Travis Rice Quotes

The grenade,” Bryce said. Instead of being ripped to shreds and devoured, Travis and Luther had chosen an end of their own accord.

There’s gay shame, then there’s bottom shame, and then there’s femme shame. And if we’ve got all three, and we don’t watch it, they’ll work together to destroy our happiness.

I remember, and I still think that’s important. What else?

There was a price for going where you were outnumbered or unwelcome and trying to succeed, and it didn’t always take the form of a door being shut in your face on the first day of the job. Surviving was one thing, but if you tried to get ahead, people were less tolerant of your mistakes, quick to paint your natural screw-ups as a result of your so-called identity. If it wasn’t exactly like theirs.

When Connor was within a few feet of the bed, Logan gave him a focused and firm shove on his upper back that sent him face first into the comforter.

I found myself tumbling down a 2000-foot face and my senses were so reduced. I couldn’t hear anything. It was totally peaceful. I was totally calm.

When the music stopped and he set her down, Lily swayed and almost fell before Cade could catch her. Looking down at her suddenly pale face and glazed look, Cade swore under his breath and discreetly led her toward the door, supporting her with his arm as he practically carried her out. He saw her father bearing down on them, but he gave the old man a look that scared him off before hauling Lily through the barn door and into the brisk breeze of a December night. "Stand here, out of the wind." Cade leaned her against the barn behind the open door, blocking her from view with his bulk. "I'm all right. It's just the punch. I'd better go back in," Lily whispered unconvincingly as she pushed upright and avoided Cade's eyes. She had never felt like this in her life. Her head was spinning and she wasn't at all certain she could continue standing. She wasn't given to queasiness or the vapors. She wasn't even wearing a corset, for heaven's sake. It had to be the punch. "I only gave you the kind without whiskey," Cade replied, blocking her path with the barrier of his arm. Irrelevantly, he added, "The moon is full tonight." Lily leaned against the wall to ease her spinning head and met Cade's gaze. She was beginning to understand his mind too well, and it frightened her. A shock of black hair fell over his brow and she let her thoughts wander to how it would look if Cade grew just the one long braid of hair down the right side of his head and shaved the left like his father did. She thought he would look very good with feathers and beads in that braid. She wondered if he had tattoos like most Indians were said to have. She didn't even know what his body looked like beneath his shirt. "I'm fine, Cade. Really I am. I'd better go inside before my father comes after us." She tried to stand, but he was too close for her to get far. "It's been two moons, Lily. There's been time to know if there's a child." She had known that was what he was after. She looked over his shoulder at the blue-black night sky. "I'm not that regular, Cade. I can't count the times I thought Jim and I..." She stopped, unwilling to reveal any more of the embarrassing details of her intimate life. Her face was pale against the dark backdrop of the barn, and Cade lifted his hand to touch her cheek. Noting the difference between dark and light, he dropped it again. "In the eyes of my father, you are my wife. We will go to the alcalde to please your father. You have only to say when." He didn't mean to abandon her as Travis had. That was small consolation. Lily closed her eyes and tried to imagine Cade's hand on her cheek, but imagination failed her. He wasn't a tender man. She had evidence enough of that. She wasn't certain she wanted a tender man. She wasn't certain she wanted a man at all. But if a child existed... "I'll hold you to that," she murmured. He

Your father brought home a second wife," Lily stated flatly. "It is a wonder your mother didn't kill him." It wasn't amusing, but Cade chuckled at her tone. "I take it you will not appreciate it if I try to relieve your burdens by bringing home another woman, even when you are heavy with child." "I am certain your consideration will so overwhelm me that I will take a shotgun to your hide. Anytime you are even tempted to look at another woman, you'd better remember that Travis is right at hand, and what's good for the gander will do for the goose. We're building a marriage out of next to nothing. What we have in bed is our only bond. I won't share it with another." Cade wasn't laughing anymore. He caught the nape of Lily's neck and held her where he could see her face through the darkness. "I only need one woman. Don't turn me away and I will never have need to look elsewhere." Lily felt that command in the pit of her stomach. She was tied to this man for the rest of her life. This wasn't a game that would end with the dawn. No matter what he did or how angry he made her she would have to take this man into her bed or destroy everything. It was an intimidating thought, and she began to have some understanding of Cade's mother. "I

