You two enjoy yourselves.” Mama Indy’s salutation rang out through the air as she waved through the open window of the SUV. Aaron pulled off, and the two disappeared down the road.

On the front porch Mandisa watched and waved until the taillights of the vehicle disappeared from her view. She leaned back into the cushions of the porch swing, patted her full belly and sighed.

“I don’t know how many more of those wonderful meals my gut can take. I swear I’m gonna burst.”

“Does that mean there’s no room for Mama Indy’s coffee?” Slade stood in the doorway holding a coffee tray in his hand.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll hand over the coffee nice and easy, cowboy.”

The look on his face, the perfect mixture of amusement and fear, tickled a small giggle out of Mandisa as the big man shuffled to her side.

“You know, most folks don’t really use the term ‘cowboy’ out here. Most would call me a rancher.”

“Really? Well, I can stop calling you cowboy if you'd like. But cowboy is so much sexier.”

His smile softened his features as he said, “Cowboy it is, then.”

Mandisa took a long sip of the sweet concoction, letting its warmth travel through her body, soothing away the minor chill brought by the evening sky.

“I swear to all that’s holy Mama Indy must put freebase in this damn coffee.” She was only slightly aware of the choking sounds Slade was making beside her.

“Did…you…just…” Slade’s sputtered speech made her smile lazily across her coffee cup. “…accuse my elderly mama of lacing her coffee with drugs?”

Mandisa nodded her head. “Slade, this stuff is as addictive as the rock dudes are slinging on the corners in Brooklyn. Does she buy it? Grow it? I just know I need the connect so I can re-up when I go back home.”

Slade put his cup down and leaned back into the cushions of the chair as he shook his head. “I swear I just stepped into an episode of The Wire.”

“Nah, The Wire took place in Baltimore. I’m from Brooklyn. Remember that.”

She felt him inch closer to her on the porch swing’s bench. The familiar heat adding to the cozy feeling Mama Indy’s coffee began when Mandisa took her first sip. Taking a final mouthful of the brew, she gently placed her cup on the end table next to her and reclined until she felt the hard press of his shoulder beneath her head.

“Can we not move from this spot…ever?”

She felt the slight shift of his weight send the swing into a slow back-and-forth lull. She opened her eyes slightly. The bright moon sat proud in the sky above them, casting a romantic glow across the land and the porch. Her eyes walked from Slade’s crossed ankles, up his powerful legs, flat stomach, and expansive chest and arms until his face came into view. Cast in the same amber glow as the rest of their surroundings, he looked majestic, celestial.

“Hmm, you like it here?” he asked before he pulled her closer into his side, bidding her to rest in his embrace.

Liked was an understatement. “What’s not to like? Mama Indy’s food is phenomenal, the house is spacious, and the land is beautiful. It’s like being on an exotic vacation.”

She could feel the rumble of his chuckle as it moved through his chest, tickling the side of her cheek as it rested just above his heartbeat.

“Texas? Exotic?”

“To someone from Brooklyn, yeah. Don’t get me wrong—there are some beautiful areas of Brooklyn. It’s not all a dangerous war zone like the media would have you believe. But it’s a different kind of beauty. Where you have land and greenery spread out as far as the eye can see, Brooklyn is hard planes and concrete. Brooklyn is a mix of old buildings with eclectic histories and people. Each neighborhood and its architecture tells a different story about the inhabitants that have called it home from generation to generation.”

She felt the slow stroking of his fingers drawing circles on her upper arm. The contact, although muted by the fabric of her shirtsleeve, sent tiny spikes of electricity across her skin.

“You know, if we’re going to go riding tonight, we should probably get to it, Mandisa.” The low rumble of Slade’s voice made her skin tingle with need.

She was looking forward to riding with him. Had been all day as Aaron had dutifully taken her on a day trip into town when Slade was called away from the ranch on business. But sitting on his porch, watching the heavens and all their nocturnal celestial bodies, Mandisa couldn’t bring herself to leave this moonlit oasis. “Would you be terribly upset if we just stayed right here?”

“You don’t want to go riding?”

She could hear the unspoken, “with me,” dangling in the air. She placed a gentle hand over his and allowed it to rest. “I do want to, but I’d like to talk to you first.”

Slade must have noticed the serious tone of her voice, because he sat up, effectively disengaging his hand from under hers as he turned to face her. “Everything okay?”

