CHAPTER ONE
BRIGHT SUNSHINE DANCED through the leaves of towering elms and oaks, adding dappled shade to the gathering of family. They sat at multiple picnic tables and in lawn chairs scattered about. Many of her cousins had brought their dogs to play with her father’s and uncle’s animals. For once, Amber Hudson hadn’t brought along her own fur-baby, Rookie. They’d spent the morning together, taken a walk, played fetch in the yard, and then she’d left him in the fenced-in backyard, but with the doggy door open so he could come and go in the house as he pleased.
Their group had grown, she thought with a smile, seeing the spouses of her brother and cousins, who were now a part of it all. Everyone joined in for Father’s Day since they had some of the best dads ever.
Filled with love and pride and warm affection, she smiled at her own father. Morgan Hudson was an amazing icon in the community; she wasn’t the only one who adored him. Everyone in Buckhorn, Kentucky, cared for her dad.
He’d be so surprised by her announcement, and no doubt her uncles would cheer right along with everyone else.
Her family, more than most, loved babies.
Her gaze skipped over to Noel Poet, the reason she hadn’t brought Rookie along. She hoped to visit with Noel directly after the gathering—and by visit, she meant touch all over, maybe kiss all over, and explore again that off-the-charts sexual chemistry. More and more each day, she craved him whenever they were apart.
Considering the night he’d had, it amazed her that he’d made it today. As usual, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. Thanks to the current heat and humidity, sweat darkened the ends of his blond hair. He wore loose board shorts that showed off his hairy calves, laceless sneakers on his big feet and a T-shirt printed with STILL PLAYS WITH FIRETRUCKS.
Fighting exhaustion, he slouched against a tree, using one thick shoulder as a prop to keep him on his feet as he spoke to her mother, Misty.
Because of a barn fire the night before, he couldn’t have gotten much rest. Noel wouldn’t complain, though. He never did. It went against his man-code, which had helped solidify his friendship with the men in her family, since they were all a bunch of “suffer in silence”-type guys, too.
Continually Noel’s dark brown eyes sought her out with a sort of casual possessiveness that thrilled her.
Noel was quiet and contained, strong and heroic, with a rock-hard body, a gorgeous, expressive face, and Lord help her, she had it bad for him. Of course, she hadn’t told him that, because he hadn’t yet told her. She’d tried every trick in the book to get him to open up on how he felt, but other than presenting himself as her steady date and showing a lot of sexual compatibility, he kept his thoughts to himself.
Her father liked Noel. Her mother adored him. Her cousins all respected him.
Amber frowned as she considered things. Around Noel, she didn’t feel like her usual cocky, take-charge self. Somehow he made her feel...more feminine. Even delicate.
She snorted at that nonsense.
Her daddy hadn’t raised any wimps, never mind how he’d always pampered her.
She and Noel were more on than off, so why did she lose her edge around him?
When Noel laughed, she sighed in confused longing—until Garrett nudged her.
“Plotting his capture?” her brother asked.
Startled, Amber frowned up at him, opened her mouth, drew a blank on anything witty and said only “Shut up.”
Garrett’s brows climbed high. “That’s it? That’s your comeback?”
Lifting her long, loose braid away from her neck, she grumbled a low, indistinct curse.
Garrett whistled. “He must really have you running in circles, sis, because you’re way off your game.”
True. When it came to Noel, she had no game at all. She’d matched up numerous people in Buckhorn, Kentucky, using a knack for machination. But Noel often distracted her enough that she couldn’t think, much less plot.
Around him, all she could do was feel.
Taking in her expression, Garrett drew her close, kissed her forehead and asked, “Want me to stomp on him?”
“Ha.” It wouldn’t be easy to do, given Noel and her brother were equally buff and bullheaded. But that wasn’t the point. “Touch him and you answer to me.”
Garrett’s smile came slowly. “That’s more like it. Just remember, if necessary, I got your back.”
“He works for you, Garrett.”
Her brother ran the fire station, and Noel was the newest firefighter under his command. More important than that, they were friends.
“So?” Garrett said, discounting it all. “You’re my sister. That trumps everything else.” Leaving her to think on that, Garrett headed to his wife. Zoey wore a yellow sundress, her feet bare in the lush grass. She had her brown hair in a high ponytail and a permanent smile on her mouth. After Garrett lifted her high, then kissed her soundly, she looked positively radiant.
