“I can’t think of too many things I’d rather do,” she said honestly.

  His head lowered, and he brushed his lips over hers. She felt the tingle clear to her toes. “Is it going to bother you if I kiss you in front of the kids?”

  She shook her head lightly. She wasn’t sure she had ever wanted anything more in her life than for him to kiss her.

  “That’s good. When I walk in that door and you turn around and smile at me, you have no idea how badly I want to feel you against me.”

  No, she hadn’t had any idea. Not a clue.

  “You can kiss me anytime,” she said. Any time. All the time. Kissing Rem was a new and very pleasurable experience. One she wouldn’t mind repeating as much as he wanted. He was good at it. She didn’t want to think about all the girls he’d kissed to have developed the ability to make her think that she was the only one. To make her forget she had four kids and a husband who’d left her. That he’d only come to North Dakota for her ranch and money. That she was plain and boring and tired and nothing that would truly interest a man like Rem.

  His lips nuzzled just below her ear. Soft and warm, they made her stomach tighten as he kept his arms around her, swaying a little like the music was still playing.

  She figured she knew what he wanted. It wasn’t like she was a young girl who hadn’t been down this road before. It kind of surprised her that she wanted it too.

  She drew back a little. His head lifted. She looked at her bedroom door then turned her head back to Rem, staring at his chin, raising her brows, putting the question in her eyes. Offering the only thing she had left that he hadn’t taken when they got married.

  The swaying stopped. He straightened. Her hands fell to his chest where his heart beat hard and irregular.

  “I’m not gonna lie to you, Elaine. That’s what I want. But it’s not all I want.”

  She bit her lip and looked down. He’d said no. It was a nice no but still a rejection.

  “Elaine?”

  He waited until she raised her head and looked at him.

  “What I have with you, I’m planning on having for the rest of my life.” His breath huffed out on a short laugh. “Heck, an hour ago, my hands were sweating and my knees were knocking together wondering if you’d even let me kiss you.”

  “You’ve been sleeping on the couch all this time. You don’t need to.”

  “I’m not moving into your bedroom because you feel bad for me or because you think you owe me. That’s not how I want it to play out.” His hands tightened on her waist, and he lowered his head once more. “Don’t ask me again. A man can only be noble so long.”

  She was pretty sure it was disappointment that backed up in her throat. “You don’t need another invitation. This one stands.”

  He groaned before he kissed her again. Longer and more passionately. She thought maybe he’d changed his mind, and if he came in, she wouldn’t be the one doing anyone any favors. But he lifted his head and set her away.

  “Happy birthday, Chica.” He dropped his hands and stepped back, shoving them in his pockets. “Go to bed, lady.”

  Chapter 15

  A snowstorm hit Sunday night. Rem had come to realize that North Dakota was like that. He could still make it to Rockerton. It might take a little longer, but he wasn’t scared. He hadn’t grown up driving in the snow, but it hadn’t taken him long to realize that it was like most other things in life—you just needed the guts to try, a little common sense, and enough perseverance to see it through to the end.

  But the kids were off school, and while he didn’t mind driving in the snow, he didn’t think Elaine probably wanted to white-knuckle it for four hours. Dinner with him could not be worth it.

  They called Nell and let her know they weren’t going.

  As Rem fed that morning with Gabe, he realized he didn’t have any plans for the day now that they weren’t traveling. A list of things that could be done always percolated in the back of his head, and he didn’t have any problem figuring out how he could spend his time.

  Except he’d been looking forward to spending the day with Elaine. He’d never been this infatuated with anyone.

  He liked watching her move. Loved hearing her voice. When she smiled at him, he’d do anything for her. Would do anything to keep that smile on her face.

  In the back of his head, he knew it wasn’t his job to make her happy, any more than anyone else controlled his happiness, but it didn’t stop him from thinking about her. All day.

  All night, too.

