Page 89 of Burning Skies
“Maybe she just needs some space. My mother was like that. She’d go off on a walk and be gone for hours.”
When Honey turns to me, her eyes grow sympathetic. “Do you ever hear from her?”
“No.” I don’t like talking about how our mother ditched us, but it bothers me less than it used to. “We got a letter from her once. Said she loved us, but she couldn’t come back. My brothers and I assumed Gus had hit her, since he roughed us up sometimes.”
Reaching over, she takes my hand in hers. “I’m so sorry.”
“I try to look on the bright side. It’s one of the reasons why I became a firefighter.”
“What do you mean?”
I take a pull of my beer. “Even though he treated her like shit, my father fell apart once she took off and became a worse drunk. He left me and my brothers to fend for ourselves pretty often. I spent the better part of my teen years making sure Mav and Jace stayed out of trouble. Making sure they were fed and clothed. Scrounging for food and preventing disasters. One time, my younger brothers climbed up the water tower and couldn’t get down. Rhett wouldn’t let me go up there, so we called the fire department. When I saw them come to the rescue, I thought maybe I could do that since I like helping people.”
She swallows. “I’m glad you’re able to get something positive from what happened. But still, that had to be tough.”
“I think it was harder on Mav and Jace. They were little.They still needed their mother. At least I could lean on Rhett and Isaiah. Well, until Zey took off too.”
She sets down her plate and curls her legs under her. “Some people don’t like to settle down. I don’t get it, because I love it here and I never want to leave, but my friend Cynthia gets that itch and travels constantly. I’d get tired of living out of a suitcase. I love routine and being home.”
I bring the back of her hand to my mouth and kiss it. “I know what you mean. I love it here too. I’m kind of a homebody.” The fire crackles as I stare at her. Honey McAllister is everything I want in a woman. She’s beautiful, smart, sweet, and fierce. I take a mental photo of the incredible woman next to me. “Think you could be happy hanging out with another homebody all the time?”
Smiling, she gets out of her chair, puts my beer on the coffee table, and crawls into my lap. “Yes.” She grazes her lips against mine. “Think you could be happy with a schoolteacher?”
I wrap my arms around her. “Pretty sure I’m crazy about that schoolteacher.”
She grabs my face and kisses me. “I’m crazy about you too, Beau.” She snuggles against my chest, and I hold her to me. “This is fast, right? Are we nuts?”
I kiss her temple. “Who cares if it is? You and I are the only ones who can judge. Maybe it is, but all I know is this feels right.Youfeel right. I’ve never felt a connection with a woman the way I do with you.”
Grinning, she turns to me. “I feel the same.” She fiddles with the buttons on my shirt. “What do you want down the road? Are you hoping to get married and have kids? Not with me necessarily, but I’m just curious what your goals are.”
I nod slowly. “All the above. I love kids and adore my niece and nephews. I see how happy Rhett is with his brood, and I hope to be that happy someday. I wanna work on our ranch andbe financially secure. Give my wife and kids a good life.” I tug a strand of her hair. “What about you?”
Her smile turns shy. “I’d love to get married and have kids. My family isn’t perfect, but I like having brothers. I guess I want a chance to do it better, you know? Support my kids the way I wish my dad would support me. I want to build the Harvester Club and help kids see that there are important jobs in this town that they can do, working with animals. And of course, I want to work on the ranch.”
I kiss her slowly. “That’s a good dream.”
Hopefully, Honey and I will get a chance to see those things come true.
32
BEAU
As much asI wanna have lazy morning sex with the beautiful woman in my bed, I need to get shit done. It’s early. Six a.m.
I kiss Honey, who’s a vision with her blonde hair draped over my pillow. “I have to move a herd today. You wanna sleep in or come along? Ain’t no shame in getting some rest.”
Her eyes flutter open. “Hell, yeah, I want to come.”
“You sure? You’re not too sore?” Because we fucked like animals last night.
“Thank you for asking about the state of my kitty, but she’s good to go.”
Chuckling, I smack her ass. “Then let’s go, cowgirl. I’ll get our breakfast.”
When she emerges from a shower ten minutes later in jeans and a long-sleeved Henley, I motion to the wall hooks where I have my cowboy hats and baseball caps. “Help yourself. The one on the end is new, so it’s not all sweaty.”
“I don’t mind your sweat.” She winks at me and grabs a Wild Heart Fire Department cap.
