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drowsy.

“It’s cool if you want to take a nap. I’m sure the guys will be so

excited to see you when we get to the ranch that you won’t get a

minute’s rest while you’re here.”

She turned her head so that he wouldn’t see the doubt on her

face. “Yeah, but if I sleep now, who will keep your mind occupied

while you make the long, boring drive?”

It didn’t take long for her to drop off to sleep even though she

made every effort to stay awake and keep chatting with Hawke.

Before she knew it, he was shaking her, and her eyes opened to stare

up at the main house of Crawley Creek Ranch. Emotion built in her

lungs until they burned.

“Are you getting out, or are ya just gonna sit there and stare at

it?”

The question came from outside the truck, and she turned to find

Drannon standing a few feet away.

“Big D!” she cried out, launching herself out of the truck and

into his arms. Just like his younger brother had, Drannon lifted her in

a tight bear hug and swung her up off her feet.

“You look great, Lauren,” he said when he finally put her down.

“Thank you for making the trip.”

“You didn’t think I was going to let you walk down the aisle

without a shot of Jack in your gut did ya?” she teased. “So where is

this angel of the heavens who swept the badass Drannon Russo off

his feet?”

“I think that would be me.”

Turning, she found a pretty redhead smiling back at her from the

front porch. Lacy Denvers wasn’t just pretty, she was stunning. With

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pale, white skin dotted over with freckles, and the richest chocolate-

brown eyes Lauren had ever seen. She reminded her of a china doll.

“Hi, I’m Lauren Kensington.”

“Lacy Denvers, but you probably already know that. I’ve heard

so much about you, Lauren.”

“Oh, God. Are they telling tales again? I swear I should have cut

out their tongues before I moved away,” Lauren joked.

Hawke appeared at her side and threw his arm over her

shoulders. “You loved my sense of humor too much to do something

like that.”

Rolling her eyes, Lauren let him direct her into the house.

Crawley Creek had been her sanctuary from her drunken mother as a

child, and walking back into it brought up a wave of raw emotion.

“Lauren? What are you doing up there?”

Abraham Crawley was as tall as a mountain in her eight-year-

old eyes, but at the moment, she was staring down at him instead of

up. Sneezing as the warm fragrance of hay filled her nose, she wiped

the tears from her eyes and shook her head at his question.

“Come on down, sweetheart. You shouldn’t be up there. It’s not

safe.”

Abe waited for her to climb down, and then dropped to his knees

in front of her bringing them close to eye level. “Does your mama

know you’re here?”

Lauren shook her head as her stomach once again balled into a

knot of nerves.

Abe’s eyes were blue, and she’d always thought they were the

color the ocean would be if she could see it. Right now, they were

looking at her curiously. “Is your mama the reason you’re here,

Lauren?”

Nodding, she clenched her fists at her sides, refusing to let tears

fall again. It wasn’t Abe’s fault that Joss Kensington was a mean

drunk, and telling him the problem would only cause more trouble

for her later.

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“Why don’t we go inside and get a snack. Maybe you’ll feel like

telling me why you were crawling around in my hayloft with some

cookies and milk in your tummy.”

“Lola!” Roman Freemont came barreling across the grass,

leaping up the front porch steps two at a time to wrap her in a bear

hug just inside the front door.

Laughing at the long forgotten nickname, she hugged him back,

and then squealed when he didn’t release her. “Put me down, ya big

donkey.”

“Have you forgotten everything? Drannon is the big donkey. I’m

the dirty swine,” Roman teased, kissing her cheek and setting her on

her feet. He pulled back to look her over and his smile grew. “You

sure did fill out in a few spots.”

Slapping his bicep, she wrinkled her nose at his observation. “So

did you. Last time I saw you, I don’t remember seeing a smile on

your face.”

“Funerals are like that,” he agreed. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Her heart warmed, and she leaned into him for another hug. “Me

too, Romeo.”

When they parted, she let him and the rest of the group lead her

into the kitchen where the scene was repeated when Marilyn laid

eyes on her.

“It smells so good in here,” she said, stealing an extra squeeze

from the woman who’d taught her to love cooking.

“I’m making German chocolate cake. It’s Destiny’s favorite, and

I’m hoping it will lure her out of her cabin to join us for dinner.”

Lauren frowned. “Who’s Destiny?”

Everyone exchanged uncomfortable looks before Roman replied,

“She’s actually just a friend of the family. She went through some

things recently, and we offered up the ranch for her recovery.”

Immediately, Lauren understood that there was more to the

story, but she didn’t press. Now wasn’t the time to turn back the

clock to revisit all that she’d missed.. It was all probably way more

involved than she needed to know anyway.

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“Well I don’t care who you made it for, I can’t wait to taste your

cake again, Marilyn.”

“Your old room is ready for you, dear,” Marilyn offered,

hugging her again. “If you hurry and unpack, you can come back

down and lick the spoon after I frost it.”

“Deal!”

“Hey! That’s not fair.” Roman protested.

“Hush, ya big donkey.”

Lauren turned to face the voice that had spoken from behind her.

A pretty brunette with long wavy hair, stood there grinning at

Roman. The way Roman looked back made it clear that this was his

new girl.

“You must be Lauren.”

Offering her hand, she stepped forward. “And you must be

Franki. I think I like you already!”

“That nickname is perfect for him,” Franki said with a smirk.

