Billy hard.
Stunned, Billy stumbled backward. “What the—”
“Don’t insult Stacey again,” Colton said, clenching and unclenching his fist. “Ever.”
“Hey, I was just taking up for Joe,” Billy said.
“He doesn’t need you to take up for him. He’s doing fine,” Colton said. “He isn’t getting up in the middle of the night to take care of a baby. He’s not giving Stacey one dime of support.”
Billy’s eyes widened, and he lifted his hands. “Okay, okay. I get your message.” He turned toward Stacey. “Sorry,” he said and walked away, wiggling his shoulders as if he were trying to straighten out his spine.
His heart still slamming against his rib cage, he sat down and took another long sip of beer. “Sorry about that,” he said.
She pulled his hands into hers. “That was very nice of you. Not necessary, but—”
“Very necessary,” he said. “You don’t deserve that. Joe’s not here. He hasn’t done anything to redeem himself in this situation.”
She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it. “I’m not thinking about Joe anymore.”
Colton felt a dozen emotions slamming through him, but the way she kissed his fist made his heart turn over like a tumbleweed. “You deserve better.”
“I’m getting better,” she told him.
They finished their drinks, and Colton drove Stacey home. What he wanted was to bring her to his bed and make love to her, but that wasn’t going to happen tonight. He stopped the car and she immediately unfastened her seat belt and pulled his face toward hers. She took his mouth in a kiss that blasted through him like a ball of fire. Sweet Stacey had somehow turned into a sexy tigress, and he was reaping the benefit.
She slid her hands over his chest down to his abdomen and lower. Colton was torn between telling her to stop and begging her to continue. At the same time, his hands moved of their own volition to her breasts. With her coat open, he tugged at her sweater and slid his hands upward.
She continued kissing him, devouring him with her delicious mouth. She reached to unbuckle his belt at the same time the floodlights spilled over the front yard of her parents’ home.
“Whoa,” he said, stilling her hands even though he was dying for her to continue. He could just imagine her mother or father coming out for a friendly chat.
“What? Why?” she asked, looking at him with such a sensual, needy gaze that he could hardly stand it.
“Lights came on,” he said gently and pulled her into an embrace.
Stacey gave a low growl of frustration. “This is ridiculous. We’re adults, not teenagers.”
His heart slamming into his chest at what felt like a hundred miles an hour, he took a deep breath. “I’ll figure something out.”
She sighed, then leaned her forehead against his chest. “Pretty crazy. Who would have thought I would be taking a cold shower because my best friend’s brother is making me too hot?”
“You were hot before I came around,” he said.
“You didn’t notice before,” she reminded him.
“I wasn’t supposed to notice,” he told her, rubbing her soft cheek with his hand. “You belonged to somebody else,” he said, thinking of Joe. Joe, who hadn’t stood by her when he should have.
* * *
After her date with Colton, Stacey felt as if she had a little more bounce in her step. Although she was still juggling her household commitments and taking care of Piper, she was thrilled to book her first tutoring session on Thursday afternoon. A mom with an elementary-school-age boy named Frasier brought her son to the ranch for Stacey to work some magic on him by helping him with math.
Stacey injected as much enthusiasm into the session as possible, but Frasier seemed quite listless. At one point he even laid his head down on the kitchen table. Concerned that he might be sick, Stacey mentioned the boy’s condition to his mother. She felt a little guilty accepting the money from Frasier’s parent, but made a mental note to perhaps give him an extended or free session in the future.
As soon as the boy left, Piper awakened from her nap. Stacey changed the baby, then carried her into the kitchen. “What a good girl to sleep all the way through my tutoring session. You’re the best, aren’t you?” she said to Piper as she gave her daughter a bottle. Piper sucked down her bottle in no time, and Stacey patted her back to help counter air bubbles.
“There my girls are,” her mother said as she entered the house with bags of groceries. “Let me help you with those,” Stacey said and pulled out a quilt for Piper. “Looks like you bought out the store.”
Her mother laughed. “This was my big trip. I went to Vicker’s Corners. Of course, if you add in gas, it may be a wash. But the grocery store there has a much better selection, and the prices are a little better.”
Stacey rushed to her mother’s sedan to help bring in the rest of the bags of groceries. “I see that you picked up some baby formula and baby food. I can reimburse you for that since I had my first tutoring session,” Stacey said proudly.
Her mother smiled at her. “I forgot about that. How did it go?”
“Okay, except I hope that little boy wasn’t sick. He sure didn’t act like he felt well. I hope it will go better next time,” she said.
“Oh, dear,” her mother said. “I’ve heard there are a couple things going around. One is a quick but nasty stomach virus. Make sure you wash your hands.”
“Good point. And I’ll wipe down the table,” she said. Stacey cleaned her hands and the table and helped put the groceries away as quickly as possible. She knew Piper would be wanting some food. Sure enough, just as Stacey unloaded the last bag, Piper let out a squawk.
“You go ahead and get her. I can take care of the rest,” Mama Jeanne said.
Stacey put the baby in her high chair and pulled out a jar of pureed green beans. “Yum, yum,” Stacey said. “Green vegetables.”
Not Piper’s favorite, but she must have been hungry because she eagerly consumed the first few bites. “She looks like a little bird when she eats from the spoon.”
“She’ll be reaching for that spoon any time now, and every mealtime will turn into a mess. Mark my words,” her mother said.
“No problem. I’ll just need a washcloth or paper towel. Oh, I meant to tell you that Piper and I will be riding with Colton to the Rothwell wedding on Saturday. The Rothwells are lucky that the Jergens offered them the use of their heated barn for their reception. I’m sure that’s why they were able to invite so many people.”
“Seems as if you and Colton are spending more and more time together,” her mother said.
Stacey hesitated, then glanced at her mother. “You may as well offer your opinion on it, since everyone else has.”
“Well,