Before the two of them could sneak off, Amber quit mooning over Noel and instead climbed up to stand on a picnic-table seat. “Attention, please. I have an announcement to make!”
Slowly the din of conversation faded and everyone faced her. Remaining up on the bench and lacing her fingers together, Amber said, “I’m so glad everyone made it at the same time this year, because I have something very special to share.”
Almost as one, heads swiveled to look at Noel in expectation.
Oops, Amber thought. She hadn’t meant to give the impression that her announcement had to do with Noel. Of course, that was the obvious assumption...except that Noel hadn’t declared himself. Not even close.
Before he could propose, he’d need to tell her that he loved her. Hopefully soon.
With her entire family scrutinizing him, Noel briefly closed his eyes, blew out a breath and, ignoring everyone else, returned his attention to Amber with exaggerated patience.
Others took the hint and followed suit.
Barely keeping her happiness contained, Amber said, “Since it’s Father’s Day, this is especially for you, Dad.”
Morgan Hudson sat a little straighter, and again, his gaze cut to Noel. Her mother nudged him, not that it did much good.
Well used to the teasing of her family, Amber only smiled and then announced, “Dad, you’re going to be a grandpa.”
Several things happened at once.
Noel lost his balance against the tree and hit the ground. Hard.
Morgan Hudson’s chair toppled as he shot to his feet.
And Garrett yelled, “It’s Zoey and me!” Then with a wide grin, he added, “We’re going to have a baby.”
* * *
NOEL WAS STILL RATTLED.
Good God Almighty, Amber had taken a year off his life. She could have been a little more straightforward in the way she’d handled that whole thing. It didn’t surprise him that Amber was the one to make the announcement. In most things, her entire family allowed her to take the lead, and no doubt Garrett and Zoey were happy to let her present the news.
She did so with flair.
But for a flash of an instant, he’d thought the entire family would turn on him, with Morgan Hudson leading the charge.
It didn’t help that her family was so large, so vocal and so protective. Good thing Garrett had interpreted the misunderstanding right off and was more direct than Amber when he shouted the correction.
And why, now that her family knew the truth, did they continue to cast suspicious looks his way? They should know him well enough by now to know he wouldn’t be bullied into doing or saying anything until he was ready to do so.
“Need a drink?”
He glanced behind him and found Lisa, Amber’s cousin who’d recently married Gray Neely, offering him a frosty Coke.
“Sure, thanks.” After Amber’s little stunt, it wasn’t the type of drink he needed, but at least Lisa looked as open and friendly as ever. “The heat is a killer today.”
After falling, he’d stayed down and now only propped his back against the tree.
Lisa sat opposite him on the grass, her feet tucked to the side of her. Trying not to smile, she asked, “You okay?”
“What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Late night, that’s all. The fire—”
“I meant that mild heart attack you had at the mention of a baby.”
Noel choked on his cola.
Rising to her knees, Lisa thwacked him on the back. “You did realize right off that she was talking about a baby, right?”
Yeah, he’d known—and he really wished everyone would quit throwing around that word. He wanted no part of it, not in conversation, not in reality. He coughed several times, cleared his throat and nodded.
“Such a reaction,” Adam said, coming up to join his sister...and heckle Noel.
“Not enough sleep,” Noel explained again, hoping that lame excuse would suffice. Just as Adam sat, Noel pushed to his feet. “In fact, I think I’ll—”
He turned to flee and almost ran into Amber.
She stood there, hands on her slim hips, that dark, thick braid over her shoulder, curved around one lush breast. Her beautiful blue eyes dared him.
Noel couldn’t help but grin. No one affected him the way Amber did. She left him in a heightened state of sexual awareness—and he liked it. Her ballsy attitude, as much as her sensual appearance, appealed to him. For such a slender, feminine woman, she had the air of an Amazon.
Amber cast a warning glace at her cousins, and they wisely departed, grins in place. Plastering on her own smile, she turned to Noel and, sounding uncharacteristically shy, said, “Hey.”
Mixed emotions kept him mum. That timidity didn’t suit her at all and told him she was about to go beyond her comfort zone. Probably all the blasted talk about babies.
He thought about making his excuses and removing himself from range, but he happened to look at her mouth, and the familiar urge to kiss her overrode everything else.
Murmuring, “Hey yourself,” he leaned forward and brushed his mouth over those soft, full lips he adored. He meant to keep it light, but her lips parted, which invited his to press more firmly, and suddenly he was lost to a full-blown, tongue-twining, hot and wet mating of the mouths.
