Rocky Mountain Haven (20 page)

Her mom’s question came back: If Daniel was someone she was truly going to trust, how was she going to let him know? Show him, and herself, she thought he was worthy of being trusted. Last night she’d shared things with him she’d never told another person. Did he understand how difficult that had been? What it meant to have felt she could tell him—everything? She’d already done something huge by leaving him alone with her boys. There wasn’t a much more tangible way of saying she trusted him than that.

But she hadn’t verbally said it, and she hadn’t said what was in her heart. And after dictating what she expected of this relationship all those months ago, if she was going to change the rules, she needed to tell him.

She made a quick phone call then called to the boys to get their things together.

“Where we going?” Lance checked the clock and frowned. “It’s too early for swimming.”

“Not too early for a visit. It’s Saturday, and Mr. Coleman said he needed you to show him where the kittens are you found yesterday.”

Squeals of delight rose and Beth smiled. Yes, and Marion Coleman needed to show them how to bake and eat too many cookies. And the rest of the Coleman boys needed to teach them how brothers could love and support each other even if they didn’t always see eye to eye on everything. How to be a family, with strong men who weren’t afraid to love their women wholeheartedly.

She blinked back the tears and hustled everyone out the door, desperately trying to figure exactly what she was going to say to Daniel when she finally saw him.

It was poetic she found him in the barn, the same place she’d searched him out three months earlier. He wandered from stall to stall, pouring grain from a bag. One of the horses sniffed his hair and made little nickering sounds. Daniel laughed, reaching up to rub its nose, the easy way he moved speaking of his familiarity with the animals and his patience. Her physical pull toward him was incredible, even in dirty jeans with his hair all mussed. She’d never seen him look more attractive, except maybe the previous night when he’d cradled Nathan so carefully.

She took a deep breath. “Hey.”

He swung around and his face lit up.

“Good morning, darling.” He strode forward and took her in his arms, planting a juicy kiss on her lips before he paused and released her, glancing around in embarrassment. “Shit, sorry. I didn’t even think to check if the boys were with you.”

“They’re at your parents’ house.”

“With my folks?” He frowned in confusion.

She twisted her fingers together, shy and nervous again. “You got a minute? We need to talk.” Damn, how often had she said that? Or him to her?

He smiled. “I feel as if we’re caught in one of those time warps. You want to walk or sit here in the barn with me?”

They laughed together, and suddenly she wasn’t anxious anymore. She tucked herself back against his body, resting her head on his chest. “I missed waking up in your arms this morning.”

He kissed her forehead. “I didn’t want to push it with the boys, but damn you were hard to leave.”

Beth looked into his eyes, marveling at the way he waited patiently for her to make the next move. To speak. She really did feel safe with him. “Remember when I said that I wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship and you said we had to be friends as well as lovers?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you feel as if we’re friends?”

Daniel held her for a minute, staring off into space over her head. Her mind darted with the possibilities of his response. Was she pushing too fast? Then he lifted her chin so their eyes met. She could see the caring on his face.

“I think in some ways we are, and others, we’re still learning.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe that I never knew about your husband. I should have been so much more careful with you, so much gentler.”

He had been. “Oh, Daniel, everything you did was right, even if it was by accident. All our early visits were out in public, and you pushed my comfort levels the right way. You were yourself. I got to see how you dealt with the people around you, see what they thought of you. There was no pretending with you, ever. I don’t think I could have been comfortable so quickly with anyone else.”

“Do you think we’re friends?” he asked.

She kissed him. “With benefits.” He stiffened, and she hurried on before all her hard-won courage failed. “But it’s not enough. Not anymore.” She stepped back so she could look him straight in the eye. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

“Oh, thank God.”

His completely unexpected reaction made the last bubble of fear burst and joy well up in its place. She laughed out loud. “Daniel Coleman, you are impossible. What’s that supposed to mean?”

