Bounty (Colorado Mountain 7)

“Right, he’s my friend and normally I would not lay him out there like this but, just in case you missed it, known him a long time and already said haven’t known a single woman who’s seen the inside of that trailer of his twice,” Krystal shared. “And just sayin’, he treats that land like its sacred so he usually doesn’t take his hookups there at all. Not sure who makes that cut. Just know he’s not ever once handed his key over to one of them to plug in a Crock-Pot.”

Okay, now I was getting really, really freaking happy.

“Don’t know his story,” Lauren said. “Tate does but he hasn’t shared and if it was open for Deke, which means Tate could share it, Tate would have given it to me. But him not sharing, well, don’t want to wipe that look off your face, babe, but just be prepared.”

Even with her words, I felt that look wiped off my face.

She leaned toward me in my armchair that was tilted toward hers, across from the couch Krystal was lounging on, reached out and touched my knee.

She drew back and kept speaking.

“We all have baggage. This does not negate all Krys said. I’ve known Deke a long time and he was so immune to connecting in any real way to a woman, it was troubling. Everyone knows he’s a good man and for someone like that, you want him to find a good woman…” she gave me a sweet smile, sharing gratifyingly how she felt about me, “and get some of that happy. So just, you know, don’t be nervous. But do be prepared. Because if Deke’s gonna share, it’s a gift, Jus. And he doesn’t give that to everybody.”

I looked to Krys and she shook her head.

“I don’t know either, sister. And Bubba also doesn’t. I’m not like Laurie. Somethin’ that juicy about one of my people, I’d drag that out of him,” she lifted her fingers and snapped, but not loudly in deference to Breanne, “like a shot.”

“I can do baggage,” and I damn well could, and would, “I just…”

I trailed off, not knowing what to say or maybe not wanting to put into words what was making me nervous.

“You’re just fallin’ in love with him,” Krystal told me and I focused on her. “And in the beginning, that feels awesome and you don’t want anything messin’ with that.”

Yep.

That was what I didn’t want to put into words that was making me nervous.

I was falling in love with Deke.

“That’s just what I’m feeling,” I admitted.

“No sense in getting wound up about what you don’t know, Jus,” Laurie said and I looked to her. “Just go to the grocery store, get dinner cooking and get back to your guy with sandwiches.”

“I will, after you give me Breanne for five minutes,” I replied and grinned at Laurie. “You’re hogging her.”

We managed the handover without waking the baby girl and I’d just settled back, staring into her scrunchy face, watching her little red lips be all pouty when Krystal made her announcement.

“Makin’ Bubba knock me up again first chance we got.”

My eyes cut immediately to Krystal as I asked, “What?”

This I asked at the same time Lauren mini-shrieked, “What?”

Krystal tipped her 70’s pinup hair (hair that was perfect, this because Lauren was there longer than me and looked after Breanne while Krys showered) toward the baby girl in my arms.

“That beauty we made? We’re totally doin’ it again,” she stated.

“Uh, Krys, honey, Sunday freaked Bubba out. I’m not thinking—” Lauren started.

“I’ll talk him into it,” Krystal cut her off to say, her words like a wave of her hand.

“Honey, he was really worried about you,” Laurie told her, glanced at me and asked, “Cone of silence?”

“Of course,” I agreed.

She looked back to Krystal. “He got Tate by himself, Krys, and he lost it. Big, blubbering man tears. Tate didn’t know what to do with him. All because he was worried with Breanne coming early something would happen to you. To the both of you. I think it was part relief because this happened with Tate after it was over. But it was mostly him getting out the worry.”

For a second, I stared in astonishment at Krystal as Krystal did the same at Lauren.

Krys was the seen-it-all, done-it-all, fuck-the-T-shirt kind of gal. Not one who could be astonished by anything.

Then she straight up astounded me when I saw her face get so soft it was tender, love shining out of her eyes.

It was gone in a blink, like I’d imagined it, and she stated, “He’ll have to man up. Bree needs a sibling and I ain’t gettin’ any younger.” She lifted a hand, palm out toward Lauren who had opened her mouth to speak. “Don’t worry. He won’t be hard to talk around. Doin’ the business that makes a baby is one of his favorite things.”

“One of them?” I teased.

“He likes fucking a whole lot, but my man’s addicted to blowjobs and that’s me taking it in the wrong end to make babies.”

“Good Lord,” Lauren said to the ceiling.

I grinned at Krys.

She didn’t grin at me.

She reached her arms out my way and stated, “Crock-Pot. You get on that, I can get my damned baby back.”

I kept grinning as I got up, rounded her coffee table and gave her back her daughter.

I didn’t straighten away for so long she looked up at me.

“Told you you could do it,” I mouthed.

I didn’t let her respond.

That was when I moved away, looking to Lauren.