Page 38 of Promise Me a Forever Texas Love

“Right.”

A twinkle entered his eyes. “Hmm? Well, I’m glad I could help you out. And what’s your verdict?”

“Not as prickly as I thought.” She lifted her chin. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a pot roast to get into the crockpot.”

She turned to head back into the house, but he stopped her. “Cadee.”

When she turned, he had the pleading look again. “Can we not let things get weird between us again? For Camden?”

How could she say no to that? Especially when he was right. It looked like Huck planned to stay in Promise Springs. Whether she thought he could do it or not, didn’t matter. He was Camden’s father. They were his parents. It shouldn’t be weird . . . even if it was.

“We need to tell him.”

Huck nodded. “I agree. But can we wait until after his birthday? After I give him the tree house?”

“Are you hoping to bribe Camden into not being upset with you?”

He flashed a smile. “It always worked with you. You never could stay mad at me if I bought you a chocolate-dipped cone from Sloppy Joe’s.”

He hadn’t even had to bring her a cone and he knew it.

She could never stay mad at Huck.

Even now.

“So when are you going to start building this extremely safe tree house and how do you intend to keep it a secret from Cam?”

“I thought I’d start today if it’s okay. I have the lumber in Dawson’s truck.” For the first time, she noticed the old pickup truck sitting in her yard. “I’m thinking I’ll choose a tree in that grove.” He glanced at a group of trees to the left of the house. “Then all you have to do is keep him away from there until the party.” He looked back at her. “I was also thinking that maybe you’d want to do a little decorating on the inside once it’s finished. Then it could be from both of us.”

She shot him an annoyed look. “So you knew you could talk me into it.”

He grinned. “I was willing to do whatever it took.”

Even go along with a kiss he didn’t want.

She pushed the thought away. “Then I guess you better get started.” She headed back inside. This time, he didn’t stop her.

After getting the roast in the crockpot, she went upstairs to change the sheets on Camden’s bed. She tried to keep her gaze from the window that looked out on the front of the house, but it was an impossibility. Huck was carrying lumber from the truck to the group of trees. He’d removed his shirt and his back muscles glistened with sweat as he made his way across the open field with the heavy-looking boards balanced on his shoulder.

As she watched him disappear into the shadow of the trees, she recalled what he’d said after she’d kissed him.

The last time we got carried away, everything went a little haywire.

He was right. Everything had gone haywire after they’d had sex. Like water being dumped on an electrical panel, their entire relationship had short-circuited. Huck had dealt with his confused feelings by running off and she’d dealt with hers . . . maybe she still hadn’t dealt with hers. Maybe that was what the kiss was all about. She had never untangled and sorted through all the emotions from that night.

Maybe Huck hadn’t either.

They certainly couldn’t untangle them by throwing more water on them.

But maybe they could by just returning to the friends they’d once been.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Wow. You don’t mess around, do you?”

Huck crawled over to the edge of the platform he’d almost finished attaching to the base he’d secured between two thick branches and saw Cadee standing on the ground looking up at him. His gaze immediately went to her lips and heat slammed into him like a runaway brahma bull. He was thankful the lower half of his body was hidden from view.

After leaving Promise Springs, he’d been with a lot of women, but not one had consumed him with desire from a simple kiss. As soon as Cadee’s lips had touched his, all he’d wanted to do was claim her as his own.