Amber had snaked her slim arms around his neck. He mindlessly drew her closer to his body.
A deep breath filled his head with her heated scent and he shifted to her neck, tasting her velvety skin, quickly losing control.
Head back and eyes closed, she whispered, “Were you leaving?”
Reality slammed him back into the here and now.
He had been about to go, yeah, but now he shook his head. “Just trying to escape your family.” His hands rested on the top of her shapely hips. Amber was warm, soft, and her irresistible scent teased him.
If they were alone, he’d free her from that body-hugging tank top so he could get to her full breasts...
Rather than take it as a joke, the way he meant it, she softly chided him. “Don’t let them scare you off.”
So she’d seen the truth? Of course she had. Being far too perceptive, Amber often recognized things in people, things that others missed.
“It hasn’t happened yet,” he reminded her. But yeah, today the dynamic seemed to have taken a drastic shift.
Amber came from a family of overachievers, community leaders and really, really good people. From reputations alone, they could intimidate others. But meeting them in person, getting to know them, really sealed the deal. Her family was nothing short of amazing.
Her dad, especially, was impressive, not only in size—because Morgan Hudson was a man who, even in his early sixties, remained strong as an ox—but also as an icon who’d fulfilled the role of sheriff and now mayor. He was involved in just about every community program that existed in Buckhorn.
Hell, he ran most of them, fulfilling his main need to help those less fortunate and his equally obvious need to control his small corner of the world.
Noel didn’t want to be controlled. He’d had his hands full fending off Amber’s tendency to take charge. She, like her father, had a very strong will. But deep down, he knew Amber hadn’t gotten seriously involved with anyone, despite being a beautiful, smart, independent woman, because she hadn’t yet met her match.
He matched her, in nearly every way. Together they were combustible.
She stared up at him with those amazing incandescent blue eyes framed by thick black lashes. Her eyes were the feature that had first caught his attention, closely followed by her sweet body, and then her bold persona had finished him off. She epitomized a temptation trifecta and he couldn’t resist.
“Noel?” Her tongue licked nervously at her bottom lip.
Noel’s blood fired. Wanting to be alone with her, he glanced around, hoping for inspiration—and caught the smirking gaze of her brother and the “dare you to” stare of her father.
Well, hell.
“We’re drawing attention,” he told her and defiantly hugged her a little closer. At twenty-seven, Amber didn’t need anyone’s permission to be with him. And at thirty, he sure as hell didn’t ask for it, not even from the reigning family of the town.
Her gaze warmed. “Want to go swimming?”
“Where?” If she meant off the dock with everyone else, he’d have to pass. His reaction to Amber in a bikini wasn’t conducive to an audience.
She trailed a finger down his chest. “How about—”
“Amber, honey, would you mind helping me in the kitchen?” Misty Hudson, her mother, smiled sweetly at each of them.
Innate good manners came forward. It was one thing to ignore the men in her family, quite another to be that rude to her mother. Noel released Amber and stepped back respectfully.
“Mom,” Amber complained, “I was just going to—”
“Thank you, honey.” She hooked her arm through her daughter’s, then said to Noel, “I won’t keep her long.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said and watched the two ladies leave with a lot of regret.
Of course the second they were gone, the guys moved in.
Her brother, Garrett, a much larger, male version of Amber with the same dark hair and blue eyes, also happened to be his lieutenant at the fire station. Adam and Shohn were her cousins, and Gray was a cousin’s husband. At least her father chose to join the elders near the grill. He could be thankful to be spared the scrutiny of her uncles Sawyer, Gabe and Jordan, and her much older cousin Casey.
When the others were close enough, Noel stuck out his hand, saying to Garrett, “Congratulations.” The sooner he got this over with, the happier he’d be.
Garrett smiled with evil delight as he accepted the gesture, saying to his cousins, “Notice how he managed to spit that out without flinching?”
“Manned right up,” Adam said.
Shohn slowly nodded. “He’s still a little pale, though, don’t you think?”
“I’m short on sleep,” Noel said for the umpteenth time, even though he despised whining.
“So you like kids?” Garrett asked, then continued before he could answer, saying, “Good to know. Maybe I’ll name you as a godparent—”
When Noel started choking again, the men all laughed.
Shohn sized him up critically. “Maybe you should break him in with some babysitting first.”
“Me?” Noel asked, appalled at the idea. “What about you? You guys love kids!”
That took care of their smiles, turning them all solemn in a heartbeat.
