Free Laying Down The Law (#4, Cowboy Way) (The Cowboy Way) by Becky McGraw Page A

needed her was like when the child in the Willie Wonka movie was handed the golden ticket.  She’d wanted to hear those words so badly for so long—and he’d just said them.  No, they weren’t in the context she’d fantasized about at sixteen, but it was close enough.
    He told her I must like you too, because I kissed you when I dropped you off .  And God, she wanted more of those kisses.
    “ Do you like me?” she asked, stepping closer to put her hand on his chest.
    “Of course I like you,” he replied, looking confused.
    “Was Brady right?  Is that what the kisses were about?”  Melanie needed to hear him say they weren’t just about thanking her.
    Brock’s eyes darkened and fell to her mouth as he put his hands on her hips to pull her closer.  “Come to the ranch with me and I’ll show you what they were about,” he said, and one corner of his mouth ticked up.  “Brady won’t be there to interrupt us.”
    “Okay,” Melanie replied, her voice coming out as a squeak when it squeezed past her heart, which pounded in her throat.  “I have to be back here by five, though.  Mom and Aunt June have bingo tonight.”  He smiled, that dimple popped, and her heart melted to her toes leaving a warm oozy feeling behind. 
    “I promise to have Cinderella home on time so the evil sorceresses don’t turn you into a pumpkin for making them miss bingo.” He punctuated his playful words by leaning in for a much-too-quick kiss before pushing her away.
    Surprising her, Brock reached for her hand and tingles danced up her arm as he pulled her toward the SUV.  He stopped to open the passenger door and waited for her to hop inside then shut it with a smile and a soft click, before skirting the front of the truck to get behind the wheel.  Melanie glanced at the house as he backed out, and fought back a groan when she saw Aunt June at the living room window grinning from ear to ear.
    As they drove through town, Melanie slumped down in the seat trying to make sure no one saw her with Brock.  She knew how the information pipeline worked in this town, and if someone saw her with him, Lucy could know before they hit the city limits. 
    No matter what Brock said, she did not want to be the cause of him not being able to see his son.  The way Brady’s health was deteriorating according to him, Brock needed to be able to keep an eye on him.
    Once the roadway became lined by trees and turned into undulating hills, Melanie sat up and rolled down her window.  A rush of cool, pine-scented air blew into the cab, and Melanie inhaled deeply.  It came out in a rush that carried all the tension in her body with it.
    “Don’t you love that smell?  There’s nothing like it anywhere else on earth,” Brock said, not looking at her.  “That’s why I moved back here when I washed out of football.”
    Melanie turned in the seat to look at him.  She knew that was professional football he was talking about, but couldn’t let him know that. 
    “In college?  Why’d you wash out?  Didn’t you finish your degree?” she asked, feeling guilt tug at her conscience.
    “Yeah, I finished—pre-law degree,” he said glancing at her.  “Instead of going to grad school, though, I was recruited by the Carolina Cougars and played one year of pro ball.”  He looked back at the road, and shrugged, but Mel noticed his hands tighten on the wheel.  “After I tore my ACL they didn’t have much use for me and I didn’t have the drive to go back to school, so I came here and bought the ranch.”
    Melanie chewed her lip, tried to stop herself from asking, but the words flew out. “And you and Lucy, ah, started dating again?”
    “Sort of,” he replied vaguely, but she didn’t press because every muscle in his big body was rigid with tension.  He’d tell her when he got ready to tell her.  If he didn’t, it wasn’t really her business.
    She searched her brain for a topic that might keep him talking, but wouldn’t cause