He picked her up and spun her around in a circle, clasping her close. “Just that it’s a good thing to know you’re falling, because when you land, I’ll be there waiting for you. I fell awhile ago, and I’ve been hoping you’d catch up.”

“Are you saying—?”

“I love you. I think the world of you and how you’ve faced your fears and made a new life for yourself and the boys. The way you smile and laugh, the way you pour yourself into your kids at home and at the school.” He set her back on her feet and wrapped his arms around her torso, pressing their bodies together. “I love the way you feel under me, and yet sex is a small part of it. I love the whole package, Miss Beth.”

She hugged him tightly as he spoke. He loved her. She could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice, and every bit of it rang true.

“So…what now?” she asked. He led her to a bale, and once again the coincidence of the situation hit her hard. They settled next to each other, hands linked.

“If it were just you and me involved here, I’d be willing to do whatever you feel needs to be done. I’d go down on one knee and propose if that’s what you wanted. I’d move in with you, and we could be partners for the rest of our lives without the need for any piece of paper or fancy words being spoken. But what about the boys?”

She lifted their joined hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles. It was so like Daniel to try to think the whole thing through. If she could be any surer, that would have been the final nudge she needed, that he was concerned about her sons.

He was the one they all needed in their lives, for better or worse.

Daniel could barely breathe, the raw emotion running through his body drawing his throat tight. He was looking at the possibility of forever hovering in front of him, and damn if he could figure out the right move to make.

“The way I see it, those kids have been through an awful lot over the past year, and they must be pretty confused. You were hurt pretty bad in the accident, and suddenly their daddy was gone. Yeah, the man wasn’t a good father, but he was still all they knew. You moved them to a new home and new schools, new friends. All that for the best of reasons, but it has got to make their heads spin. They might not take kindly to me coming in as someone other than a temporary babysitter.”

Beth shook her head. “I want what is best for my boys, but that doesn’t mean letting them dictate what I do with my life. It’s not going to be all sweetness and roses trying to make them understand who you will be in their lives, but just because they balk a few times doesn’t mean it’s not the best thing for them.”

“But should we push them too fast? Do we have to push them?”

“What are you suggesting? That we carry on like we have?”

“Hell no. I’m done with the hiding, and I thought you’d made it pretty clear the other day at the bar we were together. The boys can get used to the idea of me being around, slowly. It’s only a couple of weeks until Christmas, and while I want to be in your life and theirs, I don’t see any reason to rush it now.”

“So…we date?”

“Yup. You stay in the house with the boys for a while longer. Then I have another plan I’ve been working on, but I need your help with the numbers to make sure it’s possible. I’ve been chatting with Blake and Travis about buying out their portions of the furniture shop. Neither of them is interested in continuing, they’d much rather work the land and deal with that side of the ranch. I’m ready for a change and willing to sell them my share. I thought about finding a place right in town, a house. I think I’ve got enough money saved up, although I’d want to get my daddy’s blessing before heading into a new venture.”

She looked shocked. “You don’t want to ranch anymore?”

“Nope. Not if I can afford to change tracks.”

She laughed. “Daniel, we need to go somewhere, just the two of us and actually sit and talk for a couple days straight. How come I didn’t know you wanted to get out of ranching?”

He tweaked her nose. “Because we were too busy trying every non-vanilla experience we could think of.”

“True.”

They sat in silence for a minute.

“My mom offered to watch the kids.”

“Jaxi offered to watch…”

They spoke simultaneously then broke off.

Daniel grinned. “Heck, I bet half of Rocky would offer to watch the kids to let us have a getaway.”

“You honestly want to move into town?”

“Hell, yeah. Beth, I loved growing up on the ranch, and I love my family, but I feel as if I need to take the next step. What better time than now? We could find a house we both like close to the school for the kids. Easy for you to get to work.”
Crap,
there was another example of how little he knew. “Hell, I don’t even know if you still want to work if you don’t have to.”

They both took a deep breath and leaned together closer, her arms draped around his neck.

