Saddled and Spurred (Blacktop Cowboys 2)

His insight brought tears to her eyes. He’d turned the tables and used food as a way to her heart in such a thoughtful gesture, especially poignant because he’d sworn the food trick would never work with him.

At that point Harper was willing to admit he was taking her challenge seriously.

But Bran wasn’t done offering her proof.

This morning a gigantic package wrapped in gold foil had appeared on her doorstep. Inside the box was a glass bottle, in a beautiful shade of blue, topped with a silver filigree. As touched as she was that he remembered her fondness for antique perfume bottles, the item at the bottom of the box sealed the deal and her fate.

And then she’d understood. Bran did know her. Better than anyone ever had. Better than anyone ever would. If he hadn’t come to her tonight, she would’ve gone to him.

But Bran had shown up. With a karaoke machine, of all things. He’d unloaded the speakers and had been serenading her for the last twenty minutes.

If you could call the sounds coming out of his mouth . . . music. Good Lord. He truly was an awful singer. But his willingness to put himself out there, in front of her, and in front of the dozens of male workers in the compound, as proof of his love . . . Well, it was time she offered him proof too.

“Harper. Seriously. Go out and talk to him. Or gag him. My ears are starting to bleed,” Janie whined.

Harper laughed and exited the trailer.

The instant Bran saw her, the music stopped.

Thank God.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” she said back. “Nice tune selection. I particularly enjoyed your version of Conway Twitty’s ‘I’d Love to Lay You Down.’ ”

His eyes lit up. “Really?”

“No, not really.”

“So did you come out here to make a request? I’ve got a big playlist. I can go all night.”

She murmured, “You certainly can.”

Bran seemed a little shocked by her innuendo. So shocked that he didn’t make a single move toward her.

So she ambled closer to him. “Now you can say, I told you so, because you did prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you know me.”

“Huh-uh. I ain’t done. There’s something else. You asked me to name something I liked about you that didn’t have to do with you workin’ for me or sex.”

“Bran—”

He put his fingers over her lips. “Let me finish. I don’t know if you’ve figured it out yet, but I ain’t exactly clever with words, especially not off the cuff. But that don’t mean I can’t do it—it just means I need to take my time to get the words right.”

She felt her chest constrict as he inhaled a deep breath.

“So here goes. I love that you’re always humming. I love how you grin when you’ve figured something out on your own. I love how you round up my coffee cups since I’m forever losing them or leavin’ them in the barn. I love it when you take off your hat and your hair sticks up all over the place and you don’t even notice. I love that you speak your mind.

“I love how you’ve taken to the calves, the cows, the goats and horses. Hell, I even like how determined you are to feed them damn rabbits.”

“Really?”

He shook his head. “No. Not really.”

“Shoot.”

Bran smiled. “I love your unconditional love for your family. I love your devotion to the old gals who depend on you to do their nails. I love that you can be all girly one second and elbow-deep in manure the next. I love watching you eat doughnuts with impeccable manners, and then I love how fast that ladylike behavior disappears when you’re chowing down on a plate of ribs.”

When she opened her mouth to protest, Bran placed his fingers over her lips again.

“I know this list isn’t supposed to be about sex. But I love the glazed look in your eyes when I’m inside you. I love your passion and how you don’t hold anything back from me. I love how snuggly you are as we’re falling asleep. I love the smell of your hair and the scent of your skin. I love how whenever you pick up one of my shirts, you sniff it and smile that secret little sexy smile. I love the way you kiss me. I love the way you touch me, not only physically, but here.” He flattened her palm over his heart. “I love the way you accept every weird, kinky, dorky, plain, simple, and annoying thing about me. I love that you forced me to think about all the things I know about you, because, darlin’, there are a whole bunch more I don’t know and I think I’ll need a lifetime with you to figure them all out.”

Harper couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat.

“Come on. Say something.”

“I never knew my cowboy had such a silver tongue.” She leaned forward and kissed him. Twice. “But I’ll take it. I’ll take you. I love you, Bran.”

Then she was in his arms, being squeezed so tightly she couldn’t breathe. But she didn’t mind. She’d probably never get used to the breathless way he made her feel anyway.

“I love you so damn much, Harper. Now will you please come home with me and let me prove it without words?”

“I can’t.”

He eased back to study her. “Come again?”

“When I took this job, I promised Renner I’d live in the compound until the resort opened. We’re keeping some odd hours because we have such a tight deadline.”

“How tight?”

“Five months.”