It wasn’t. The brief beginnings she’d overheard of the conversation between Slade and his father still bothered her. She knew she was probably overstepping, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly off in that scenario. “I wanted to talk to you a bit about your father.”

She watched Slade fight to keep his features expressionless. The blank stare of his wide clear eyes was fixed on her. She swallowed hard, hoping to dislodge the discomfort of his heavy gaze.

“What could you possibly have to say about my father, darlin’?”

“Before I left with Aaron to go shopping, I had to go upstairs to my room to get my purse. I overheard you and your father talking to one another.”

He shifted in his seat, his back straighter, his gaze more focused. “What exactly did you hear?”

“Nothing, just the first few sentences of your conversation. Mama Indy came to tell me Aaron had arrived before the two of you could get into it. But Slade, the few words I did hear pass between you seemed very strained…angry. I don’t ever think I’ve ever heard you sound so hard, scary. It was obvious to me something isn’t quite right between the two of you. Is everything okay?”

Slade pulled his palm down his face, wiping away some of the tension resting on his brow. “Mandisa, my father and I don’t really see the world the same. We’re complete opposites in almost all aspects of our lives. What you overhead was just us being us. I’m flattered that you’re so concerned, but really, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“You’re certain?”

An easy smile played on his lips, and he leaned forward, placing a quick peck on her mouth. “There’s nothing wrong. Bull and I butt heads all the time. This is nothing new. Don’t you worry about it.”

He moved in closer, placing warm lips on the sensitive curve of her neck. Sparks of fire ignited underneath her skin, causing her to moan in pleasure as his mouth moved up her neck until it met the soft flesh of her earlobe.

“Now, are we gonna sit here all night talking about my daddy issues, or are you gonna ride with me?”

She pulled away from him slightly, stood up, and climbed on Slade’s lap, straddling him, planting her cunt directly over the print of his crotch. “I want to go riding, but just not the kind you were planning on.”

Mandisa could see intrigue twinkle in Slade’s eyes as he caught on to her true meaning. His lips curved into a perfect smile mixed with excitement and amusement. She ran a tender finger across his lips, loving the easy way he had about him. Slade never seemed too worried about anything, a trait she wished she could adopt. He just let life happen, let it be whatever it was going to be and enjoyed the ride as he went. How sweet must this man’s life be? How sweet could hers be if she’d only take a lesson from him?

His easiness was one of the things that attracted her to him. Well, aside from the god-like body and his amazing skills in the sex department, his ability to let things happen called to her. It made her want to let herself go when it came to him. She wanted to not think about any of the circumstances surrounding their meeting and her arrival here. She simply wanted to experience him.

She wasn’t certain if she could live this way permanently, but for her remaining time in Texas she planned to just enjoy Slade and all he had to offer.

Slade’s hands traveled up her thighs and curved around her ass, pulling her down on his crotch as he pushed his hips up, grinding his semi-hard cock between her pussy lips. She pressed her lips hard against his, demanding entrance and sighing with relief when he finally complied.

The absolute fire that blazed from the simple touch of tongue against tongue made her body burn. Mandisa needed Slade in the worst way, and all these damn clothes he’d made her put on in preparation for their horseback ride were preventing her from getting what she needed from him right now.

Why can’t clothes just fall off from a simple kiss like they do in the movies?

“Can anyone see us out here?” She spoke quickly in between their kisses, too needy to stop and have a proper conversation.

“The bunkhouse where my hands live is down the road on the other side of the stables. If someone wanted to look, they could. I doubt it, but the possibility does exist.”

She tempered their kissing for just a moment to digest what he’d said. “You care if anyone sees us out here?”

He shook his head, then moved his hand up to cup one of her breasts. “My land, my house. I do what I please. Anyone else has two options: enjoy the show or leave.”

He moved in closer, threading his fingers through her braids, angling her head to expose her neck. He bit into the soft flesh there, sending shivers through her body, pulling a low moan from her lips as the light stubble on his face added to the myriad of sensations.

“Condoms?” Her question hung in the air for a few moments before he pulled back to look up at her.

“In the house,” he groaned. “I packed some in my knapsack to take with us on our ride. But…” He leaned in to kiss her again, nipping at her bottom lip with his teeth while he lifted his hips, pressing his cloth-covered flesh into her mound. “…you distracted me.”

She smoothed a slow hand down his chest and abs until it was resting on his crotch. She gave it a gentle squeeze and watched Slade close his eyes in response.

