It had been two weeks since their trip to Las Vegas, and plans for the awareness day were moving incredibly fast. It gave Hannah hope, but also made the possibility of loss extremely real. Breaking the news to her brothers and listening to them rant had also made it real. Though protective as always, they’d reluctantly agreed to limit their “help” to working on the awareness day project. As opposed to charging en masse into the city planner’s building.
Stephen had been out of town for two days, closing a deal in Texas, but he was coming back today. They texted and called several times a day and her heart turned over every time. The way he said he needed to hear her voice, that he had to make sure she was tucked in tight before he could go to sleep. It felt protective but in a very good way. In a way she was afraid to think about too much.
She and Allie were still a good distance from the barn but she recognized Stephen, standing at the fence in all his gorgeous splendor. Would she ever get used to the sight of him? Her stomach flipped and fluttered. Every time it was the same. Butterflies. Happiness.
She’d missed him—realizing just how much was scary. The way he smiled with his eyes first before the slow sexy curve of his lips. The way he kissed her, which was incredible and made her insides melt, but even more, the look in his eyes just before their lips met. Like he was always a little bit surprised she was there. The way he held her hand while they watched TV or sifted his fingers absently through her hair as she fell asleep.
“Is he your boyfriend?” Allie asked, pointing toward the gate.
That was the second time she’d been asked that question. She still wasn’t sure. “I guess.”
“Do you kiss him?”
“Um…” She slid a glance at Allie, who didn’t seem at all embarrassed by the question.
“If you do he’s your boyfriend.”
Well. A six-year-old seemed to figure it out easily enough.
“Unless he kisses other girls too and then maybe he’s not.”
Hannah got a bad feeling in her gut. Did Stephen kiss other girls?
“My brother kissed two girls so now he doesn’t have a girlfriend at all. If you kiss two, then you don’t get to have a girlfriend. That’s what Dad told him. But maybe they just don’t like him. He is kind of gross.”
Oh, God. She was an idiot. Should she assume they weren’t exclusive or assume they were? Should she ask? Wait for him to say something?
Stephen’s smile grew as they neared the gate. So did hers. He was here, that had to mean something.
He opened it for them and they passed through and stopped.
“Hey, girls.” He patted Hazel’s neck and took the lead rope. “Look at you up there. You’re a regular cowgirl.”
Allie beamed with pride. Hannah beamed at the man. She swung from the saddle and he gave her a chaste kiss. Even that made her gooey.
“You girls finished for the day?”
“You’re never finished with your horse right after you ride,” Allie told him. “You have to take care of them first. Brush them, give them water, that kind of stuff.”
“You’re right. You know a lot about horses.”
“Hannah taught me. She could teach you stuff too.”
“Yes.” Stephen sent her a look that made her blood hot and her nipples tingle. “I bet she could. Come on. Let’s get you down and get to work.”
Stephen took Winnie’s reins and Hannah moved to help Allie.
“I can do it,” Allie said.
“Okay.” Hannah stayed back. “I’m only here if you need me. Which I’m sure you don’t.” Allie fisted a bit of mane close to Hazel’s neck, leaned forward, and pulled both feet out of the stirrups. With great effort, she raised her prosthetic leg, having only her hip to maneuver an entire leg.
When she got stuck midway, Stephen moved to help but Hannah stopped him with a hand on his arm. Allie needed to do this. And she did. She got the leg over, turning herself onto her belly as she went. She hung there a second, both feet dangling. “Okay. Here I go.”
Hannah held her breath. It was just two feet, but Allie only had one solid foot to land on.
Stephen applauded her dismount. “A perfect ten.”
She could have kissed him, would have if Allie hadn’t been looking over her shoulder, smiling like she’d landed an Olympic vault.
But in a blink, the girl’s expression turned serious as she peered up at Stephen. “Do you kiss other girls?”
Oh, God.
“I asked Hannah,” Allie went on, “but she didn’t know. I just wondered, because you can’t be her boyfriend if you do. You’re handsome, but so’s my dad.”
Mortified, she choked out something like a cough. And on top of the kissing question, was Allie trying to set her up with her father?
“Allie.” Lexie called her from the barn.
“Sorry. I have to go now.”
As if we’d all like to stay and chat about it some more.
Lexie met her and together they walked Hazel slowly but steadily into the barn. Cheeks burning, Hannah stared after them.
“Well,” Stephen said cheerfully.
Yes. Well.
“Hannah.”
“What?” Please don’t ask me to look at you.
“Look at me.”
She really, really didn’t want to. But she did and found him fighting a smile while she was dying from embarrassment.
“Do you think I kiss other girls?”