That's why you were so starved for passion that you'd even take a renegade like me. And now you've got your chance to get Roy's father back and you mean to set me aside." Lily balled her fists into knots on top of the bedclothes. "Don't talk to me like that, Cade. You have no right. What we did was your choice. You never asked my opinion on the matter. And now Travis is here and could take Roy away if he wanted. I'll be damned if Roy goes anywhere without me." "And I'll be damned if you go anywhere without me." Cade said it quietly, but the threat was still there as he pulled away from the wall. Flinging back the covers, Lily leapt for the long-barreled Kentucky rifle Jim had always kept beside the bed. Grabbing it, she held it steady to her shoulder. "Not one foot closer, Cade. You had your way last night. It's my turn." "You're my wife, Lily. Do you expect me to sleep out there," he nodded toward the window, "while you sleep in your lonely bed? Or do you entertain some expectations of sleeping with your friend Travis?" "Get out, Cade. I don't have to listen to that. For once, you have to listen to me. When Travis is gone, we'll talk about what we've done, but not a moment sooner. I'm not ready to be a wife again, Cade. You should have asked me that the first time." "You were ready enough to take what I had to offer." The barrel of the rifle was pressed against his chest and Cade grabbed it, twisting it out of her hands. "I'll not let him have you without a fight." The

With a sigh, knowing the explosion that would follow, Lily lifted her fork and smiled as sweetly as she could manage under the circumstances. "Daddy, I hope you'll be happy to hear that I've already made that decision. As a matter of fact, I made that decision before Travis ever got here. Cade understood when I asked for a little time before telling you, but I guess the time is here. Cade and I were married three months ago. I'm expecting his child in July." To say all hell broke loose put it mildly, Lily thought as she rose and left Cade to handle the chaos for which he had built the foundations.

Travis would always be a nice man with a shallow character. On the other hand, Cade's character was as deep and dangerous as a river’s currents. She

What in hell would you know of ladies?" Travis asked, disgruntled by the exchange. Cade raised his head, much as a buffalo might when aroused to danger. "My mother was a lady. What about yours?" Before Lily could do anything unladylike like slinging the plate she had in her hand, Ephraim put a halt to the bickering. "I don't think either of you is impressing anybody." He turned to his daughter. "Lily, I think it's about time you started making some choices before somebody gets killed. If you've got your heart set on staying here instead of coming home with me, you have to settle on one man and get it over with—unless you like watching grown men behave like young bucks and challenging each other." Lily sent her father a furious look. "I could just tell the lot of them to get the hell out and leave me alone, and that includes you, too. I'm sick to death of men telling me what to do." Cade

Of course, Travis hadn't known Jim. Maybe he would think she always fell for tall, dark, curly-haired men with gray eyes. That thought sent Lily's glance back to Cade. She had outdone herself on tall and dark this time, but the thick, straight hair brushing Cade's collar didn't have a lick of curl and his eyes were far from gray. What in hell was she going to do? "Well,

Well, Lily, are you going to introduce me to this gentleman here?” Travis asked with humor. “Your father and I have already introduced ourselves." She would have liked to have seen that. Trying to keep her stomach from leaping up her throat, Lily gestured toward Cade. "This is Cade, my foreman. Cade, this is Travis Bolton, an old friend from Mississippi." Salesman that he was, Travis smiled and held out his hand. Cade looked at him, looked at Lily, and with a rather pointed glare at the latter, accepted the other man's hand. Travis winced at the pressure exerted but remained smiling. Taking

Cade watched her walk away as a knife pain slit him from gullet to loins. She meant to deny him. She was going to pretend that nothing had happened. She would go to that damned bed alone. He ought to be accustomed to betrayal and deceit. He'd seen enough of it in his lifetime. But he couldn't believe that after what they had shared, she could up and walk away. It surpassed the bounds of all credulity. But she did so, and like the others, Cade stood and watched her go. Not wanting to hear what was said after she left, Cade made his excuses and went out the back door. He should take Serena and go back to his cabin and get drunk and forget the hell about her. It had been madness to think that he could marry a lady and make a place for himself. He had no illusions about what he had to offer: a gray gelding and some vague hopes. He couldn't even fool himself into thinking that he could offer the passion she had never known, because the passion that had created her child was right there in the house with her. Damn, but why in hell did the man have to show up now? But seeing Serena and holding her chubby little body in his arms, renewed Cade's determination. He refused to give up. Not without a fight, at least. If he had to invent another rattlesnake in a box, he would find some way of showing Professor Travis Bolton Mangolini out of the territory. Lily

