Tied Up, Tied Down (Rough Riders #4)(50)

Kimi bounded back to the seating area where Skylar hung on the periphery. “It’s good to see Cam home in one piece, even if it is only for a few days. Every time he’s gotten leave in the last few years, something awful happens over there and it’s cancelled.”


Skylar searched the McKay crowd for Kade. “That’s too bad.”


“Sweetie, I know that look.”


“What look?”


“The, ‘I’m a new mother and I’m always exhausted’ look. The ‘who in the heck are all these people’ look. The ‘where did my man wander off to’ look.”


Even through her melancholy, Sky was mightily amused by Kade’s mother. “You recognize all those looks on me already, Kimi?”


“Yep, and this time Kade had nothing to do with it. Here, lemme take Eliza for a bit.

Why don’t you sneak into the house where it’s quiet?”


Touched that Kimi seemed to be looking out for her once again, she said, “Thanks. I do feel a little lost in the crowd today.”


“It’s them durn hormones. Having a baby messes you up physically and emotionally for months afterward.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how you young women do it all these days.”


“You had two babies at the same time. I don’t know how you did it.”


“To tell you the truth, I don’t either.” She laughed. “It’s sort of a blur.”


“Tell me about it.”


Kimi made a shooing motion. “Now go on, scat. Eliza and Grama have serious showin’ off to do.”


Inside the big, old farmhouse, Sky wandered upstairs. Although the styles were the same, this one was much bigger than her house. Six bedrooms ringed a long, wide hallway. At the end opposite the staircase was a small bathroom. She snuck inside and shut the door, half-wishing she, Kade and Eliza could just go home.

Home. This area was Kade’s home. She’d bet this house was as familiar to Kade as the house he’d grown up in. She stared out the window at the shadowed ridge of mountains in the distance. The hilly prairie, heavy with tall, dry grass, clumps of scrub cedar. Little black specks she assumed were cows. A landscape completely foreign to her, which fit since the ranching lifestyle was equally foreign to her.

After washing her hands, she’d decided to call India, feeling guilty for her unintentional family neglect of her only sister, when two raps sounded on the door.

“Skylar? Sweetheart, you all right?”


Kade.

She stepped out and resisted throwing herself into his arms. Streaks of grease dotted his face. He looked cute and surprisingly, a bit perplexed.

“Hey. Sorry. I got roped into helpin’ fix an old tractor with Blake and Chet and Remy. Then when Cam showed up I realized I’d left you alone for a coupla hours.”


“Understandable. It’s also understandable that I want to go home.”


“Sky—”


“Don’t worry. I know it’s your family time. I won’t whine and make you come with me. You can stay. No big deal. I’ll call my sister to come get me, if you and Eliza wanna hang out.”


Kade bent down until they were nose to nose. “That’s what you think? I’d be pissed off about you tryin’ to get me to leave here?”


She hadn’t meant to sound petulant. She hadn’t meant to make him mad either. “I realize you want to be with your family.”


“Wrong. You are my family.”


Before she could respond, footsteps echoed up the stairs. Kade grabbed her hand and towed her into the next room and quietly closed the door.

“What are you doing?”


“Findin’ someplace private where we ain’t gonna be overheard by everyone.” Kade crowded her against the wall. “You wanna tell me why you’ve got that lost look in your pretty eyes and why you’re hidin’ out in the damn bathroom?”


Because I was adrift until you showed up.

“Sky?” he prompted.

“I’m tired, I’m so tired all the damn time and it’s been stressful meeting your whole family at once.”


“I imagine. Despite what you think, we can go home right now, if you want to.”


She was ridiculously thrilled he considered her place home. She reached up to wipe a grease smudge from his nose. “Got a little dirty playing with your big boy toys, didn’t you?”


“Yeah. Sorry.”


“Don’t be. It looks good on you.” Sky let her fingertips wander over the angles of his face, cheekbones, jaw and up to his forehead. “Very, very good.”


Kade stared at her in that way which made everything feminine inside her go all soft and moist.

“Anyway, Grama Kimi just absconded with Princess Eliza and she’d probably throw a fit if we attempted to leave.” Skylar brushed a piece of hay out of his hair. He smelled good. Like earth and animals and machinery. Like home.

“Can’t have Grama disappointed,” he murmured.

“No.” She continued to stroke his temple and the smooth section of skin in front of his ear, loving the chance to touch him however she pleased.