“So if I want this, I either have to go in the house or go riding?”

He pressed himself into her palm. The sight of him with his bottom lip tucked between his teeth as he moved his hips to get more friction from her grip made her clit throb.

“Sweetie, ain’t a chance in hell of me being able to ride a horse right now. I’d hurt myself.”

She cringed at the image his words created. Him hurting that beautiful cock of his was not on her agenda. She needed it, had plans for it, and none of those plans included pain. Well, not the bad kind of pain.

She pulled herself up from his lap and stood on her own feet. She began unbuttoning one button after another down the middle of her shirt until both flaps of the material parted, leaving the black lace of her bra exposed to him. When he remained sitting, she placed both hands on her hips and let her lips curve into a sexy smirk.

“What? You need more of an invitation?”

Her words broke the spell, and he shook his head and slowly rose to his feet. He grabbed her hand and before she realized what he was doing, he bent down and lifted her over his shoulder. He made quick work of getting them through the door, making one brief stop to grab a knapsack resting on a hall chair. With the bag secured in his hand, he continued up the stairs, ignoring her squeals and pleas to be released. When he reached his final destination, he dumped her on the bed like a sack of potatoes and began pulling his shirt over his head.

“I don’t quite fancy trying to peel you out of those jeans right now. Strip,” he growled.

She laughed. Apparently she’d poked the beast. She toed off her boots and went to work unbuckling her belt and removing her fitted jeans. She’d seen Slade all gentle and tender, and it was one of the sexiest experiences of her life. But seeing him now, standing at the side of the bed, muscles rippling, all brooding hulk, looking as if he was about to devour her, made her shiver, and her clit throb.

Her clit begged for attention that she couldn’t resist giving. She closed her eyes, let her hand slip down her stomach until it reached the valley between her legs. She spread them slowly, allowing her fingers to slide down her slick folds. All they’d done was some petting and kissing, and she was so close to climax she was afraid to graze her swollen nub with the slightest touch.

“God, woman,” he growled. “I swear you’re trying to kill me.”

The bed dipped with his weight and soon Slade joined his fingers with hers. She was just about ready to explode when he pushed her hand aside, spread the lips of her pussy with his determined digits. The motion was so quick it startled her, making her open her eyes to watch him as his dipped his head and licked her from her clit to the twitching hole of her cunt.

“Fuck,” she hissed. She couldn’t say anything else once he began his assault. His skilled tongue robbed her of breath, making her dizzy from the unique mix of pleasure and lack of oxygen she was experiencing. The sensation was so good, so intense, she was caught between smashing into him or pulling away. Her body finally decided for her as the first peaks of orgasm began to crest, making her grip the dark strands of his hair tightly and ride his face.

Her body locked in blessed tension, her legs wrapped around his neck. There was some distant concern about suffocation, but her climax was so powerful, she could hardly be concerned with nonessential things like breathing.

When her body finally returned partial control of her limbs to her, she relaxed her hands in his hair and fell limp against the mattress. She was falling fast into comforting blackness, her eyes blinking rapidly at the vision of him rummaging through the knapsack he’d brought with them. Losing the battle, she closed her eyes again for a brief moment when she heard the crinkle of foil and a quick, “Sorry, darlin’,” coming from Slade.

She glanced at him, unable to process exactly what he could be sorry for. He’d blissed her the fuck out with a few swipes of his tongue, and if the determined look on his face was any indication, he was about to blow her back out with the same savage intensity he’d graced her with only moments before.

He pressed inside her in one swift motion, balls slapping against the puckered skin of her ass. Her walls pliant from her recent climax muted the stretch, but taking all that girth and length in one pass made her cry out. Her pleasure laced with the slightest twinge of pain, the burn of her abused pussy lips gave way to indescribable satisfaction.

Slade spread her legs as far as possible, holding them open with the firm grip of his hands. Mandisa didn’t bruise easily, but she knew without a doubt there would be proof of Slade’s lovemaking in the morning. Good thing he’d forced her to buy more jeans. Her shorts would definitely alert the entire ranch as to what occurred between them under the cover of night.

He was brutal, his cock nearly splitting her in two. She was splayed and devoid of any shame as she begged him to continue his assault. He was destroying her in the worst way, and she was so wanton all she could do was beg him to keep her on edge, beg him to keep her cunt dripping, beg him to own her body like no man had before him.