Silence stretched out until Adam asked, his tone far too serious, “And you don’t?”
He didn’t like being cornered and wouldn’t tolerate it. “I don’t know kids. Never been around them.”
“What about siblings?” Shohn asked.
“No.”
“Aw, so he was an only child,” Garrett said, mocking him in a way he found far more comfortable than the solemn scrutiny. “Must give you the willies being around a family as large as ours.”
It did, not that he’d admit it. “I think of it as a party.” True enough. A weekly freaking party. “And I don’t get the willies.”
“A party,” Shohn repeated. “Like a holiday...or maybe a wedding?”
“No, wait,” Adam said. “Parties end, right? Weddings do not. So—”
“No, they don’t.” They were having a fine time poking fun at him, but he’d had enough. “Did you guys want something?”
“Just to make sure you’re okay,” Adam said.
“You really did go pale,” Shohn added. “Like someone had given you a...scare?”
“Didn’t know you just needed a nap,” Garrett added. “There’s a lounge chair over there where the women are sitting if you want to rest up a bit.”
Noel opened his mouth—and a badminton birdie hit Garrett in the shoulder, making him jump.
They all turned to see Tucker Turley, the sheriff, scowling at their cousin Kady, who tried to look innocent even while smothering her laugh.
Tucker said to the guys, “She has a good arm. At least, I don’t think she was aiming for his head.”
Kady waved her racket. “Stop picking on Noel before I tell Amber, and come play instead.”
Garrett, wearing a huge grin now that he had a new focus, had already picked up the birdie and was striding their way. Shohn followed along, promising payback. Adam called out, “Kady’s on my team,” and he took off, too.
That left only Gray and he seemed in no hurry to leave.
Noel glanced at him in warning. Gray wasn’t related to Amber except by marriage. Maybe that gave him a different outlook on things.
“It gets easier,” Gray said.
“You think?” Because so far, from Noel’s perspective, it had gotten more difficult. He liked them all. No problem there. But there were so many of them. He’d never known a family the size of hers, at least not where everyone was so close to everyone else, and in everyone’s business, with love passed around without reserve.
They were pushy. And intrusive. And they seldom showed an ounce of discretion when butting in—
“They’re overwhelming, I know. But they mean well.” When Lisa came out of the house carrying a tray, surrounded by three dogs, Gray watched her with a small smile. “They push their way in and refuse to back off. But they’re not judgmental, just protective. And they look out for each other. Amber especially brings it on herself with the way she interfered in all their lives.” He glanced at Noel. “In my life.”
“She enjoys meddling.” But in Amber’s case, it was always well-meaning, and she did have that crazy intuition to guide her, ensuring things turned out well. She’d been instrumental in matching up a lot of couples, Gray and Lisa included.
“That she does,” Gray agreed. “And she’s good at it.” He hesitated. “Except when it comes to you.”
“Me?” Noel scowled. Since Amber was the only woman he wanted, she didn’t need to manipulate him. He’d made that clear to her, but he wouldn’t explain himself to Gray.
“How long have you two been dating now?”
That sounded like a trick question and Noel ran a hand over his face. “Awhile,” he said noncommittally. Dating was such a bland word. At first he and Amber had sparred, each trying to get the upper hand. Then they’d tentatively gotten together—and Noel knew his life would never be the same. They’d fallen into a comfortable, no-demands affair that really worked.
At least it worked for him. Was Amber dissatisfied? Did she want more from him?
If so, she could tell him herself, without the help of her entire family.
“I won’t heckle you the way her brother and cousins do.” Gray pushed away from the tree where he’d been leaning. “Instead I’ll tell it to you straight. Amber is the heart of the family. They all adore her and want to shelter her. If she matters to you, you should think about what Amber wants and plan accordingly.”
Provoked, Noel stiffened. “What the hell is that supposed to—”
But Gray walked away, his gaze snagged on his wife.
To hell with it. Noel dug the keys out of his pocket and started to leave, but at the last minute he went into the house to find Amber first.
She was alone in the kitchen, humming as she arranged condiments on a tray.
Noel soaked up the back view of her, her trim figure in sexy short-shorts that hugged her ass perfectly and a tank top that showcased her tiny waist. He even admired her dark hair in the loose braid and the set of her straight, proud shoulders.
Unable to resist, he stepped up close and slipped his hands around to her stomach. Nuzzling the side of her neck, he said, “I’m taking off.”