When she bent to set another pitcher beside Travis, and he absently reached out to hug her hips, Cade's composure cracked. Lily gasped in surprise as Travis's hand was ripped from her side and then Travis himself was hauled from his chair and shoved toward the door. Ollie leapt up, knocking his own chair over as he attempted to interfere, but Cade grabbed his collar with his spare hand and shoved him in the same direction as Travis. Both men came up swinging, but Cade already had the door open, and with the kick of his boot and a block from his shoulder, he shoved them out into the pouring rain and slammed the door after them. Roy came to the door of his cubicle to investigate the commotion. Lily stared at Cade's calm features for a second, then in an explosion of rage, slammed out of the room in the direction of her chambers. Cade pointed his finger at Roy, sending him scurrying back to bed. Tankard in hand, Ephraim looked up from the table at the young giant standing in the room's center, water streaming from his soaked clothing as he visibly forced his fists to unclench in the sudden emptiness of the room. The older man shook his head and took a sip of his steaming drink. "You certainly do know how to empty a room," Ephraim commented to the house at large. Surveying the havoc he had wreaked, the overturned chairs and spilled plates, the tracks of mud across clean planked floors, the condemning silence of closed doors, Cade reached for a plate and the hot stew kept warming by the fire for him. Without a word, he filled his plate, sat down across from the old man, and began to eat. Ephraim raised his shaggy eyebrows, took a drink, and hid his grin in his cup. It didn't seem like the rest of his company was going to return any too soon. It looked like he'd better learn to get along with this one. Generously,

Her labored breathing terrified him, but the steaming water seemed to help. Holding her in his lap with a blanket wrapped around her while her hair dried, Cade attempted to pour a little of the hot tea into her. She drank when pressed, but mostly she lay inert in his arms, and Cade sat for long moments in the dark, staring at the walls closing around him. He could feel her breathing, feel the beat of her heart against his chest. If he turned her just right, he could feel the slight fluttering kicks of their child. He tried not to experience anything beyond these physical sensations, but he couldn't ignore the immensity of what he had done, what he was doing. He was responsible for another human life, two lives. He knew how to accept responsibility, but he didn't think he knew how to cope with the results if he should fail. That fact had never occurred to him. Ephraim's death was weighing heavily on his mind. Coupled with Lily's illness... Lily wasn't supposed to get ill. She was as strong and independent as he. Cade tested the long lengths of her silken hair and finding them sufficiently dry, he lifted her to the bed, fighting the suffocating sensation of helplessness. Life was fleeting. He would learn to cope with whatever happened as he had learned to cope with all that had come before. Emotions were a luxury he couldn't afford. He would survive, and if Lily would just recover, he would show her how well he could take care of her. He would show her now, although she wouldn't be aware of it. Wrapping the poultice of boiled onion around her neck as Travis had instructed, Cade patiently inserted spoonfuls of chamomile tea between Lily's lips. She would be better in the morning, and then he could begin to make her understand. The

Who's that?" Playing an old game, Roy pointed at Juanita. Serena grinned and raced to plant a kiss on Juanita's cheek. "'Nita!" she cried triumphantly. Juanita pointed her toward Lily. "Quien es?" "Mama and baby!" Serena climbed into Lily's lap for a hug. As Cade bent his large form beneath the flap to join them, Lily pointed in his direction. "What's his name?" "Papa-padre-daddy," she crowed, laughing as Cade lifted her and sat down with her in his lap. She liked having several names for everything and everyone, and could chatter incessantly in two languages. Cade pointed at an unshaven Travis who glared blearily at their laughter as he untangled himself from his damp bedroll. "Que esta?" Unaware of the Spanish niceties as to being addressed as a "what" instead of "who," Travis glared at their cheerfulness until Serena flung herself at him and hugged his neck. "Snake-oil man!" she cried. Laughter erupted all around—despite the dreary rain, despite their fear and weariness. Welcome waves of amusement relieved some of the tension. Travis growled and tickled Serena until she ran to Roy for help, then grinning, he met Cade's eyes. "Can't you teach her something else to call me?" "Tio Travis?" Cade suggested. "Tio, tio!" Serena cried, sticking her tongue out at Travis and hiding behind Roy's back. "Why do I get the feeling that means 'snake oil' in Spanish?" Travis muttered, reaching for the tin cup of coffee Juanita offered him. "It means 'uncle.' Whether you know it or not, you've just adopted a niece. That means you get to carry her today." Cade took his cup and settled back cross-legged beside Lily. "I don't think I'm ready for the responsibilities of a family man. I'm not even certain how I got into this." Travis threw Lily a wry look. "You're more trouble than you're worth, you know." "Look who's talking." Undisturbed, Lily called Serena to come eat her breakfast. She had spent eight years raising Travis's son. It was time he took on a little responsibility. Travis shrugged his shoulders, unabashed. "You could have had a smart, good-looking man like myself and you chose that man-mountain over there. You lost your chance, Lily." Lily didn't need to reply to that. She merely looked at his rumpled curls and beard-stubbled face and grinned. Relieved that she could still find humor in the midst of her grief, Cade finished his food and leaned over to kiss her before rising to finish packing the horses. Lily watched him go with astonishment. Cade never made public displays of affection. Their

