Loving Cara (13 page)

“I wonder what that woman told him,” I murmur.

“I’m sure she told him many, many things that aren’t fucking true and are pretty fucked-up.”

“I’m sure you’re right.” I walk through the back door of my house, a smile spreading across my face at the sight of Cara sitting at my table, looking all fresh and sexy in her jeans and green T-shirt. Her honey-blond hair is tucked behind her ears and I want to push my fingers through it.

I can’t get enough of her.

She looks up and grins back at me, those hazel eyes shining in happiness.

“Hello?”

“Sorry, Bro, got sidetracked.”

Seth’s head snaps up and he eyes me warily, but Thor hops up from his napping place at Seth’s feet and greets me energetically, dancing around my legs, his pink tongue hanging out of his mouth.

“So when will you be here?” I ask as Seth leads Thor back to his feet at the table. I pull a bottle of water from the fridge, twist off the cap, and guzzle it down in one long gulp. Cara’s eyes are glued to my neck, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide, and when the tip of her little, pink tongue peeks out to touch her upper lip, I almost grab her and take her to my bedroom to keep her under me for hours.

She recovers and blushes, looking down at her papers. Fuck, she’s adorable.

“I’ll be there by this weekend.”

“Awesome, I can use the help.”

“I miss you too,” he mutters dryly. “Be nice to my kid.”

“Seth’s being taken care of,” I assure him, wave at Cara and Seth, and head for the shower.

“Is he as bad as Mom says?”

“He’s doing better. Cara’s been great for him. He’s enjoying the ranch and we put him to work every day with chores, but I think he secretly loves it, he just doesn’t want us to know it.” I start the shower and start stripping out of my sweat-soaked, smelly clothes. “Louie’s Lab had pups a few months ago. He gave one to Seth.”

“Sounds like us at that age.” Zack chuckles. “A boy needs a dog. I’m nervous about seeing him, man. Kensie has him hating me.”

“So prove the bitch wrong, Z. Seriously, Seth will come around with time. You deal with eighteen-year-old kids fresh out of boot camp every day. You can handle one kid who secretly hero-worships you.”

“I don’t need him to hero-worship me. I’d settle for speaking to me over the phone.”

“He’ll come around.” I watch the mirror go cloudy with steam. “Do you need me to pick you up from the airport?”

“No, I’m driving up. I’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

“Drive safe. Call if you need me.”

“I will. Thanks, man. Later.”

“Later.” I hang up and step into the shower, washing up quickly so I can join Cara and Seth. I yank on a clean pair of worn blue jeans, pull an old red T-shirt over my head, and join Seth and Cara in the kitchen.

“. . . don’t care!” Seth yells.

“Seth,” Cara’s voice is hard and her hands are fisted on the table.

“What’s going on?” I ask, and narrow my eyes at Seth, who just glares at me as he jumps out of his chair, his feet planted, shoulders square, as if ready for a fight.

“Why didn’t you tell me my dad was back in Texas?” he demands.

“Seth, you refuse to listen to anyone when your dad’s name comes up.”

“If he’s in the States, why hasn’t he come here?” His lip quivers slightly but he tightens his mouth to hide it, and a ball of lead takes up residence in my gut.

“He had to finish up some things in Texas before he could come home,” I explain calmly.

“No one told me,” Seth repeats stubbornly.

“Seth, your dad tries to talk to you every time he calls and you refuse to take his calls. I know you don’t want to see him, but—”

“You don’t know anything about it!” Seth yells as tears fall from his eyes.

“Okay, explain it to me.” I lean against the counter and tuck my hands in my pockets, as if my body weren’t tense and longing to pull him to me to reassure him.

I need him to talk to me.

“No one cares.” He shakes his head and looks down at his feet, his dark hair falling into his eyes.

“That’s not true, Seth,” Cara begins.

“Yes, it is,” he interrupts, and glares at her. “What do you know, anyway? You’re banging him.” He points at me. “You’re no better than the rest of them.”

Cara gasps, and before I realize what I’m doing, I’ve gripped Seth’s lean shoulders in my hands and pulled his face within an inch of my own.