  He did think maybe he’d been a little bit of a fool when he’d sent her to her room alone on Saturday night. But everything about Elaine was different than the other girls he’d known. She would stand beside him for the rest of his life. He was sure of it. It shouldn’t be that hard for him to build a foundation before their relationship progressed to the physical.

  Except it was. Especially when some sly part of him suggested that a physical relationship would only help strengthen any bond they already had.

  He recognized it for the lie it was but couldn’t say the thought didn’t tempt him anyway.

  “We doing the horse stalls before breakfast?” Gabe asked, sounding a lot older than his eight years and jerking Rem out of his musings.

  “My stomach’s telling me it’s time to go in.”

  Gabe grinned. “Mine too.”

  Rem threw one last forkful of hay out the hay hole then set his fork aside. He stood for a minute looking out at the eastern sky that had exploded into shades of orange, red, and pink. It reflected off the fresh foot of snow they’d gotten overnight, and the whole world seemed to shimmer in the sub-zero air.

  “That’s a sight you don’t see in Texas.” Rem didn’t even realize he was thinking that until the words were out of his mouth.

  “It’s pretty,” Gabe said, imitating Rem’s posture, his gaze flickering over the sky. Rem had noticed the boy imitated him a lot. He didn’t mind, but he hadn’t considered the responsibility that lay on his shoulders until that second. Gabe would pick up what he laid down. He wanted it to be good things.

  He could tell him all day long what he should do. But Gabe, like most kids, would probably ignore most of the things Rem told him and simply do what he did.

  Shoving those thoughts away for another day, Rem turned and ruffled the boy’s hair. “What do you say we see if we can’t get your mother outside to play in the snow with us for a while after breakfast?”

  Gabe’s eyes lit up, but then he shook his head. “She’ll never do it. She always says she has too much to do. Then that someone needs to have food ready and put the baby to bed...” Gabe’s voice trailed off.

  “Okay. That’s good to know. Let’s make a plan where we take care of all her excuses before she says them.”

  Gabe’s brows knitted together. “Huh?”

  Rem allowed his cocky smile to lift up the corners of his mouth. “Like this...”

  They had a deal in place by the time they walked into the house ten minutes later.

  Elaine, with Carson on her hip, turned toward him with a smile on her face. He breathed deep of the scent of bacon, eggs, and cinnamon and didn’t even try to stop himself from returning her smile. He did, however, toe his boots off and hang his coat up before walking over, taking Carson from her, and wrapping his free arm around her.

  “Mmm. The best part of my morning,” he said before he kissed her. She kissed him back just as sweetly as she had the first time, and he knew he’d be fighting that sneaky part of him that said their relationship was ready for more.

  “My morning just got a lot better too,” she whispered as he lifted his head. He’d never get tired of seeing her eyes glazed and her lips glisten with his kiss. Never stop wanting more. Never want less than forever.

  But he stepped back. His eyes met Gabe’s dancing blue ones across the table.

  He cleared his throat, adjusting Carson so that the little guy’s hands could reach around his neck.

  “I guess you don’t have anything planned for today, since we were supposed to be going to Rockerton and all.”

  Elaine was flipping the eggs carefully so she didn’t break the yolks and didn’t look up. “I always have things I could be doing. I’m sure you know what I mean.”

  Gabe’s face fell, but it still held out hope that Rem would prevail.

  “I don’t suppose you have a package of hot dogs in the fridge?” Rem affected his best innocent air as he bounced Carson up and down before flying him into his high chair.

  “I do.” She looked up. “Why?”

  “Do we have marshmallows?” He answered her question with one of his own.

  “I think I have a bag in the cupboard.”

  “What about graham crackers?”

  Understanding crept across her face. She looked over her shoulder and laughed outright, shaking her spatula at Rem. “You’ve got the innocent act down, but your partner in crime looks as guilty as a bank robber holding a bucket of cash.”

