She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy by Cara North Page A

kids were fine. Rafe unnerved the woman somehow. She obviously cared for him because she stole peeks at him when he wasn't looking. When she thought no one was looking. She trusted him implicitly with her kids but no one else.
    "Rafe?” the kids pleaded.
    "We'll discuss it later. Say good night to everyone, okay,” Rafe directed.
    "I'll see you tomorrow, Rafe.” Layla headed for the door. The kids lugged along behind her. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Johnson, Chance. Good seeing you again, Jan, Bethany."
    And she was gone. Rafe sat back down like nothing happened. The family resumed talking the same way.
    "I told you they are weird,” Heath whispered in her ear.
    "Come outside with me.” She stood. “Excuse us."
    Heath followed. Once they got out the door, she snuggled into his arms. Her hands gripped him tightly. Too tightly.
    "You okay?” He hugged her then put his big hands on her shoulders and pushed her back to face him.
    "I just had to hold you. When that little girl crawled into your lap, I thought...” She stopped.
    "Go on.” He waited.
    "I thought that right now we'd have a little one about a year old to sit on your knee. I thought how stupid that woman is to not see how much those kids mean to your brother. I thought how smart a six year old was to want to marry you,” she rambled. She felt her throat get tight and tears well in her eyes. “I thought how stupid I have been, and I don't ever want to be that dumb again."
    "Hey. You're not stupid. I thought about our child, too.” He swallowed hard, and his Adam's apple bobbed. “Then I thought about this afternoon and last night, and I know if we want it to work, it will."
    "You mean it?” She knew he did. She just had to hear it again. He was offering her a second chance.
    "Yeah. Do you want to keep going?” He clenched his jaw. She worried about his jerk reaction. He was still not sure he could trust her completely. She understood why, but she worried he may never get to the point of total trust again.
    "Yes.” She nodded; then she snuggled back into his arms.
    "Come on, let's get back in there. It's almost over.” He kissed her forehead and then guided her back into the large dining hall.
    Chance took a good look around Momma's Kitchen. The inside reflected the outside, a huge log cabin. Sections of long, short, square, and round tables sat spaced about the place. A buffet bar along the back wall would be the serving area for breakfast and lunch and the salad bar for casual diners at dinner. The room off to the right would be set up for more formal dining and business lunches. This wasn't Momma's Kitchen. It was hers, and she had no plans of leaving it, ever.
    Heath stepped around her and went back to the table. When she finally followed, she realized everyone was eating her apple pie with ice cream. There was only one piece left, a small one at that. “Guess you like it."
    She started to sit next to Heath, but he looped his arm around her and pulled her onto his lap. She was shocked and pleased all at once. He whispered in her ear, “Kids are gone."
    "Will you stop that?” Jan looked at them and laughed. “If you're going to talk, talk. Stop being so secretive. It makes me nervous."
    "Yeah. Especially me.” Buck lifted his butt cheek off the chair and rubbed it.
    "You were shot in the other cheek,” Heath pointed out.
    "Oh right.” Buck switched cheeks and rubbed the other. Jan swatted him.
    "Your Paw would be pleased to see this you know?” Emmy Johnson said seriously. “All the man wanted was for this ranch to be successful again. To keep his family on it."
    "Well, Momma, you're the only one not here.” Heath looked at his mother, and Chance detected a lot of tension she never noticed between them before.
    "I have good memories here, but I have bad ones, too. Men out west are different. Your father was different. I loved him, but I didn't love Montana,” she said in a slow even tone. “I know you kids do. I can see it in each one