Leaving Travis to find his own way out, Lily went to the small satchel with her few possessions and removed the flute that Cade had given her. It was a little more worn now, the polish developing a patina from use, and Lily regarded it with satisfaction. It had taken hours of practice, but she was learning its use. Sitting on the opposite side of Cade from his father, she began to play. El Caballo frowned. Music was not woman's work or something to be taken lightly, but Lily knew she played well. Even the man in the bed thought so; he began to stir. Cade's eyes opened and sought Lily. The opaque depths that had once kept everyone out softened as he watched her with the flute.

Rounding up cattle!" Cade had Lily in a state halfway to fury by the time Travis ambled in. As a tin cup flew across the room, Cade ducked and Travis jumped out of the way, letting it slam against a far wall with a satisfying crunch. Travis lifted an inquiring eyebrow and caught the next cup that flew at him and set it on the table. "I don't suppose the two of you ever thought of sitting down at the table and discussing things rationally, did you?" "Look who's talking!" Shoving her straying hair back from her face, Lily looked scathingly at the mud stains on Travis's shirt. "Just tell me what happened out there and don't give me a cock-and-bull story about rounding up cattle. Something's happened or El Monstruo over there wouldn't be grinning all over himself." Travis shrugged and took the mug Juanita handed him. "Can't rightly tell you more than that. I've been up visiting with the Indians myself." Juanita retrieved his mug and dumped the contents over his head. Travis howled, and Roy—sitting quietly on the hearth—finally gave in to mirth. Serena, not to be left out, giggled and pulled herself into Travis's lap, patting her small hands against his wet shirt and making smacking sounds. Looking around at the bedlam that was his home, Cade pulled Lily against his side and kissed her soundly before she could offer any protest. "I'll wager they're married before the baby comes." "I'll wager she kills him before then." Lily poked a fingernail into Cade's side to indicate the threat worked for both of them. "You'll not do it," Cade declared boldly. "If you did, who would you have to..." he whispered the rest of the sentence so little ears couldn't hear. As it was, the whispered words singed Lily to her toes and made her cheeks redden. It was obvious she wouldn’t get anything sensible out of him any time soon, but he would regret making her wait. In the meantime, she turned her mouth up for a kiss, bit Cade's lip, stepped on his toe, and sidestepped his grab as she sashayed out the door in search of their belated supper.

You and Cade are a pair if I ever saw one, Lily. What in hell were you planning to do if I hadn't been here?" "Did you think I was all alone, Ralph?" Lily looked up with the best imitation of sweetness that she could arrange. At his sardonic look, she pointed toward the window. "I think right about now you'll see Travis riding in from the field. That bell you heard clamoring earlier wasn't for dinner. If I'm not mistaken, you'll soon see men galloping in over the prairie, and they're not expecting dinner, either. And you'll have to believe me on the rest because you'll not ever see them, but up in that stand of trees are at least two Indians who would have been down here in seconds if I'd hung that red rag there out the window." Lily smiled at Ralph's astonished look. "Cade just doesn't believe I can take care of myself. What do you think, Ralph?" Langton picked up his rifle and started for the door. "I think I'll be going home and making similar arrangements. Maybe we better figure out some smoke signals so we can warn each other." "Two puffs of black smoke every minute, and my men will be there, Ralph," Lily replied calmly. Slamming his hat on his head, Langton gave her a long look and stalked out.