Beth shook her head. “This is one the strangest situations I’ve ever heard of. We love each other, but we’re going to take it slow for a while longer, until we can actually say that we’re friends?”

“Sounds about right to me.” He lifted her chin. “How long my folks thinking they got the boys for today?”

“Before I left, your dad had agreed to take over your duties at the pool today and your mom was asking what their favourite supper was. Does that sound like the whole day to you?”

Oh yeah.
“How about we go back to the house, grab whatever you need and head out for a while? Spend some time doing some serious talking and planning and dreaming.”

“You don’t want to stay home?” There was a hint of mischief in her eyes.

“Only if you promise not to jump me.”

“What?” Beth laughed as he pulled her to her feet.

Daniel held her hands in his, rubbing his fingers over her knuckles. “Us getting alone has usually meant sex up to now. We need more. If we can keep from getting distracted, then the house would be fine. We’ll light the fire and cuddle on the couch and talk each other’s ears off. And hopefully by the time we head over to join my folks for supper, we’ll have an idea of how we’re going to explain our plan to the boys.”

Beth squeezed his hand. “I’m looking forward to becoming your friend.”

The hopeful expression in her eyes made the future seem damn bright.

Chapter Seventeen

“How much longer you think the boys are going to last?”

Beth turned and smiled at Daniel’s whispered question. “Robbie is a goner already, and Nathan probably won’t be too far behind. But you know Lance is going to try to stay awake until the last possible second.”

The noise from the Wii filled the room as Blake and Lance fought another pitched battle. On the couch next to them, Nathan leaned against Jaxi’s side, her arm holding him vertical more than any power of his own.

New Year’s Eve, and the party was so much milder than any he’d attended in a long, long time. It was also the most exciting ever because Beth and the boys were there with his family.

Jaxi adjusted Nathan then cheered Lance on. “Get him. Knock him out of there, Lance. That’s it. Sweet…”

“Hey, that’s enough. Stop pulling for the enemy. I’m your husband, you’re supposed to want me to win,” Blake complained.

Jaxi stuck out her tongue, and Lance snorted, then destroyed another of Blake’s strongholds.

Daniel held his hand to Beth, and she took it. Jaxi wiggled her fingers in farewell as they snuck out of the basement, up the stairs to the main living room.

“It’s a quiet New Year’s. I hope this isn’t disappointing to you.” Beth slipped her hand around his back and tugged him to stop before they lost their privacy.

“Disappointing? No way.” He fit his hand around her nape and held her close, staring into her eyes. “Try perfect. I’ve been worried the past couple weeks might have been overwhelming for the boys and you, since the entire clan has been around all the time. What with spare Colemans popping in and out at random moments without any warning, I wondered when you were going to turn and run for the hills.”

Beth cupped his face in her hand, her thumb gently stroking back and forth over his cheek. The smile she gave him was real and content and made his soul satisfied. “How could you even think that for a moment? The Christmas holidays have been filled with one wonderful experience after the other for the boys and me. Your family is incredible.”

They kissed, lips gentle and soft against each other. Tongues dipping and brushing, nothing panicked or rushed. Just a comfortable and celebratory motion that said more about belonging to each other than ownership.

Daniel savoured it even as he made plans for some ownership kind of sex later that night. He liked having both sides in their relationship, and Beth was still enjoying the lessons.

Damn, his life was good.

He pulled away and gave her a wink. “What do you think about having that conversation with my folks now?”

“Tonight? But it’s New Year’s Eve…?”

“As good a time as any for making plans for the future. Ain’t this when you’re supposed to do up resolutions?” He wasn’t sure what he was going to see in her eyes, but the sheer joy reflecting out took him by surprise. “I like that expression, Miss Beth. You gonna tell me what’s going on in that pretty head of yours to make you look all shiny like that?”

She squeezed his neck so hard he thought he heard a crack.

“You are the best man I’ve ever met. It’s as if you…”