gone.
That button worked. Rick thumped both hands on the desk and all but roared in Dale’s face. “Get. Out. Of. This. House.”
That got Dale moving. Faster than he’d ever seen the man move, as a matter of fact. Rick kept his hands on the desk lest they throttle Dale as he scrambled past. One more comment, one more hint, and he’d kill the man with his bare hands.
He stood there a long time afterward, fighting to settle his nerves. Yeah, Tina definitely had a way of bringing out the animal in a man.
Chapter Eighteen
“Carly!” Tina waved, spotting her sister at last. She’d pushed the speed limit and run more than her share of yellow lights to get to the airport in time, but she’d made it.
“Tina!” Carly strode over from the security checkpoint.
A dozen heads turned, as they did wherever Carly went. Her long blond hair flowed like she’d just stepped out of a shampoo commercial. Mile-long legs stuck out in the ample space between her ultrashort cutoff jeans and ultrahigh cowgirl boots, showing a golden tan. The pink tank top she wore hugged her trim figure so tightly, Tina could make out the ring Carly wore in her pierced navel.
Carly shook off three would-be suitors like flies just in the course of covering those thirty feet. Walked right past them, exuding that I-couldn’t-care-less-what-you-think attitude she’d been born with. She strode across the tired carpet of the airport and stepped casually into Tina’s hug.
“Hey, baby sis,” Tina murmured. Even with Carly being Carly, it was good to see her again.
“Hi, old lady,” Carly shot back. She patted Tina on the back, then froze. Sniffed. Pulled back to study Tina’s face.
Oh, shit.
Tina cringed.
Here it comes.
“Yum,” Carly announced, loud enough for half the crowd to hear. She leaned in for another sniff. “He smells good.”
Shit, shit, double shit. Her sister’s keen shifter nose had zoned right in on Rick’s scent. God, what had she been thinking last night, rubbing up and down Rick like that?
We were thinking
mate.
Remember?
her wolf chimed in.
Tina grabbed her sister’s arm and hauled her down the concourse. “Shh!”
“It’s not like these people know you!” Carly laughed, tossing her golden hair.
Four different men tripped over their own feet just watching her, and even the priest standing beside a newsstand looked ready to break his vows.
Carly-traffic
, as Cody called it. The woman created gridlock everywhere she went.
Tina dragged her along by the elbow as two men bumped into each other. “Next time, I’ll let Cody pick you up.”
“Next time, I ride my Harley. I hate flying.” Carly sniffed.
Every inner alarm in Tina clanged as she stopped in her tracks. “Wait a minute.” She took Carly by both shoulders. “You didn’t crash another motorcycle, did you?”
Carly rolled her eyes. “No,
Mom
. I’m just here for three days this time, so I decided to fly.”
Tina studied every inch of her sister’s lithe frame for fresh scars. Shifters healed quickly, but if you looked hard enough… The faint scratches across one shoulder were from the time Carly totaled her last bike in an accident that would have killed any human. The jagged line across her right forearm from one of her rock climbing falls was still there, too.
“Good.” Tina finally nodded. “Flying is safer.” Anything where Carly wasn’t at the controls was safer.
Her sister flashed a wicked smile as her eyes took on that wild look. “Maybe next time I will ride the bike. Really let that puppy fly…”
“Don’t even joke about it,” Tina barked, towing her down the hallway again.
Her heart was thumping now, because yes, as older sister and sole Hawthorne female at the ranch, her motherly instincts were always hard at work. And they worked double time whenever her daredevil sister was around.
Daredevil? Death wish is more like it,
the ranch women used to mutter. Tina had always shushed them, because you never knew. Carly
That button worked. Rick thumped both hands on the desk and all but roared in Dale’s face. “Get. Out. Of. This. House.”
That got Dale moving. Faster than he’d ever seen the man move, as a matter of fact. Rick kept his hands on the desk lest they throttle Dale as he scrambled past. One more comment, one more hint, and he’d kill the man with his bare hands.
He stood there a long time afterward, fighting to settle his nerves. Yeah, Tina definitely had a way of bringing out the animal in a man.
Chapter Eighteen
“Carly!” Tina waved, spotting her sister at last. She’d pushed the speed limit and run more than her share of yellow lights to get to the airport in time, but she’d made it.
“Tina!” Carly strode over from the security checkpoint.
A dozen heads turned, as they did wherever Carly went. Her long blond hair flowed like she’d just stepped out of a shampoo commercial. Mile-long legs stuck out in the ample space between her ultrashort cutoff jeans and ultrahigh cowgirl boots, showing a golden tan. The pink tank top she wore hugged her trim figure so tightly, Tina could make out the ring Carly wore in her pierced navel.
Carly shook off three would-be suitors like flies just in the course of covering those thirty feet. Walked right past them, exuding that I-couldn’t-care-less-what-you-think attitude she’d been born with. She strode across the tired carpet of the airport and stepped casually into Tina’s hug.
“Hey, baby sis,” Tina murmured. Even with Carly being Carly, it was good to see her again.
“Hi, old lady,” Carly shot back. She patted Tina on the back, then froze. Sniffed. Pulled back to study Tina’s face.
Oh, shit.
Tina cringed.
Here it comes.
“Yum,” Carly announced, loud enough for half the crowd to hear. She leaned in for another sniff. “He smells good.”
Shit, shit, double shit. Her sister’s keen shifter nose had zoned right in on Rick’s scent. God, what had she been thinking last night, rubbing up and down Rick like that?
We were thinking
mate.
Remember?
her wolf chimed in.
Tina grabbed her sister’s arm and hauled her down the concourse. “Shh!”
“It’s not like these people know you!” Carly laughed, tossing her golden hair.
Four different men tripped over their own feet just watching her, and even the priest standing beside a newsstand looked ready to break his vows.
Carly-traffic
, as Cody called it. The woman created gridlock everywhere she went.
Tina dragged her along by the elbow as two men bumped into each other. “Next time, I’ll let Cody pick you up.”
“Next time, I ride my Harley. I hate flying.” Carly sniffed.
Every inner alarm in Tina clanged as she stopped in her tracks. “Wait a minute.” She took Carly by both shoulders. “You didn’t crash another motorcycle, did you?”
Carly rolled her eyes. “No,
Mom
. I’m just here for three days this time, so I decided to fly.”
Tina studied every inch of her sister’s lithe frame for fresh scars. Shifters healed quickly, but if you looked hard enough… The faint scratches across one shoulder were from the time Carly totaled her last bike in an accident that would have killed any human. The jagged line across her right forearm from one of her rock climbing falls was still there, too.
“Good.” Tina finally nodded. “Flying is safer.” Anything where Carly wasn’t at the controls was safer.
Her sister flashed a wicked smile as her eyes took on that wild look. “Maybe next time I will ride the bike. Really let that puppy fly…”
“Don’t even joke about it,” Tina barked, towing her down the hallway again.
Her heart was thumping now, because yes, as older sister and sole Hawthorne female at the ranch, her motherly instincts were always hard at work. And they worked double time whenever her daredevil sister was around.
Daredevil? Death wish is more like it,
the ranch women used to mutter. Tina had always shushed them, because you never knew. Carly
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