Entering her bedroom, she changed into a nightshirt, then walked across the hall, entered Lane’s room and climbed into bed beside him. Even in sleep, he turned toward her to put his arm over her.
She refused to dwell on why it seemed so right to be sleeping in his arms. It was where she wanted to be and felt as natural as taking her next breath. Besides, she was tired of fighting what she had suspected for the past couple of days. Whether she wanted it to be true or not, she was falling head over heels for Lane Donaldson.
* * *
Three days after the incident with Roy Lee, Lane found himself taking a deep fortifying breath as he parked his truck beside his brothers’ and got out to walk around and open the passenger door for Taylor. Facing an entire day of listening to his brothers rib him about his relationship with his new business partner was about as appealing as trying to climb a barbed-wire fence buck naked. But there hadn’t been any question about him attending the family dinner to welcome his new niece, nor had he considered—not even for a second—not bringing Taylor with him to the gathering.
“I hope the gift I got for the baby is something they need,” she said when he helped her down from the truck.
“They’ll love it,” he said, knowing Ryder and Summer would be extremely appreciative of Taylor’s thoughtfulness. He and his brothers had all done well after college and had become extremely wealthy, but thanks to their foster father, they had their priorities straight. They remembered what was important in life.
As they walked across the yard, he could tell that Taylor was apprehensive about meeting his family. He could understand her insecurities. But she had nothing to fear. They were going to love her just as much as...he did?
His heart stalled and he wasn’t sure he’d ever breathe again.
Where the hell had that come from? And why of all times did it have to occur to him right now?
“Lane, are you all right?” Taylor asked, her concern evident.
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” he finally managed, even though he was struggling to assimilate his new self-awareness.
“Hey there, bro!” Nate called from the gathering of men on the covered patio. “We’ve got a beer over here with your name on it.”
“Glad you could make it, Lane,” Ryder said, walking over to them.
“You know I wouldn’t miss it,” Lane answered.
Completely ignoring Lane, his brother turned toward Taylor. “We talked on the phone the morning my little Katie was born and I’m happy to finally meet you. I’m Ryder McClain, this big lug’s better-looking brother.”
“You wish,” Lane shot back, forcing a grin.
He would just have to deal with the discovery about his newfound feelings later. Right now, he needed to concentrate on hiding them before one of the other men figured out what was going on with him. And there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that if he wasn’t careful, one of them would. That was one of the hazards of knowing each other so well.
“Nice to see you again, Taylor.” Nate laughed as he handed Lane a bottle of beer. “And don’t listen to these two sidewinders. They both know I’m better-looking than the two of them combined.”
“That’s just what we let you think, Nate,” T.J. said, stepping forward. “Hi, Taylor. I’m T.J.”
When he shifted the baby in his arms to his shoulder, Sam smiled and nodded. “I’m Sam and this is my son, little Hank. We’re all happy you decided to join our celebration.”
“Thank you for inviting me,” Taylor said, smiling. “It’s nice getting to know all of you.”
“Sam, do you want me to take little Hank and get him down for a nap? Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes,” Bria said from the back door. When she noticed Taylor standing beside him, she smiled. “Lane, why didn’t you show Taylor inside? I’m sure she’d rather talk to me, Summer and Mariah than listen to you men discuss your cattle or argue about which bucking bull you think will be champion this year.”
Placing his hand on her back, Lane walked Taylor over to the door. “Taylor this is Sam’s wife, Bria. She’s the glue that holds us all together.” He kissed Bria’s cheek. “We all love her for it, too.”
“Come on inside,” Bria said, hugging Taylor. She took the baby from her husband and motioned for Taylor to follow her. “I’ll introduce you to my sister, Mariah, and Ryder’s wife, Summer.”
As Bria took Taylor inside to get acquainted with the other two women, Lane rejoined his brothers. Looking around, he asked, “Where’s Jaron?”
Ryder nodded toward the road. “Here he comes now.”