“I’m going to tell you this one time.” My voice is low and hard. Measured. “If you
ever
disrespect Cara like that again, I will make you regret it.” I loosen my grip but keep his eyes on mine. “I love you, kid.
I love you.
I care. I want to know what’s going on in your head, but I won’t force you to tell me.”

He continues to cry silently and it’s killing me.

“I’ll answer any questions you have. I’ll talk to your dad for you or call him back right now and put you on the line with him. He wants to talk to you, Seth.”

He shakes his head in denial, and I just sigh deeply and cup his face in my hand.

“Seth, your dad loves you,” Cara adds. “He’s trying to get here as fast as he can. Maybe talking on the phone with him will make you feel better.”

“I don’t want to talk to him,” Seth whispers, and turns tear-filled eyes to Cara. “I’m sorry about what I said. I didn’t mean it.”

“I know.” Cara offers him a smile. “You’re angry. But talking to us, or your dad, will help, sweetie.”

He shakes his head again and I pull him in for a hug.

“It’s going to be okay, buddy.”

“Can I take Thor to the barn?” he whispers.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

He pats his leg and Thor happily follows him out the front door.

“My brother really needs to get here and work some things out with that boy,” I mutter softly.

“He’s so angry,” Cara agrees softly. “I wish I could kick Kensie’s ass.”

“Get in line, sweetheart.”

She gathers Seth’s papers and tidies the table swiftly. I pull the papers out of her hand and set them on the table and pull her into my arms, tucked under my chin. I love the way she fits against me.

I tighten my arms around her shoulders, gliding my hands up and down her back, and just hug her.

“It’s amazing how you calm me,” I murmur.

“Same here,” she whispers without moving her cheek from my chest. “Zack’s on his way home?”

“He should be here this weekend.”

“Good. Seth needs him, whether he believes it or not.”

“I know what I need,” I murmur, and kiss her head.

“What?” She pulls back to look into my eyes. Her hazel eyes get me every time.

“You,” I whisper, and kiss her forehead. “You, curled up with me on the couch, pretending to watch a movie while I seduce you.”

She raises her eyebrows and smiles softly. “Do I get to pick the movie?”

“Since neither of us will actually be watching it, yes.”

CHAPTER

Nine

CARA

I stretch lazily, enjoying the way the soft white sheets shift over my naked body, still sensitive from a night of incredible lovemaking. Without opening my eyes, I reach to my right, searching for Josh, but his side of the bed has gone cold.

I love that he lets me sleep in, but I’d love to wake up with him once in a while.

I’ll have to request that sometime soon.

I roll to my back and take a deep breath, registering the smell of coffee. Has he come back to the house to make me coffee again?

A girl could get used to this.

Excited to see him, I jump from the bed and pull on a pair of yoga shorts and a skimpy tank top and shuffle out to the kitchen quietly while I rub the sleep from my eyes. I turn the corner from the hallway to the great room, and there he is, with his back to me, facing the coffeepot, waiting for the last of the coffee to brew.

Something about him seems to be different this morning, something in the tenseness of his shoulders, and I wonder if everything is okay. Did something happen with one of the animals?

I move up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist, bury my face in the center of his back, just as on the other day when we took Seth to get his puppy.

“Good morning,” I murmur, just as I realize that he smells . . .
wrong.

“Well, that’s one way to welcome Zack home,” a familiar voice mutters behind me.

I jump back, my heart hammering and my face flushing as the man that I just had my breasts pressed against turns and grins down at me. His face is exactly like Josh’s, aside from that small bump on his nose where he broke it his senior year in high school. “Good morning, Carolina.” He laughs at my stunned expression.

“Zack!” I wrap my arms around him and hug him close, happy to see him after all this time. “I’m sorry.”

“You’ll never hear me complain about a gorgeous woman pressing herself against me first thing in the morning.”

“Watch yourself, Brother,” Josh warns him, and pulls me out of Zack’s arms.

“So that’s how it is?” Zack asks with a raised brow.

“That’s how it is,” Josh confirms, and earns another big grin from his brother.

“How what is?” I ask, narrowing my eyes on the sexy identical twins.

“It’s a guy thing.” Josh kisses my forehead and then frowns down at my outfit. “What are you wearing?”

“Seduce-Josh-in-the-kitchen clothes.” I shrug and laugh when his eyes glass over. “I guess I got the wrong brother.”

