Free SEAL's Bride: A Secret Baby Romance by Vivian Wood

going to stay here, you’re gonna see her here and there. Don’t want some kind of crazy tension every time you’re within a hundred feet of each other, huh?”
    “He’s got the right idea,” Walker said with a nod.
    “You two remember that I really hate being lied to, right?” Sawyer asked.
    Colt heaved a sigh.
    “Listen, we got other things to talk about than the River girls,” he said. “I was hoping that you two had some time to think over what the scenario might be like if we keep the ranch. Would you live here, would you keep an outside job? All of that.”
    Walker nodded, like Colt had just said something particularly sage. Sawyer wasn’t fooled by their topic switching at all, but he let it slide.
    “Walker, what about you?” he asked.
    “Like I said, my job’s already remote. I’d keep my stake and my apartment, but I wouldn’t always be here. I’d probably travel a good bit, doing recruiting work.”
    Sawyer nodded. “I thought about that, too. My firm likes me, so I think if I asked to be based here, they’d make it happen. I’d have to travel too, I’m sure, but probably not that much.”
    They both looked at Colt, who shrugged.
    “I want to run the ranch. I don’t want to keep an outside job, unless we need it for funding.”
    Walker snorted. “Not likely. Sawyer has his share of the family trust, and the two of us are coming right up on 30.”
    “That’s true,” Sawyer said. “It’s not enough to keep the ranch running indefinitely, but it would get us off the ground.”
    “So… we could make it work, if we wanted,” Colt said slowly.
    Sawyer and Walker nodded.
    Colt opened his mouth to say more, but the crunch of tires on gravel distracted him.
    “What time is it? Micah’s early, maybe,” Colt grumbled, fishing his phone out of his pants pocket as he stood up.
    “What, he’s going out tomcatting with you?” Walker asked.
    “Wait, Micah River?” Sawyer asked.
    “Yeah,” Colt said, busying himself stacking plates. “Grab the empty beer bottles, will you? And the grill tongs.”
    Colt went inside, leaving Sawyer and Walker to follow.
    “Look, just leave everything and I’ll do it when I get home,” Colt said.
    Walker shook his head and started running the water in the sink. “You cooked, I’ll clean tonight.”
    “Cool, thanks,” Colt said. “Gotta run.”
    He was out the front door in a flash. Sawyer followed him, curious to see Micah. The farmer was leaning against his rusty pickup truck, his blond hair damp from a shower, his jeans and t-shirt still dusty somehow.
    Micah smiled at Colt. “Hey, man. Let’s go! I’m gonna take Janey home—”
    He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Sawyer, his expression turning into a scowl.
    “Micah,” Sawyer said, inclining his head.
    Colt ignored Sawyer, clattering down the stairs to greet Micah with a clasp of their hands. “Let’s head out, man.”
    “You planning on sticking around?” Micah asked, glaring at Sawyer.
    “Not sure,” Sawyer said. “My homecoming hasn’t been as welcoming as I expected.”
    Micah pushed off the truck to stand up straight, tensing like he was ready to fight. “Is that right?”
    Sawyer stared at him. He and Micah weren’t exactly close or anything, but they’d hung out a little in high school. Now he was seeing the same anger as Remy’s father had shown. The thing was, Micah didn’t seem to have a problem with Colt…
    “Hey, let’s just go,” Colt said, clapping Micah on the shoulder.
    Micah shrugged out of Colt’s touch, shaking his head. “Nah. I changed my mind. I should go home, see my sisters.”
    “Awww, no. You don’t have to do that,” Colt protested.
    Micah glanced between Sawyer and Colt. “I don’t want any trouble.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Colt said, shaking his head. “He doesn’t want any trouble either, right Sawyer?”
    “Why the hell would there be trouble?” Sawyer asked, his fists clenching. “I don’t understand—”
    “Later,