Long Time Gone (Rough Riders) Read Online Free PDF Page B

detachment, but Cal didn’t blame her. It sounded as if there’d been a disconnect between mother and youngest daughter for more than half of Kimi’s life. She said even less about her father. She did talk about her brothers, and seemed both resigned and grateful that she wasn’t closer to them.
    “What about your mom?” she prompted.
    “She died suddenly when me’n Carse were eighteen. Dad turned his grief into anger and somehow that ended up aimed at us.”
    “That stinks.”
    “Yeah. I guess Dad didn’t consider that we’d lost something too. After six months of dealin’ with that shit, Carson decided we needed to move out on our own.”
    The chains on the swing creaked as they set it to moving again.
    “We?” she asked.
    “Yep. The McKay twins are a matched set.”
    “Do you do everything your brother wants?” Right after Kimi said it, she tensed, as if she expected him to bristle.
    “Usually. Not because I ain’t got a backbone or my own opinion, but because he’s usually right. Our dad might be in charge, but Carson sees the whole picture. What’s important now and how it’ll change years down the road. I ain’t gonna argue with him just to show my ignorance like our brother Casper does. But if Carson is in the wrong, I ain’t afraid to tell him so.”
    “You two don’t have problems? Get into fistfights? Refuse to talk to one another?”
    He shrugged. “Not really. At least not about ranch stuff. Some folks think I oughta have resentment for Carson bein’ in charge when he’s just a few minutes older. But the truth is, I’d defer to him even if I was a few years older. His gut feeling ain’t ever been wrong. And that makes it easier on me, to be honest. Not everyone is cut out to give orders.” He took another drink of whiskey, surprised to see it was gone. He’d been pacing himself and by his count they’d been out here two hours.
    “I know what you mean. At the shop, Carolyn takes the initiative in creating new styles and she loves all aspects of sewing. Whereas I… It doesn’t interest me. I mean, I’m competent. I do what I’m told with no problem, but Aunt Hulda accepts my limitations. She doesn’t expect me to be exactly like Carolyn. But when I come back here, that’s the only expectation everyone else in my family has—why can’t you be more like Carolyn?” Kimi drained her root beer. She plucked his glass out of his hand and gently set both empties in the grass.
    Cal dropped his arm over her shoulder and stroked her soft skin. “So does that mean now that Carolyn’s married off…you’re just bidin’ your time until you can do the same so you don’t disappoint your family?”
    Kimi snorted at his teasing tone. “Not likely. I could ask you the same question. You’n Carson have lived together and worked together your whole lives. You got resentment for havin’ to share your brother with my sister? Or maybe you’ll get married soon so you and the missus can do couple things with the Carson McKays.”
    He put his lips on her ear. “Maybe you oughta marry me. At least I know you’d get along with your sister-in-law.” Once again her scent, a powdery sweetness with an underlying hint of smoke teased his nose.
    She trembled as he breathed her in.
    It wasn’t enough. He wanted to taste her mouth. Feel the gooseflesh rippling across her skin beneath his lips. “Kimi. Darlin’, look at me.”
    She tipped her head back and turned her face toward his, keeping her cheek nestled against his biceps. “What?”
    “I wanna kiss you. Christ, girl, I wanna eat you up. Then I remember you’re young and I oughten be entertaining those kinda thoughts at all. And I promised—”
    Kimi put her finger over his lips. “You promised not to try and get me in bed. But you didn’t say a damn thing about not tryin’ to kiss me. In fact, you promised you were gonna have your mouth all over mine, remember?”
    Without missing a beat, Cal planted his mouth on hers very softly,