Page 81 of Take Me Home

I scoot my chair back and insert myself between them, wrapping an arm around my dad and my grandfather. They hug me back, and it’s the sweetest moment, a moment I’ll cherish in my heart, always.

With all three of us sniffling, I ease back onto my chair, glancing at the clock. It’s one minute until seven, which means Lincoln will be here any second.

Sure enough, just as the digital clock on the oven turns to seven, the faint sound of the front door swinging open alerts us that Lincoln has arrived. I smile to myself, not surprised in the least that he’s perfectly on time—even after a late night.

It’s strange how well I know him after a few weeks. It’s made me realize you can be around a person your entire life—like my mother—and feel like you barely know who they are. But sometimes you meet someone who feels like a long-lost part of your soul after mere days.

Lincoln sweeps into the room, skidding to a stop when he sees me. “Hattie, I didn’t think you’d be up this early.”

Otto smirks. “Why wouldn’t she? Hattie always eats breakfast with us.”

Ornery old man.

Lincoln stumbles for words, and I’m certain he’s blushing beneath that beard. He’s acting like we slept together all night, and this is a proverbial walk-of-shame. “I gave her and Blair a ride home from Bobcat’s,” he blurts.

“Get some coffee,” Hank tells him. “We have to fix that damn fence again.”

“Just send Hattie to help him,” Otto offers. “That worked well last time.” He winks at me, and I shake my head.

“Funny,” Lincoln grumbles, but there’s an amused smirk playing on his lips.

I wonder if he’s thinking back to that day in the old hunting lodge…the day we shared our first kiss.

His eyes meet mine across the room in a smoldering gaze. It’s a look that lights me up inside, makes my limbs thrum and my heart patter. I’ve never experienced a whole-body reaction from a single look, but that’s the kind of connection I have with Lincoln. I look away quickly, not wanting Otto and Hank to notice the look I’m sharing with their ranch hand.

I’m not ashamed of what we have. I just don’t want to make things complicated for Lincoln and my dad.

“Well, we best get started,” Hank says, standing. “You need coffee, Linc?”

He eyes me, then the coffeepot. “Yeah, I’ll grab some quick.”

“Okay, meet you in the mare barn.” Hank pats Lincoln’s arm, then heads toward the door.

Otto loads their plates into the dishwasher. “You mind putting breakfast away after Blair eats?”

“Yeah, of course.”

He smiles, then leaves.

Lincoln and I are alone in the kitchen. He crosses the room, ignores the coffee, and leans in to kiss me. I melt against him, since no one is watching. His warm hand cups my face, and his arm goes around my waist, tugging me off the barstool and planting me on the countertop.

He steps between my thighs. “I barely slept last night thinking of you in that dress, fantasizing about peeling it off you and kissing you the way I wanted to.”

I thread my fingers into his thick hair, pressing my body against him, loving the friction. A low growl ripples through his chest and he leans in again. His tongue presses against the seam of my mouth and I open to him, allowing Lincoln to taste and kiss me thoroughly. His tongue is minty and sweet.

We’re so lost in each other we barely hear the rasp of someone clearing their throat. I gasp, and Lincoln steps away from me, wiping his mouth on the back of his arm.

“Sorry, I forgot something,” Otto says, amusement glittering in his eyes. He steps past us, looking around for the supposed item he forgot. Finally, he grabs a random pen and sticks it in his front pocket. When he turns back toward the front door, he glances over his shoulder. “As you were,” he says.

The front door of the cabin clicks shut and my hand flies to my mouth.

Lincoln closes the distance between us, resting his forehead against mine. “I can never seem to get you all to myself.”

I huff a laugh. “Do you think he’ll tell Hank?”

Lincoln sighs. “I’m pretty sure Hank’s already put it together, Princess.” He smirks, pressing one soft kiss to my lips, then stepping back. “I should get to work. I’ll see you tonight at Hoedown?”

“Yeah, I’m riding with Hank and Otto, but I’ll find you.”