For His Brother's Wife

“That’s what he’d told me.” Helping Cole get his leg positioned comfortably in the chair, she added, “But I didn’t mind at all. We became quite close over the years, and I really miss him.”

When she turned to go back to the house, Cole caught her hand in his to stop her. “Thank you for taking care of my dad when his health started to fail,” he said, his expression turning serious. “I’m glad he had you here with him.”

“No need to thank me. I enjoyed spending the time with him,” she said, smiling. As an afterthought, she warned, “Oh, I almost forgot to remind you. Don’t be so stubborn about working that you overdo things. If you do, you might need to start taking the medication again.”

“There you go fussing again,” Cole teased. His grin caused a tiny shiver to slide up her spine. “Don’t worry. I’m done with those pills. I don’t care how much it hurts—I want to remember everything I say or do from now on.”

Impulsively, she touched his cheek. “Just please take it easy. I’d hate to have to get stern with you again like I did yesterday afternoon when you kept apologizing for being a problem.”

He laughed. “Do you have any idea how cute you are when you’re laying down the law?”

“I prefer to think of it as being assertive,” she said, enjoying their easy banter.

“Boss, here’s the blueprints for the barn,” one of Cole’s men said, walking over with several rolls of paper. He nodded at Paige. “Mornin’, ma’am.”

After returning the man’s greeting, Paige smiled at Cole. “I’ll let you get to work and I’ll start thinking about what I’m going to make for you and your crew for lunch.”

As she walked back to the house, she thought about her talk with Cole earlier that morning and how different he was than before he’d had his accident. He seemed more relaxed around her now, as if confessing that he felt guilty—but that he had no regrets about their making love—had been liberating for him. He had even started showing her small gestures of affection—touching her hand when he talked to her and freely calling her sweetheart. She found she enjoyed the attention and she couldn’t help but compare how differently the twin brothers treated her.

Craig had never gone out of his way to be overly affectionate. She frowned at the memory. In fact, it had seemed as if he didn’t see the need in showing her any kind of affection unless they were getting ready to have sex. And she couldn’t remember Craig ever using an endearment instead of her name.

Her breath caught when she realized how different making love with Cole had been, as well. He’d been gentle and caring, and she’d actually felt as if he cherished her, whereas Craig had been only mildly interested in whether or not she found their times together satisfying.

Of course, she couldn’t blame him entirely for the state of their marriage. She had stayed in the loveless union   for two very good reasons. First of all, she hadn’t wanted to add to her parents’ disappointment in her by divorcing Craig. And second, she had made a lifetime commitment to stay with Craig when she’d recited their wedding vows. She had been taught all of her life that it was a promise that wasn’t made lightly, nor should it be broken easily.

But Craig was gone and with his death, so was her commitment to honoring their wedding vows. Cole had mentioned wanting to be more to her than just a friend. Was he talking about a future that included her in his life? Or did he mean only while he was staying on the ranch with her?

If that was the case—if he only wanted a casual relationship that would end when he went back to Dallas—she was certain that wouldn’t be enough for her. Maybe it was her conservative upbringing or the fact that she had only been with one other man in her life. But it didn’t matter. She never had been, nor would she ever be, the “no-strings-attached” type.

Deciding that only time would tell, she went about her morning as usual. After giving her hired hands a list of chores that needed to be done, she returned to the house to start making lunch for Cole and his men. As she put the finishing touches on a tray of ham-and-cheese sandwiches, she was startled to see one of Cole’s men helping him through the back door. Glancing at the clock, she frowned. He had only been outside for a few hours.

“Is your knee hurting?” she asked as she accepted the pillow his worker handed her.

Cole shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle.”