He leaned down to kiss her, demanding entrance into her mouth, sharing the unique flavor of her previous climax that still coated his tongue. He ravaged her mouth while his cock hit her spot in just the right way, and within seconds, her body was tensing again, muscles locking down on his masterful cock in complete abandon. She knew she was screaming her pleasure, but his kisses swallowed her cries, filling the room with muted moans from a voice she almost didn’t recognize as her own.

And before her body could come down from this new height, he braced his weight on his arms and plowed into her. He was ruthless, animalistic. His muscles rippled and strained beneath her touch. His body was coated in a thin sheen of sweat, while a vale of unadulterated bliss covered his face. His quick pace faltered as she felt him swell within her. One last thrust, and he kissed her fast and rough against the delicate curve of her neck, his teeth sinking into her bare flesh, marking her.

She whimpered, the aftershocks of her own climax rocking her as he pushed through his. She’d have to remember to be upset about the bite mark she knew would result from this. But right now, as that bite prolonged her orgasm, kept her coming on his dick, all she could do was whimper and mewl like a helpless babe.

Seconds later he released her, kissed her gently where his teeth had borne down on her flesh. He stroked her still-sensitive nipples, then shifted his hand down to the cavern between her legs and gently stroked the near-raw flesh of her cunt.

“So sorry, baby. I just needed…”

Still dazed by the pleasure he’d given her, she lifted her head to look at him and spoke the only words her brain could muster. “So good.”

He let out a rushed breath and gathered her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest, planting a smiling kiss on her forehead before they both succumbed to sleep.

* * *

The bright and disrespectful sun poked at Mandisa’s closed lids. When she finally surfaced to consciousness, she could feel the hard, familiar planes of a large man’s body pressed against her flank. After a week of waking up with Slade plastered possessively against her, her body immediately recognized the luxurious comfort of his skin.

Slade leaned down to kiss her, but she blocked him with her hands, turning her face into the pillow.

“I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. Morning breath isn’t sexy.”

He gave her a hearty laugh, pulling her hand away from her face and stealing a kiss despite her protest. “Everything about you is sexy, even your funky morning breath.”

She scooted out of the large bed and sauntered across the room to the dresser where she pulled out a T-shirt and a pair of panties. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and tied her braids into a neat ponytail before she emerged from the bathroom.

She found Slade stretched out across the bed with the covers falling just below the perfect curve of his meaty ass. She made sure to grab a firm handful and slap one of his cheeks when she climbed back into the bed.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” he mumbled into the pillow.

“Oh, I can most definitely finish it.”

He lifted his head and looked over at the alarm clock resting on the nightstand. Shaking his head before he dropped it back on the pillow he groaned, “Not before we both need to be dressed and downstairs at Mama’s breakfast table.”

“Well, if you’d had my things placed in your room, then you wouldn’t have to waste time walking all the way down the hall to shower and get dressed. We could’ve saved time by showering together.”

Slade looked up again. Mandisa expected to see amusement in his eyes, perhaps a fun retort waiting on his tongue. But what she found were those soulful eyes penetrating her consciousness, looking deeper, venturing beyond the smiling façade she held in place.

“I hope you’re not upset about me asking Mama to fix this room for you. I didn’t want to presume you wanted to be down the hall with me. I wanted you to have the option to say no if you wanted to.”

Damn it. Again, he’d been able to read her without any difficulty at all. Was she really that much of an open book? Was she that transparent? Or was it just as she’d assumed in the car with Aaron, that this was Slade’s superpower?

“I’d be more than honored to have you down the hall with me, darlin’. As long as it’s what you want too.”

She gave up a brief chuckle before she spoke. “Maybe once Mama Indy leaves tonight. I don’t think I want her seeing you move my things into your room. Don’t want her thinking thoughts about what we might be doing in there.”

Slade let out a loud howl of laughter. “If you only knew Indira Price the way I do, you’d know you have nothing to worry about.”

He brought his lips to hers in a quick kiss before he stood. “Get some rest. We’ll figure out sleeping arrangements later.”

Slade stole another kiss before stepping into his jeans. He grabbed his shirt, socks, and boots in one hand and headed out the door with a quiet click.

Mandisa closed her eyes as Slade exited the room. She snuggled into the still-warm linens that were covered in Slade’s delectable scent. She wrapped herself up in those covers and luxuriated in the comfort she found within them.

