Ride Me Dirty (Bridgewater County 1)

Sam stepped forward to reach a hand out and brush her cheek. “Were you crying, doll?”

Nodding, she said, “I was upset. It was stupid.”

I exchanged a look with Sam. I’d learned my lesson on pushing Katie too hard, but he gave me a nod. “So, since you’re not on your flight, does that mean you’re going to stay here a little longer?”

“No.”

What the hell? For the first time it occurred to me that maybe her flight was just delayed. Or maybe she’d booked a later flight.

Her smile was slow and sweet. “I’m staying for good.”

Sam let out a whoop that had a guy in jeans and a camo t-shirt staring and I lifted Katie up for another kiss. When I set her back down, she looked up at us in confusion. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We came to get you,” Sam said. “Cara told us you took off.”

“If we were too late, we were ready to buy tickets to New York,” I added. I took her hand in mine. “I’m sorry, Katie. Back at the house, we were tough on you. Maybe too tough.”

She shook her head quickly. “No, you weren’t.”

Sam wouldn’t let her finish. “We were. But it was only because we wanted you to see that you love it here.”

“We knew you would never sell to that developer,” I said.

Tears welled up in her eyes and it was all I could do not to pick her up again and this time never let her go.

“Really? You knew that I would make the right decision?”

Sam scoffed. “Of course. We may not have known you for long, but we do know you.”

“There was no doubt in my mind,” I said. “We just needed you to realize how much you care about Bridgewater.”

She nodded. “I do care about Bridgewater.” Dropping her head, she peeked up at us from beneath lowered lashes. “And you. Both of you.”

Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders and I squeezed her waist. At that moment, it all seemed to click into place—for me, at least. With Katie nestled against my side, and Sam beside her, this was where we were meant to be. This. We were a team, just the way our relatives before us had intended.

We were also making a scene. The airport wasn’t crowded but we’d been carrying on as if we were alone in a bubble and not smack dab in the middle of a public place.

“Maybe we should take this elsewhere,” Sam said. He went to grab the abandoned luggage while I entwined my hand with Katie’s and led her toward the exit.

Sam caught up to us as we were crossing the parking lot toward my truck.

“I returned my rental car,” Katie said, as if there was any doubt that she’d be coming home with us.

“We’ll have to look into getting you a car,” Sam said. “You can’t use a rental car forever.”

Forever. The word hung out there in the fresh summer air. For a second I felt sure she would bolt again. I knew that skittish colt look when I saw it. Taking a deep breath, she added, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Where does a girl go to find a used car around here?”

Just like that, the spooked look was gone. Maybe she wanted this new life after all.

We reached the truck when Katie stopped and looked up at us. “I know what I’ve been saying all along… about how much I needed that promotion and how important it was that I go back.”

I exchanged a quick look with Sam. Where was this going?

“I get it if you don’t trust me or this decision.” Her expression was so serious, it looked like she was about to break some terrible news. “But I know what I’m doing. I may have had my priorities all messed up before, but they’re clear now. I’m staying in Bridgewater, it’s where I belong.”

I grinned at Sam before turning back to her. “We know that, sweetness.”

Sam cut in. “You don’t have to apologize for not seeing it right away. You weren’t raised here and this is all new to you. We don’t expect you to adapt overnight.”