Blushing, she asked, “Is that…okay?”
Nate hugged her to his side. “Trust me, they’ll be thrilled. I have an apartment above Mom’s gallery.”
“If you’re sure…” He arched his brow and she smiled. “I’d like that.”
Over the next two months, Zoe settled into a routine that revolved around Nate and Mandy, her cat, and the job she loved. It was the first true happiness she’d felt in too many years.
They spent all their time together when Nate and Zoe weren’t working and Mandy wasn’t in school. It was wonderful and changed everything about her life in Colorado.
She texted Tiffany every week and attached photos of the three of them. Mandy insisted on taking almost constant photos of the activities they did together, no matter how trivial.
The young woman was even smarter than Zoe realized. She made a perfect score on her science project and qualified for state competition. They sat together and chose her online college classes.
As an early birthday present, Zoe bought her a cowboy hat and riding gloves. “If you’re going to spend so much time on the back of a horse, you need to protect your skin and maintain your grip.”
The first day Zoe showed up wearing chaps, boots, and a soft straw cowboy hat, Nate wasnowhereto be found.
She saddled the mare she always rode, pulled herself smoothly onto the leather, and started reminding her horse and Mandy’s about their prior training. They responded easily to gentle commands given with pressure from the rider’s knees.
Nate appeared a while later and seemed tense. It gradually eased as the three of them rode the property and Zoe showed Mandy various ways to communicate with her horse.
Later, when the young woman went inside to shower, Nate confessed that he’d stayed inside until he could get his body under control. Then he made love to her mouth and stroked over her body until she worried she’d rattle out of her own skin.
“I’ve never wanted a woman with such desperation, Zoe.”
He built her up, touched her through her clothes, and she felt him groan painfully when his touch made her come. Gasping against her, he kissed her senseless and held her hard. Then he took her home.
The image of self-control.
One evening when she was late leaving the library, Nate insisted on the diner so none of them had to cook.
They chose their usual booth and were catching up on each other’s day when someone appeared beside them. Zoe looked up with a smile, assuming it was Vicki.
“Isn’t this just thesweetestlittle gathering I eversaw?”
Zoe didn’t catch all of what the woman said but her look of derision was abundantly clear. She was a good-looking woman with thick blonde hair and blue eyes, tall and curvy.
“Jolene, no one here needs or wants your nastiness. Certainly not me. You need to leave.” Mandy was never rude toanyone. That she wore an expression of actual anger spoke volumes.
The woman’s mouth distorted in a snarl. “You’re as hateful as your daddy, girl.” Nate watched their interaction but remained still and silent with a look of fury on his face. “Figures.”
Mandy shot back, “Any hatefulness I have sure didn’t come from my dad. That’s all fromyour sideof the family.” She folded her hands on the table. “For instance, pointing out that your family has an abnormally high percentage of drug addicts, criminals, and mentally unbalanced members. My dad would never say that to you.”
“You’re an awful brat.”
“Only to your bunch of awful people. You’re not welcome here. My dad doesn’t say that outright because I told him that since half my blood is from that woman, I’ll deal with her family myself.”
“Sounds like your daddy is a coward.”
“No. Just knows none of you are worth him going to jail.” Mandy’s smile was cold. “I won’t be going to jail either. I’ve had lots of nice talks with my Aunt Noel. You remember her, Jolene?”
The woman took a noticeable step back. “That heifer…”
“Watch it. We were just texting this afternoon.”
Tossing her hair, the woman seemed to realize she wasn’t intimidating the young woman in the slightest. She changed her focus to Zoe.
“Who the hell isthis?”