Kissin' Tell (Rough Riders 13)

“No clue, but I expect you’ll fix that issue right away or I will kick your ass until you’re a broken heap on the floor. Then I’ll turn Dalton loose on you. You ain’t Dad. None of us are. None of us ever hafta be.”

“What if I don’t know how to do this?”

“Cut yourself some slack. The kid is a few hours old! And you know more than you think you do. You’ve watched our cousins become fathers. They all seem to be doin’ pretty well. I’m bettin’ every single one of them felt the way you do at first.”

“Even Cord?”

“Nah. He’s perfect. He’s never f**ked up anything in his life.”

Brandt laughed. “Asshole.”

Dalton’s pickup zipped into the parking lot, music blaring. He trotted over like an eager pup and jerked Brandt into a big hug. “Congrats, bro! How’s it feel to be a daddy?”

“Scary as shit.”

“No doubt. Luckily you’ve got me and Tell to keep you on the straight and narrow in not turning into Dad. ’Cause I gotta be honest, B. The way you’ve acted a couple times in the last few months really reminded me of him.”

Leave it to Dalton to cut to the chase.

Dalton spied the bottle. “Really? You guys started celebrating Tucker’s arrival before I got here? For shame. I’m just gonna hafta catch up.” He raised the bottle and drank.

“I’m done,” Brandt said. “I wonder if Jess will let me hold our son with booze on my breath.”

“You ain’t had nearly as much as me.” The shots seemed to hit Tell all at once.

“I’ll hold off on any more then,” Dalton said to Tell. “So I can get you home.”

“Thanks. But I probably won’t be goin’ straight home. I’ll probably just walk over there.”

“Over where?” Brandt asked.

“To Hot Lips’ place.” Dalton took another drink.

Brandt looked confused. “Who’s Hot Lips?”

“Jesus, Brandt. Get with the program. Georgia Hotchkiss. The chick Tell has been hangin’ out with all week. Everyone in the whole damn McKay family knows about her.”

Great. But it bothered Tell that his older brother hadn’t been paying attention to things going on in his life. Then again, Brandt hadn’t been paying attention to anything.

You cut him too much slack.

Dalton smirked at him. “Didja finally get into her pants?”

After several belts, Tell didn’t have the tact to deal with his younger brother, so he ignored him and slid off the tailgate. He looked at Brandt. “I know you’ll get a handle on this. Call me if you need anything.”

Chapter Twelve

Georgia was mighty shocked to see Tell on her doorstep.

“Tell? What are you doing here?”

“I was at the hospital to meet my nephew. Brandt and I knocked back a few celebratory shots, and I realized I oughten be drivin’, so I walked over to see if you’d be interested in goin’ out for supper with me.”

“That’s thoughtful, but I just finished cooking.”

He took a step back. “I probably shoulda called first. No big deal. I’ll go.”

She grabbed a fistful of his T-shirt, holding him in place. “Not so fast. I have plenty of food if you’d like stay and eat with me.”

Tell curled his hand around her cheek. “You’re so damn sweet. Thank you. I’d like that. A lot.”

Just the simple stroke of his thumb made her belly flip. “I hope you like curry.”

“Don’t know that I’ve ever had it.”

Georgia stood on tiptoe to press her mouth to his. “So come in and try it.”

He let her lead him into the kitchen after protesting that he needed to remove his boots. She gently shoved him into a chair and grabbed another plate from the cupboard. “Tea would be better for you than beer.”

“Yeah. I ain’t drunk, but I’m definitely feeling the shots.”

“How is the newest McKay?”

“Perfect, strapping, eight-pound baby boy.”

“And your sister-in-law?”

“She’s doin’ great.” He frowned and traced the edges of the place mat.

Between Tell showing up unannounced and the uncertainty surrounding him, Georgia knew something was up. If he wanted to talk about it, he would, but she wouldn’t pry. She dished up two plates of basmati rice and poured coconut chicken curry over the top.

“Georgia, darlin’, this smells awesome.”

“It’s a little spicy.” She filled two glasses of iced tea and sat across from him. “Dig in. Don’t be shy.”

Tell stirred his food before taking a bite.

Georgia waited to see if he made a face. She remembered from living with her dad and Deck that cowboys weren’t adventurous eaters.

He swallowed and immediately scooped up another forkful. “Hey. This is tasty.” After a few more bites, he reached for his tea and sputtered. “Is there sugar in here?”

“Yes.”

Tell shook his head. “Iced tea ain’t supposed to be sweet.”

“Sweet tea is the norm where I’m from in Texas.”

“So you ain’t claiming Wyoming as your home at all?”

She shrugged. “We moved a lot before we ended up in Sundance. I might’ve considered it home if I’d stayed married to Deck.”

He dumped his tea in the sink and refilled the glass with water. “You’ve never talked about your life before you moved here.”

“It’s not that exciting. Me and RJ were born at Fort Bragg. My dad was stationed at two different army bases before he got out of the service. After that we moved to Nebraska. When Granddad died, my dad and his brother sold the farm, split the money and went their separate ways. My dad had always wanted to live in Wyoming, so he bought a small ranch and cattle operation.”

“Your mom didn’t mind movin’?”

“If she did, she didn’t say anything.” Georgia swirled her fork through the mixture, thinking back on those years. When everything thing had been somewhat normal in their family.

Startled by the rough fingertips caressing her hand, she looked up into Tell’s beautiful blue eyes. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

His concern touched her, because she hadn’t expected it. “You didn’t. It was just a reminder that Sundance will never be my home.” She managed a smile. “So what do you think of the curry?”