There had been brief moments of doubt that fought to rear their head when she’d arrived on this land, but Slade had snuffed them out with a tender kiss. She refused to allow doubt to intrude on this. She’d come here with the purpose of enjoying herself. Right now, that meant enjoying the promise of sharing intimate space with Slade again. Mandisa would worry about everything else later.

* * *

Mandisa was startled by her ringing cellphone. Realizing she must have dozed off after Slade’s departure from her room in the early morning, she pulled herself up in the bed and smiled when she saw Kandi’s name flashing across the screen.

“Hey, girl, you’re violating the terms of my bet with Slade. What’s up?”

Kandi’s full-bodied laugh jumped across the phone line and settled somewhere deep in Mandisa’s heart. Damn, she’d missed hearing Kandi cackle like a hyena.

“Actually I’m not,” Kandi offered. “I called the great man himself and asked if I could call you and check on you. He says I can call you when I want to chat, but you’re not to dial my number unless it’s an emergency.”

“You did?” Mandisa was a bit puzzled. She wasn’t exactly certain when Slade and Kandi talked. Slade allowed few things to disrupt their time together. “When did this happen?”

“Earlier today. So, how’s the farm?”

“It’s actually a ranch.”

“And the difference?” Kandi asked.

“A ranch has more livestock, focuses mostly on animals like horses and cattle. A farm focuses more on crops. They have animals too, but smaller animals like chickens and pigs.”

Mandisa heard Kandi suck her teeth, a Brooklyn girl’s way of calling bullshit. “And just how do you know this, Miss Concrete Princess?”

Mandisa had to laugh, herself. A week ago she wouldn’t have known the difference; all this open land would have looked the same to her. But after spending time with Slade and his small family, they’d taken the time to educate her on their way of life. Not to mention, she’d made the exact same mistake a few days after arriving here and was quickly corrected by Mama Indy.

“Let’s just say Slade’s mother is a wonderfully knowledgeable woman about such matters.”

“Wait, hol’up,” Kandi interrupted. “You’ve met his mother?”

“Yes, and his best friend too. They both live on the property.”

“On the property? You mean, in the same house?” Kandi asked.

“No. I mean on the property. They each have their own homes spread out on the land. It’s huge down here, Kandi. You could fit East New York, Brownsville, Flatbush, and Canarsie within these gates, and there’d still be some room left over.”

“Damn, Mandisa. Sounds like an episode of Dallas up in there.”

Mandisa couldn’t hold her laughter. Kandi’s way with words had long since been a source of amusement for her.

“So it sounds like the cowboy is showing you a good time.” Mandisa could hear a slight touch of uncertainty in Kandi’s voice, turning her statement into a question.

“Yeah, he is. He and his people have been really gracious hosts.” Mandisa was telling the absolute truth. In little more than a week’s time, Mandisa had been made to feel like she belonged on the land.

If she wasn’t spending time with Slade, she was with Mama Indy, watching the woman make one fabulous recipe after another. The old woman seemed happy to have someone to share stories with about Slade and Aaron growing up and getting into so much trouble together. She’d even taken to sharing some of her secret ingredients with Mandisa. Emphasis on the some. Mandisa still hadn’t managed to find out what the hell that woman was putting in her coffee to make it so damn good.

If Mama Indy was too busy to entertain her, even the broody Aaron was eager to step in and share some of his time. He’d shown her around some of the more remote parts of the land that Slade hadn’t gotten around to yet.

One day she’d followed him around the ranch like a lost puppy when Slade had been summoned to his offices for work. When they’d come back to the house for lunch and he’d removed his hat, giving her a closer look at his beautiful midnight hair, she’d given him a few tips about helping to manage some of the split ends she could see.

He hadn’t the slightest idea what she was talking about. So she’d mixed up a natural egg-and-mayonnaise deep conditioner and applied it to his hair. He’d growled the entire time she washed, then conditioned, then rinsed his hair. However, when he saw the results, the smooth shine that gleamed when the light hit his strands, a small smile broke free on his lips.

These people were becoming an expected and welcomed part of her life. Thinking of the soon-approaching end date brought a twinge of sadness to her. Needing to lift her spirits, she brought the discussion around to safer topics. “How’s Sweet Sadie’s doing?”

