“No. But we might just get the kids back to their folks before midnight,” his brother shot back.
“I guess a little thing like the twenty kids on the flatbed trailer we’re pulling shouldn’t matter?” Hunter glanced at the clock on his dashboard. “For the record, it’s nine-fifteen.”
Fisher snorted. “Look who’s all feisty tonight.”
Hunter grinned.
The parade had gone well. No one had fallen out or pitched a fit. The lights and music had stayed on. And, from what he could tell, everyone had enjoyed their turn around the square.
As he pulled the truck and trailer into the large parking lot behind the senior center, he saw the sea of parents and cars waiting for their kids. He edged forward slowly, making sure they weren’t hanging out onto the street, and parked.
He was cordial to the waiting parents, smiling and shaking hands and enjoying the overall success of the evening. But inside, he felt like a teenager again. A teenager who wanted, more than anything, to get Jo, take her hand in his and savor the rest of the night together.
He caught a look at her, all red-cheeked and wild curls. She was still sitting in her chair, a little girl on her lap. The two of them were reading Floppy Feet, so engrossed in the story that neither seemed aware of what was happening around them.
“Kelsey,” the little girl’s mother finally said. “I imagine Miss Stephens is ready to get out of this cold.”
“Aw, Momma.” Kelsey frowned.
“I’ll read the book to you tonight,” her mother coerced.
Kelsey wriggled from Jo’s lap, shooting Jo one big gap-toothed grin before running over to Hunter. “Thanks for letting me ride.”
“Hope you had fun.”
She nodded, wrapping her arms around her mother’s neck.
He looked at Jo, the yearning on her face as she watched Kelsey and her mother startling him. She caught him staring and rolled her eyes. Damn, but she was beautiful.
“What can I do?” she asked, nodding at Eli, Dara and Tyler. They were already uncoiling the lights and garlands, making neat coils and stacking them aside.
“They’ll get most of it. So nothing flies off on the way back to the ranch.” He waved at the older teens working. “You can keep an eye on the two strays,” he teased, nodding at two little boys hopping from hale bale to hay bale around the trailer’s edge.
He turned to Jo. “Once they’re back with their herd, I’ll get you to your interview.” If she left, tonight would be one of those memories that he held on to for years to come. It wasn’t just the sex, though sex with Jo was truly special—it was the intimacy they shared, the connection. He’d be damned if he let her go without a fight.
“What’s that look for?” she asked, her pale eyes studying him.
He shook his head, knowing this wasn’t the time or place to make his case. “I’ll tell you later.”
“Dr. Boone, this is hardly the time or place for your wayward thoughts.”
“Wayward thoughts?” He bent forward. “What did you think I was thinking about?”
She blushed, swallowing.
Every inch of him hardened. “You can tell me about it later.” His whisper was rough.
“Dad,” Eli called out. “This tire looks low.”
It tore his heart out to see the smile Jo gave his son. Eli didn’t smile back but, for the first time, he didn’t glare at her, either. For Hunter, it was progress. Jo clearly didn’t see it that way.
“Duty calls.” He excused himself. Eli was right. They’d have to air up the tire before they made the drive back to the ranch. “Good catch,” he said, ruffling his son’s hair.
Eli groaned, but Dara’s soft laugh turned Eli’s frown into a grin.
Hunter glanced back and forth between his son and Dara. She’d gone back to working on the trailer while Eli stood staring at her. Hunter nudged him, gently, before heading back to Jo, the boys and their newly arrived parents.
He was shaking hands with the boys’ fathers when Amy arrived. He barely managed to keep his face neutral. Last thing he needed to do was make things worse with Eli. His son was barely speaking to him as it was.