Page 24 of Finding English

She looked up with a wrinkle in her brow. “I’d be more worried about getting rid of us. Michaela loves them and so do I. You’re lucky to have them, Henry.”

He kissed her lightly, her body instantly melting into him. “I know, and now I have you and Michaela, and for the record, if you never leave, I’ll be perfectly happy with that.”

“Are we rushing things?”

With his hands around her hips, he pulled her to his front, letting her feel his desire for her. “My body says not fast enough,” he joked, and she laughed the beautiful sound healing his soul in places he didn’t know were damaged. “Seriously though, I don’t think so. If you know, you know. Why should we wait and go at what society sees as an acceptable timetable? Let’s do this to our schedule. We’re the only people that get a say in this, Cass.”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that, and I like the way things are moving, although, yeah, a little more alone time might be nice.” She rubbed her lower body against him lightly and he groaned.

“Killing me.”

“When will they be here?”

“I’m going to meet them at the airport at eleven. They’ll be staying in the bunkhouse so there will always be someone here to keep you and Micky safe.”

The bunkhouse was huge, big enough for twenty hands but was currently empty as the men that worked the ranch lived locally and went home every night. His father had given them a week of paid leave so there were no questions asked, limiting the people in and out of the ranch.

“Okay.”

Henry looked up at the sound of a vehicle crossing over the cattle grids in the distance and saw Dax’s vehicle heading toward them. Dax had agreed to stay with Cassie and Michaela while he picked up his friends. As the truck came to a stop beside the house, Mack jumped out and was running to Cassie with her arms open wide. Cassie let go and Henry released her as her friend offered her comfort, whispered rambling words pouring from Mack as Cassie held tight to her.

Dax came to stand beside him, hands in his pockets as they watched the woman embrace. “I couldn’t stop her coming. She was worried sick.”

“Nah, it’s good. Cassie needs people around her right now even if she doesn’t know it.”

“She know yet?”

Henry angled toward Dax and frowned. “Know what?”

“That you love her?”

Henry’s gaze pulled back to Cassie, and he watched as she slid her arm through Mack’s and went to see Micky as her riding lesson came to an end. Three weeks, that’s all he’d known her and now here he was thinking about love.

The fact was, Henry had never cared for someone like this, never hungered for the company of a woman as he did her and not just in his bed, but in every aspect of his life. He wanted to go sleep holding her, to wake up with her pressed to him. To fix her wrongs, fight her battles, and protect her from anything wishing to harm her. Was that love? He thought maybe it was and the idea only made him more certain that she and Michaela were his.

“Not sure I knew myself until a few moments ago.”

“It hits like a freight train when it does. Never saw Mack coming either but when she did I knew. I didn’t necessarily recognize it straight away but I knew she was important from the moment I first saw her rambling on, looking cuter than anything.”

“Yeah, I guess. I just wish we didn’t have Bunce hanging over us.”

Dax frowned, the worry evident in his face. “Any news?”

“Nothing you don’t know. Traffic cams have him five blocks east of Cassie’s place but lost him as he went into the shittier parts of town.”

“We’ll get him.” Dax patted him on the shoulder and changed the subject as Michaela came running toward them.

Henry hunkered down to her level, his heart turning over with the light giggle that erupted from her mouth when Bear licked her neck.

“Did you see me, Henry? I was widin like a big girl. I don’t want to be a dinosaur now. I want to be a horse rider.”

Henry tugged gently on her pigtail. “Looks to me like you already are.”

“Nuh-uh, grandpop Jerry says I have to be able to look after Maze before I can say that. He’s gonna let me help him clean the poop and feed her now.”

“Wow, what a lucky girl.” Henry kept a straight face not wanting her to think he was laughing when he was actually loving her enthusiasm for life.

Standing, he watched his dad move toward them, his face beaming. His dad was enjoying having Cassie and Michaela here as much as his mum was.