“As well as always,” Kandi answered quickly. “Why? Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do.” Mandisa never would have left if she didn’t. Kandi was the only person she’d trust with her mama’s stores. “I still have to ask, though. This is the first time I’ve been away, Kandi. I miss the stores. I miss you. Just want to make certain everything’s okay.”

Kandi’s brief silence made Mandisa worry. She never wanted her friend and work partner to think Mandisa didn’t trust her. But as a responsible owner, she couldn’t just turn off being concerned about the welfare of her business either.

“Everything’s fine, Mandisa. The stores are doing great, and the staff and I are okay. Don’t worry yourself.” Kandi was quiet again. Not long enough to worry Mandisa, but still long enough for her to notice the loquacious woman wasn’t carrying their conversation as she usually would. “I just called to make sure you’re giving this a chance, Mandisa. That you’re not sabotaging yourself out of having a good time.”

“Have I really been that bad, Kandi?”

Mandisa knew the answer to her own question. Of course she’d been that bad. She’d worked herself into exhaustion making her mother’s business a success. Kandi had hounded her endlessly to step away from it all before the pressure took its toll. But her warning fell on Mandisa’s deaf ears until Slade walked into the picture.

“Never mind,” Mandisa replied. “Don’t answer that. I promise you’d be proud of me, Kandi. I haven’t thought of work once since I’ve been here. I’ve been spending so much time with Slade and his family, work hasn’t even entered into the equation.”

“Good,” Kandi answered. “That’s all I wanted to know, that you’re having a good time. I’ll chat with you next week. Go have some more fun for me.”

Kandi ended the call, leaving Mandisa to think on her words. Mandisa was absolutely having fun—too much fun. This was a working vacation, yet she hadn’t done any work since she’d stepped on this land.

Yes, she and Slade had agreed to take time out to acquaint her with him and his beautiful home. However, she did come here with a purpose—to get needed capital for her business. To finance her mother’s dream.

Mandisa had been so busy falling in love with Slade’s land, and deeper in lust with him, she’d completely dismissed her responsibilities to her company.

A woman should never set her dreams aside for a man, Mandisa. As soon as she does, she loses herself and becomes nothing more than an extension of him.

Mama Sadie had drilled that into her head from childhood.

If I’d done that when your daddy walked out on me, I’d have had nothing. Where would the two of us be if I’d followed his dreams instead of my own? Don’t let a man, or that silly emotion love, make you stupid, little girl. Always have your own.

Unable to shake her mother’s teachings, even when they felt counter-intuitive, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and walked to the closet to pull out some clothes. She dressed in a pair of black slacks and a button-down shirt and added a pair of wedged booties to finish the outfit.

She walked downstairs into the kitchen, finding Slade, Mama Indy, and Aaron already at the table. They each stared at her with incredulous gazes. She assumed they were each attempting to figure out what kind of crazy she’d succumbed to, wearing any type of high heels on a horse ranch.

“Going someplace, darlin’?” Slade’s question filled the silent room.

“Yeah, and I was hoping you’d accompany me too.”

“Really? Where’d you have in mind?”

She smoothed her hand over her slacks, removing wrinkles that weren’t there. A stalling tactic she’d learned when dealing with her late mother’s disapproving stare.

“Your labs,” Mandisa answered. “I was hoping you’d show me around your facilities today.”

Slade flinched just the slightest bit as he took a sip from his coffee mug. He shared a strange look with Aaron and Mama Indy, one Mandisa hadn’t yet catalogued, before he returned his gaze to her.

“If you’re sure you want to visit Venus’ labs, I can certainly make that happen for you. Just give me a few minutes to change out of my denims and into more appropriate attire.”

He wiped his mouth with the napkin resting on his lap and then he stood. Without another word, he walked out of the room, leaving a chilly draft behind him that made her shiver.

She rubbed her arms with her hands, trying to get some of the earlier warmth back in them as her eyes collided with those of the two-remaining people at the table. There was something unspoken between the two of them, something neither of them seemed inclined to make Mandisa aware of.

Too concerned with keeping things on track, Mandisa pulled her eyes away and focused on the food before her. She loaded up her plate and dug in.

There was nothing like a healthy plate of food to keep one’s head down and mouth too busy to speak. If she was fortunate, she could keep shoveling food into her mouth until Slade returned. If she did, there’d be no need to worry about why she suddenly felt as if Mama Indy and Aaron, two people she’d become so fond of in such a short time, were disappointed in her. And more importantly, why that disappointment mattered.