“I heard about you from Hawke. Do you really have a Harley?”

“Sure do. If you want, I’ll even take you for a ride later,” Franki

offered. “Everyone’s been on Hal at least once since we came back

from St. Paul.”

“What’s in St. Paul? And who’s Hal?” Lauren’s brain was

getting scrambled with all of the new faces, names, and information.

“Hal is my Harley, and St. Paul is where I’m from. I just brought

all of my stuff back here from my place there,” Franki explained.

Lauren felt her eyes widen. “Oh wow. So, you guys are…I mean

you’re living here now, too?”

A wrinkle appeared on Franki’s brow, and her eyes darted to

Roman’s as she nodded. Lauren turned to the man she considered a

brother, and punched him in the gut as hard as she could. He doubled

over, gasping for air.

“What in the ever loving—”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were living with someone? I had no

idea you were that serious! I’m so happy for you!” Wrapping him in

a hug, she felt herself tearing up with emotion.

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“Well, hell, if a man gets punched for making you happy, it’s no

wonder you’re still single,” Roman grumbled, letting out a yelp when

she squeezed his bruised diaphragm even harder.

Releasing him, she turned back to Franki. “So does this mean I’ll

be making a second trip for another wedding soon?”

Instantly the air around her grew tense, and she realized she

might have pushed too far.

“Uh, okay. I’ll take that as a no.”

Lacy and Drannon both dropped their heads to hide matching

grins, while Marilyn crossed her arms, and waited for either Franki or

Roman to offer up a response.

“We’re waiting for the right time,” Franki finally said shortly.

“The right time for what?”

Roman groaned, “Damn it. We’ve only been together six weeks.

If Sera were here she’d kick my ass for asking Franki to even move

in with me. I’ve done everything bassackwards already. There’s no

reason we can’t take some time to adjust to each other before we say

our ‘I do’s’.”

Lauren nodded. “You’re absolutely right.”

“I am?” Roman couldn’t hide his surprise.

“He is?” Marilyn squawked, looking affronted. Lauren could

understand the older woman wanting Roman to take the traditional

route, but if she’d learned anything in her thirty-six years it was that

traditional wasn’t for everyone.

“Of course. I don’t think marriage is really all that necessary

these days. It’s just a piece of paper that says one person is legally

responsible and beholden to another until they die or get bored and

file for divorce.” She shrugged and then gave Drannon a half smile.

“No offense.”

“None taken.”

“I just don’t think marriage is all it’s cracked up to be, and it’s

damn sure not right for everyone.” She refused to look at Marilyn.

She could imagine the older woman was seething at her right about

now. She’d grown up in an entirely different world than Lauren had.

Things weren’t the same anymore. “Well, I think I’ve stirred up

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enough trouble for the time being. Big D, do you want to help me get

my suitcase upstairs?”

“Absolutely.” Drannon scurried out of the kitchen with Lauren

hot on his heels, leaving everyone else behind. When they’d retrieved

her suitcase from the foyer, he grinned at her. “You always have been

good at making an entrance.”

“It’s a gift. Now, fill me in on what else I’ve missed so that I

don’t make an ass of myself tonight at dinner,” she prodded. While

her ears were taking in everything he shared, her heart was making

note that she still hadn’t seen the fourth Crawley Creek owner. Was

Vin avoiding her, or was he just occupied today? Would she see him

at dinner? How would he react? How would she react? The buzzing

in her brain picked up steam, and she had to fight to stay focused on

what Drannon was saying. It didn’t take her long to realize that

returning to Crawley Creek was almost as bad as picking off a long-

healed scab.

~ ~ ~ ~

Vin watched from the window of the garage as Hawke pulled up,

and Lauren got out. He took in the details, noting the beauty of her

smile, the swing of her shoulder length, sunshine-colored hair, and

the delicious curve of her lush ass. She’d changed over the years.

Like a fine wine, she’d aged well, and his body instantly responded

to her.

His mind was transported back in time. He could remember

laughing with her as they sat on hay bales, eating watermelon right

from the rind, and swimming at the pond until they were too tired to

walk home. They’d spent many an evening dozing in the grassy field,

regaining the energy to trudge back to the main house. He could still

picture the way she looked the evening he took her to her junior

prom. Her hair was tied up on top of her head in some sort of fancy

knot, and her pale pink dress dipped just slightly to show a few

inches of cleavage. His mouth watered at the memory of kissing her

for the first time, the taste of punch, and mints on her tongue, as she

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clutched at his tuxedo jacket, and held him in place. They’d felt so

deeply, and yet he knew then that the timing wasn’t right for them.

That’s why he sent her away when his life imploded around him.

She was meant for so much more than he could ever offer her. Hell,

four days after she left for college, he was packing his bags for boot

camp. It was never written in the stars that they would be lifetime

lovers, and yet, he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d suddenly

reappeared in his life for a reason.

Unable to force himself to go say hello he focused on his work,

and quickly lost track of time. When the mower he’d been working

on finally roared to life, its new blade spinning correctly, he sighed

with relief. The sun was already dipping low on the horizon, and

most likely, dinner was already on the table. It wasn’t unusual for one

or more of them to miss a meal, but he did find it odd that none of his

brothers had come out to personally let him know that Lauren had

arrived. Perhaps they were caught up in reminiscing with her.

Heading around the back of the house, he went in through the

back door so that he wouldn’t interrupt everyone else’s meal. His