  Rem gave her his best good ol’ boy smile. “So was that a yes to the graham cracker question?”

  She laughed again, shaking her head and turning back to the stove. “I do have graham crackers, actually, and—” She carefully lifted the eggs out and flipped them over onto a plate. “I also have four chocolate bars. I bought them for the kids for Valentine’s Day the last time we were in town.”

  “So I can borrow them?”

  “Borrow?” She lifted a brow, stopping with the plate in her hand.

  “Sure. Next time we go into town, I’ll replace them. Maybe they’ll multiply.”

  “Chocolate bars do not reproduce.”

  He took the plate from her. “I didn’t say reproduce. I said multiply. You’re talking science. I’m talking math. No wonder they say men are from Mars and women are from somewhere a lot weirder and farther away.”

  “If you want my chocolate bars, you’d better be nice to me.” She put a hand on her hip.

  “How about I feed your cows for you? Oh, wait. I already did that.”

  “My cows? They’re my cows?”

  “Sure. When they’re hungry, they’re yours.”

  “Oh.” She grunted. “I suppose they’re your cows when we’re loading them on the trailer and taking them to the slaughterhouse.”

  “Tell you what, you can keep them until they’re unloaded, then they’re mine,” he said smugly.

  She rolled her eyes. “Wow, you’re so generous.”

  “Mr. Rem.” Gabe pulled his face into a “what are you doing” look.

  “So, Elaine,” Rem cleared his throat. “You know how you’re always doing that family night and everything?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I think, since we already don’t have anything planned, we should just have a family day.”

  “That’s a great idea.”

  “I think we should do it outside.”

  She stopped with her butt halfway to the chair. “Outside?”

  “Sure. I’ve got some skids that need to be burned anyway. So we’ll have a fire. We have hot dogs and can make s’mores. I’ve never been ice fishing, but there’s some fishing stuff in the barn. We can pack it all up and head to the lake.”

  “I think that last statement is something people say in the summer.”

  “But this is North Dakota. We’re not really like the rest of the country. We do things our own way here.”

  “We?” She laughed.

  “I became an honorary native when I married you.”

  “I don’t think it works that way here. It’s merit based.”

  “If I bring our cows through the winter without losing any, is that good enough?”

  “Fifty winters, maybe.”

  “Wow. High standards.”

  “I think you can meet them.”

  “Sure can.”

  “So you want to take Gabe and go to the lake?”

  “Oh, Chica, you misunderstood.”

  “I did?”

  “I want you, and all of the kids, to go to the lake with me.”

  Elaine pressed her lips together.

  “Come on, Mom. You never play with us outside.”

  “Outside is a lot different than packing everything up and going to the lake. We only have one snowmobile, and it would take at least four trips, maybe more, ’til we got all the food, and we should take dry clothes, plus you’d have to take all that wood for a fire...”

  “We could just stay here and play outside,” Gabe wheedled.

  “I think that would be much better.”

  “If we don’t go to the lake, you’ll come out?”

  “Yes,” she said with a decisive nod of her head.

  “Yes!” Gabe jumped up, fist pumping the air. He skipped around to Rem and threw his arms around his neck. “You were right. It worked.”

  “Shh.” Rem put his finger over his lips, but it was too late.

  “I’ve been duped!” Elaine exclaimed. “You guys did that on purpose.”

  “It was Mr. Rem’s idea. He said aim high, and then you can settle for what you really want. He was right. You agreed to come outside and play with us.”

  “Can we really have a bonfire?” Heaven asked. “And roast hot dogs and marshmallows?”

  All the kids, even Carson, who probably didn’t understand what was going on, looked at their mother. Rem knew Elaine was lost. No one could resist all those sweet little eyes.

  But just to sweeten the pot, he said, “We’ll cook dinner so you don’t have to, and you can have a nap this afternoon.”

  “Oh, you said the ‘n’ word. I like it.”

  Rem looked around the table. “That was a yes, guys.”