“Go away,” Josh orders his brother, and buries his face in my neck and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me into him, making us both laugh. I pull away and pour myself a cup of coffee.

“You made good time, Zack. When did you get in?” I ask as Josh leaves the room and quickly returns with one of his oversize sweatshirts and pulls it over my head, his eyes hot with lust.

“I don’t share this beautiful body with anyone, sweetheart, even my brother,” Josh whispers in my ear, then pours himself a cup of coffee, leaving me slightly breathless and a whole lot turned on.

“Weather was good.” Zack shrugs, sits at the kitchen table as we join him. “Got in around three a.m. Crashed in J’s spare bedroom for a few hours.”

“Have you seen Seth?” Josh asks quietly.

“No.” Zack shakes his head and takes a sip of coffee. “I just got up not long ago. Thought I’d wait for him here.”

“It’s Saturday,” I remind him. “He might not be down here for quite a while, especially now that he has a puppy to get into trouble with.”

“Lost track of my days.” Zack gulps down the rest of his coffee. “I’ll go find him. Thanks for teaching him, Cara. Josh tells me you’ve been great with him, even when he’s had a piss-poor attitude.”

“He’s a good kid, Zack.” I grip his forearm in my hand soothingly, earning a glare from Josh.

What a caveman.

“Thank you,” Zack repeats with a deep sigh. “I’ve missed him.”

“If you missed me, why were you gone for so long?” Seth is standing just inside the front door, his eyes wide and angry, his hands in fists at his side and his pup whining at his feet.

“Seth.” Zack stands and walks to Seth, who steps back angrily.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Seth, I was in Afghanistan. You know that.” Zack’s body is tight with anger, but his voice is completely calm.

“Mom said you didn’t have to go, but you wanted to be away from us. You don’t care about me.”

“That’s not true.” Zack’s brown eyes are blazing with anger now. “The army didn’t give me a choice.”

Seth frowns and looks at Josh and then at his dad. “You never wanted to talk to me.”

“
You
refused to take
my
calls, not the other way around.” Zack is still standing back from Seth, but his face is lined in anguish. Clearly, he desperately wants to pull the boy to him and reassure him.

But Seth would not accept that right now.

Seth shakes his head, ready to argue some more.

“Why don’t you guys go spend the day together?” I suggest softly. “Go fishing, or ride the horses or something.”

“I hate horses and fishing,” Seth insists, crossing his arms over his chest.

Josh is a tense ball of fury, sitting silently next to me, letting his brother handle the young boy, and I have a newfound respect for the man who constantly needs to be in control.

“You love those things, Seth,” Zack reminds him calmly.

“Not with you,” he spits out, and runs out of the house, Thor following close behind.

We sit in silence for a few long minutes, not sure what to say.

“Well, that went well,” Zack finally says, and roughly rubs his forehead.

“He’ll come around,” I murmur. “He just needs to punish you for a little while before he’s ready to hear you out.”

“It’s working.”

“Can I make you guys breakfast?” I offer.

“No.” Zack shakes his head. He grabs his keys and wallet from the kitchen counter. “I’m going to go take care of some business in town, give Seth some space.” He waves and slams out the front door, fires up his Mustang, and speeds off toward the highway, the rear tires kicking up gravel as he drives away.

“It’s just us,” I mutter to Josh.

“I want to take you somewhere today.” His face is perfectly serious, and I’m instantly curious. “Let those two circle around each other. I finally get you all to myself.”

“Where are we going?”

“I want to show you my ranch on the ATV today because I don’t think you’re ready for a full day on horseback.”

“It’s going to take us all day?” I ask incredulously.

“A good portion of it.” He nods. “I’ve packed a lunch and some supplies. I want to share my home with you.”

“You have been.” I walk to him and sit in his lap, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. I press my lips to his softly. “You have been sharing your home with me.”

“There’s so much more than what you’ve seen.” He leans his forehead against my own and sighs. “Let me show you.”

“Okay, let’s go.” I lean back and grin down at him. “Do I get my own ATV?”

“Hell no, you get to sit behind me and wrap those sexy arms around my waist.”

“We’ll see.” I bounce up to go get dressed. “Maybe you’ll sit behind me and hold on to
my
waist.”