laughed. “You, woman, are turning into a sex fiend.”

She pouted.

“And no, I’m not complaining. Let’s go. We can discuss the kitchen layout when we get home. I’ll sketch while I watch you cook dinner.” He helped her into the car and shut the door. “I’ll be right behind you so don’t go breaking any laws, ma’am, or I’m going to have to take you in.”

She smiled, liking this game a little too much. “Yes, Deputy Sheriff.” Gina turned the key and drove off, watching in the rear view mirror for Rory to catch up with her while thinking of novel ways to torture him tonight.





Chapter Twelve





Rory took the summons that spewed out from the printer in the main office of the sheriff’s office and cast his gaze over them. This couldn’t be right. The Bellinghams, one of the richest families in San Francisco, taking Gina to court for custody of her son Fisher. Not his Gina, it wasn’t possible. There had to be some mistake. He walked into his office and shut the door. He had to be reading this wrong.