  ELAINE COULDN’T BELIEVE that they’d talked her into going outside. When was the last time she’d played in the snow with her kids? Before James left, for sure. She just didn’t have the energy to do all the essential tasks plus take on more.

  But Rem stuffed Carson in his snowsuit, which was a job and a half, and got his boots and hat on. Carson’s face was red with excitement by the time they made it out the door.

  The temperature had come up to the mid-twenties, so she didn’t worry about the kids getting too cold. Even Carson should be fine in temperatures that warm.

  Rem started the fire with the old skids then helped them build a snow fort. They only built one, overlooking the driveway so they could attack anyone who attempted to come up with nefarious intentions.

  Elaine didn’t bother to point out that such a person probably would not use the driveway to get there, and not in the middle of the day; she didn’t want to be a wet blanket when the kids were having so much fun.

  She was huddled in the snow fort with Carson, stockpiling ammunition, which consisted of snowballs, when Gabe and Heaven launched a sneak attack on Rem as he gathered more snow to bring back to the fort.

  His deep laugh carried over the yard as he ran, pitching over the wall of the fort headfirst and landing beside Carson and her on his stomach, his boots sticking over the top of the wall.

  He was laughing, his face against the snowy floor, before he pushed himself up and peeked over the wall.

  The kids were waiting. Heaven didn’t have as strong a throwing arm as Gabe, but she didn’t miss.

  Rem ducked back down, laughing even harder, with snow covering his eyes, nose, and mouth.

  He pulled enough of it off to say, “If you’re gonna peek over the wall, you should do it with your mouth shut.”

  “Snow forts 101,” she said with a cheeky grin.

  “You could have mentioned that thirty seconds ago.”

  “You want to be a native, there’re some things you just have to learn the hard way.” She grabbed a couple of snowballs. “I’ll create a diversion. Then you can peek over.”

  By the time they had played and roasted hot dogs and made s’mores, they were all tired but happy and glowing.

  Her kids were almost dead on their feet as they tramped through the door. “I do believe Rem said naps after playing.”

  She barely got a complaint with that statement, so they took their snow clothes off and threw them in the dryer, and she helped Elijah and Carson get dry things on while Heaven and Gabe got themselves changed.

  “You two can read if you don’t want to nap, but I think a rest will do us all good.” Elaine looked at the bright red and happy faces of her children and felt a rush of gratitude in her chest for Rem insisting that she needed to take some time off and play.

  He’d been right.

  She was pretty sure Carson was asleep before she even stepped out of his room. She could use a good nap herself, although she didn’t have anything started for supper.

  But when she walked into the kitchen, there was already a package of hamburger sitting on the counter, thawing along with a bag of rolls. A package of frozen corn sat in a pot on the stove, ready to cook.

  She was going to get a nap after all, but she needed to thank Rem first. Sticking her head in the doorway of the living room, she saw Rem lying on the couch, far against the back. His eyes were open, like he’d been waiting for her.

  “Thanks,” she said, softly but heartfelt.

  “Take a nap with me,” he said, his voice coming out with the extra drawl it had when he was nervous. It was his tell. One sure couldn’t look at him and know that he was anything but completely confident.

  She probably had a tell, too. Whatever it was, it had to be going strong.

  Her stomach flipped, but she tried to match his casual attitude.

  “You think we’ll both fit?” He was a big man.

  “You’re asking if I’m gonna let you fall off, aren’t you? Kinda hurt my feelings.”

  She snorted and walked over, sitting down carefully before stretching out beside him. His arm came around her immediately, pulling her in to his hard warmth. He buried his nose in her hair and breathed deep.

  “Thanks for not getting mad at me for engaging in a little trickery.”

  “I’m glad you did. I had a lot of fun, and the kids had a blast.”

  “I had fun too,” he said, his voice coming low and soft. “Seems like I can do anything with you and have a good time.”

 

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