Page 12 of Midnight Confessions
Me: Sure, you totally shanghaied me to ride down here with your brother for nothing?
Sienna: Was it really for nothing? Amos added two days onto his trip, and Trey has talked to Amos, which, by the way, I have not heard a peep from you.
Me: Well, no. I really like him, Sienna, as in I’m falling for him. Hard and fast.
Sienna: I knew it! We’re going to be sisters. I love you! Don’t worry about the wheel. I’ll seeyou soon, but not too soon
Me: Love you, too, and I think you’re putting the cart before the horse.
Sienna: We’ll see about that.
I put my phone in my back pocket and turn around to look for Amos. He’s talking to the lady who greeted us. It sounds like he’s wrapping up the conversation, so I walk toward him.
“Thank you again. I appreciate your time,” he tells her.
“You’re welcome. Good luck and safe travels.” Amos assured me the bison would be okay while we went inside. Otherwise, I’d have stayed with them just in case. He told me they had plenty of water and food for the long haul, the trailer and gate were locked in a way that no one could take off with them, and seeing as how my knowledge of all of this is pretty much null and void, I went along with him.
Amos opens the shop door for me, and I take a deep sigh of relief when we round the corner and see the bison. My irrational fear of them being gone or hurt subsides.
“They’re good, sweetheart. You ready for the long haul?” He reads my mind.
“Mentally, yes. Physically, not even close. And don’t even get me started on the fact that you’re going to drive straight through without any help.” I blow out a puff of air as worryclaws at my chest. Yet, I’m stuck, completely and totally stuck.
“How about we make a pact? I’ll pull over at a rest area, take a little nap, and then we’ll continue our journey home.” Amos cups my cheek. I lift into him, loving the way his work-roughened hand feels against my smooth skin.
“Yes, I can work with that.” I lift up on my toes, and he meets me halfway. This kiss is anything but light. His tongue slides along my lips, gaining entrance when I let out a low moan. There was never any chance of me controlling the moment. Amos is possessive, protective, and dominating all wrapped in one amazing package. His hand tunnels through my hair, and my fingers tighten in the fabric of his shirt. My nipples pebble, feeling him pressed so close to me, and wetness gathers between my legs. It seems impossible to be this turned on by a kiss until you factor in that Amos Ellison is everything and I’m the one who gets to call him mine.
“Come on, let’s get on the road. The faster we get home, the faster I get to take you in my bed,” he says, doing nothing to calm the raging inferno building inside of me. He guides me to the passenger door, helping load me inside his massive truck while he’s touching me every chance he gets.
ELEVEN
AMOS
“Yeah, we’re about halfway home,” I tell Trey on the other end of the line. When we left Texas, true to my word, we stopped for fuel, food, and to make sure the bison were handling the travel alright. The last time I made this trek, I drove straight through, stayed at Clay’s after showering and eating, getting enough sleep, and then I was on the road first thing in the morning to take the long haul back. He and Sienna were just getting on their feet; he held down the farm for me, and I was on my way. This time around, I took one look at my sister. Her pleading eyes asked me to go along with her ruse. Though, I had no fucking idea it would entail looking at a pottery wheel that was a waste of time.
Genevieve spilled the beans the minute we were on the road, telling me exactly what my sister was after, and she said it worked in ourfavor, so it was hard to be upset with her. I laughed. Leave it Sienna to be a little matchmaker. Maybe she’s been hanging out with the Johnson bunch a little too much, especially Mrs. Johnson. Damn, we’ve been fortunate to have the community surround us when Dad passed shortly after Mom. I had no idea what to do with a teenage girl, when I was still a boy myself with a ranch to run. I’d have to take off, head to auctions, work long hours during the summer, and everything else that came along with our family birthright. There were a few offers from some out-of-towners to buy the homestead, but no fucking way I’d let it go. I knew Sienna’s passion wouldn’t be working on the ranch full-time. The sole reason I pushed for her to go away to college was to figure out what she wanted in life. It didn’t hurt Trey stuck back, let her live her life and then get back with Sienna when she moved back home.
“You need to stop, stop. The bison will be fine for an hour or so. I know it’s not ideal, but you falling asleep behind the wheel isn’t any better,” Trey responds. I can hear the animals in the background.
“I’m going to. My passenger princess is currently conked out. The GPS is putting us home way past my bedtime, and it’ll probably be near dawn if I stop for a while.” I’ve got my phone to my ear, trying to stay quiet in order not to wake up Genevieve.
“Good. Everything’s going great at the ranch. You’ve got this place running like a well-oiled machine, brother. The ranch hands don’t need direction. Not even sure you need me here to oversee anything.” It’s taken years to assemble the crew. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Still, you worry, and that worry does not subside unless you have someone like family to check on everything just in case.
“Appreciate that, but I gotta tell you, after this load of bison makes it to Arrowleaf, I’m done for the time being. I’d like to relax at some point in life. Living to work is not living at all. Plus, I got a woman to think about now.”
“Happy for you. The last thing any of us want is to see you rambling around in that big ole house on a big ole farm and doing it by yourself. You gonna ask her to marry you?” Trey starts yammering.
“Did we grow pussies, and I wasn’t aware of it?” I question since we’re not ones to sit in a circle and talk about our feelings.
“Fuck you. Genevieve is a great woman.” He goes to bat for my woman.
“Know that. Also know she’ll be the first one who gets to hear me say those words. I never pressured you with Sienna. I’d appreciate if you don’t push me.” Sienna has our mother’s engagement ring that she received from her mom’s mom, our great-grandmother. We divided the set, and I kept the wedding band. Sienna also got the rest ofMom’s jewelry as well as our great-grandmother’s, not that there’s a lot. While we have a decent amount of money from inheritance and working the land, our family was by no means flush with funds. They lived a simple life and didn’t need the frills along the way. A bracelet from grandma, earrings and a necklace from Mom, and an anniversary ring is all that’s left.
“You’re right. Didn’t mean to piss you off,” Trey says, closing out the conversation on my future plans for Genevieve and myself. Shit, I’ve already thought about her wearing my ring forever. The only thing I need to do is find an engagement ring that will go along with the wedding band. There are inset diamonds all the way around the band, and after shopping with Genny, I’ve gotten a feel for her style. I’ll be heading to the next town over to the jewelry store soon enough.
“You’re good. I’m gonna let you go. Genny’s moving around, and I’d rather she stayed asleep while I’m napping myself.”
“Drive safe. I’ll make sure everything’s good to go here after feeding time, then head back to my place. Don’t worry about waking up early tomorrow. My brothers and I will head over first thing in the morning, get shit going, and see how the bison are doing.” They’ll be in quarantine for the next few weeks. Tully will have to come out, too. Hopefully, Trey has that all set up with hissister-in-law. I’d be damned happy to have one more thing off my plate.