Her head fell back to his shoulder. Seconds ticked by while he kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear. Then she whispered, “You’re tired?”
Exhausted, but he said, “I’m fine.”
“Then don’t go.” She turned in his arms and his hands just naturally fell to her hips.
She hooked her fingers in the front waistband of his shorts and tugged him closer in reprimand. “Don’t let them run you off, okay?”
He could lose himself in those big blue eyes of hers. “It’s a family thing,” he said, meaning the celebration of a baby, “and I’m not family.”
Amber slipped her hands inside his T-shirt, drawing them up and over his abs, which tightened in reaction.
Her touch never failed to fire his blood. He closed his eyes briefly, struggling to get a grip. Out of desperate need, he put his hands over hers and tried not to think about what he’d rather be doing. “You’re killing me, Amber.”
“Stay,” she urged, “and in two hours we can leave together.”
With a promise like that, how could he resist? He kissed her, then said against her lips, “Okay.”
* * *
THE MOOD REMAINED festive as everyone celebrated the upcoming addition to the family.
Everyone but Noel.
Did he dislike kids? Or was it the commitment that came first that had him off-kilter today?
Amber watched him taking part in a game of badminton with several of the guys and a few of the women. He’d removed his shirt and it made her heart pound. When he grinned, she felt it clear to her toes.
“You should tell him how you feel.”
She turned her head to see her dad standing close behind her. As she’d done all her life, she leaned on him and enjoyed the way his strong arms came around her.
Morgan propped his chin on her head and said, “Well?”
“He’s never said how he feels.”
“What law says a guy has to go first?”
“My law.” Amber straightened, aware of Noel now watching her. He nearly got trampled because of his distraction, when Adam dived past him to return a volley. “Isn’t he beautiful?”
Morgan laughed. “I can tell you think so.”
She looked up at him. “What do you think, Dad? About him overall, I mean.”
Without hesitation, Morgan said, “He’s conscientious. That barn fire was dangerous, but Noel didn’t hesitate, and because he knows what he’s doing, he managed to not only save Fred, but his two cows and some chickens, too. If it hadn’t been for Noel, Fred might have died.” Under his breath, Morgan grumbled, “Damn fool had no business trying to burn the branches from that tree we trimmed. He’s eighty now, you know. It’s thanks to Noel that no one died.”
Noel could have died, but Amber tried not to think about that. She worried enough for her brother. Luckily they’d managed the fire with no serious injuries. “He cares about animals.”
“I’m sure Jordan knows and appreciates that.”
Her uncle Jordan was a vet with a magical voice that could soothe the most fractious animals...and some humans, too.
“He’s polite,” Morgan continued. “Respectful of others. He takes care of himself and pitches in whenever anyone around town needs him.”
So her dad saw all of Noel’s sterling qualities, too? She sighed. “He’s perfect.”
Morgan sat at the side of a picnic table and drew her down beside him. “Perfect men don’t faint over the mention of a baby.”
“He didn’t!” But it was close. “And you know what he thought, Dad. Any guy would have—”
“No,” he corrected gently. “Not every guy would.”
Amber had to give him that one. More than most men, her dad would understand surprise pregnancies. “You’re special,” she said, leaning against his boulder shoulder. “You know that, right?”
“Loving you doesn’t make me so. Not when it’s so easy to do.”
“Aww.” She hugged his arm and thought how lucky she was that her mother had met her dad so long ago. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Talk to him, honey. That’s all I’m saying.” Morgan tipped up her chin. “I see you going full-steam ahead, which is okay since I’m not sure you know any other way.”
“It’s part of my charm.”
He chuckled. “Of course it is. But it’d be a good idea to find out if you’re on the same tracks, right?”
Before she crashed. Amber frowned as she accepted the truth. “Okay. I’ll talk to him tonight.” Not that she was in any hurry to have kids. But yes, one day she wanted them.
That decision scared her silly. In all her twenty-seven years, she’d never fallen in love. Not until she met Noel Poet. Then she’d fallen hard and fast and now she couldn’t imagine a life without him.
“Maybe you should do him a solid and get him out of here,” Morgan said, “before Kady takes out his eye with that vicious swing of hers.”
She saw that Noel was once again watching her instead of paying attention to the game. “All right. Soon as they finish up.”
Just then he snapped back to attention, dived to the side and managed to return the birdie, which Shohn then missed.
After they all stopped cheering, she beckoned him over, and minutes later they were on the road.