Lily sent your woman out. She says Juanita would never wish to have a child if she watched now." Juanita glared at Travis, although she swished her skirts and boldly walked up to confront him. "I shall never have children," she declared firmly. "Why go through such pain just to bring another man into the world?" Wiping his dusty brow with the back of his arm, Travis looked away from the old Indian on the porch and down at Juanita, grinning widely as he looked her up and down. Her brown skin glinted with golden highlights in the dawn, and the loose neck of her lacy blouse revealed more than was necessary of the narrow valley between her breasts. He had finally been treated to more than just a glimpse of that delight last night, before the raid, and even in his weariness he couldn't control his surge of lust. "Where would women be if they did not have men to cook for and to warm their beds and to fill their bellies with bonnie babes? And look what fun you'd miss." With one quick grab, Travis hauled Juanita into his arms before she could escape, and he assuaged some of his hunger with the feel of her ripe body pressed into his and her lips opening beneath his kiss. Several

Cade struggled helplessly for words to convey his feelings, but Lily was already straining against another pain. "Why does it not come?" he demanded sharply of Dove Woman, who was merely sitting cross-legged on the floor, humming to herself. "Because it is not time," she repeated. "But it is killing her! Look how she suffers. We must do something." Cade paced, throwing anxious looks at Lily as she took a deep breath and released the bed once more. "You had better go out with the others, Cade. There is nothing you can do to speed the child's coming." Not understanding the actual words between Cade and Dove Woman, Lily understood their content. "I will fetch Travis. He will give you something for the pain." Before Cade could start for the door, Lily gave a groan of pure agony, and Dove Woman unhurriedly rose from the floor. "She is in pain! Santa Maria, do something!" Cade dropped to his knees beside the bed and tried to lift Lily into his arms, but she reached for the bed rails. "Send him out," Dove Woman enunciated in clear Spanish when Lily rested once more. "It will save pain for both." Lily looked up at Cade's anguished expression, startled by the immense emotion displayed for the first time on his usually implacable features, and her heart took two leaps and a jump before settling more calmly in her chest. "Leave, Cade. There is nothing more you can do here," she said softly. "How can I leave?" he cried. "I have done this to you. I would take the pain away." As Lily's eyes closed with the onset of the next contraction, Cade panicked. "Lily, I can't lose you! Lily, please..." Dove Woman went to the door and murmured to the two boys waiting outside. The eldest looked rebellious at her words, but he disappeared into the opposite cabin. Moments later, he returned with Travis. Travis pounded on the closed bedroom door and shouted, "Cade, get your royal ass out here before I have to come in and get you!" Lily's eyes blinked open, and she half smiled at this command. "Go, Cade. You can't bring the child any faster." "I can't leave you here to suffer alone." Cade touched her brow, unwilling to form even in his mind the words for the fear he felt. He had just watched a man die, but it was Lily’s pain that was ripping him apart, tearing down the walls of his heart and soul. "I wish there was music," Lily whispered, surrendering to the pain once again. Cade caught the wish even as Travis slammed into the room, gun in hand to order him out. "Cade, damn you, the women want you out!" Travis shouted. Seeing only an obstruction between himself and the means to satisfy Lily's wish, Cade coolly knocked Travis's gun aside, floored him with a single punch, and stepping over his friend's fallen body, walked out the door. In

Oh, Cade," Lily whispered, running her hands through his hair and down his shoulders, massaging the tight muscles of his arms as he leaned over her. "You still do not understand, do you? I love you, and I want you to be happy, and you cannot be happy while your mother's land goes to ruin. I can help you, if you will let me, and I will be happy just to be with you. It is not the land that is so important to me, it is you. I know this place will be safe with Travis here and you to guide him when necessary. I can learn to make friends anywhere. I cannot find another husband I would want more than you." Hope finally dawned on Cade's face. "You would go to Bexar with me, live in the hacienda, make that your home?" "Well, it's only fair that Davy be given the same inheritance as Roy," Lily shrugged, trying to hide her delight at Cade's reaction. But

Before she realized what he meant to do, Cade was on his horse, towing the mule while riding at right angles away from the road and the army on the move. The rain had let up and the air was warm, and Cade wore only the white full-sleeved shirt and tight trousers he had worn every day since they had left. The shirt was open halfway down his copper chest and accented by a bright-red sash at his waist that held his knife. Lily thought he looked a pirate or worse, but the soldiers striking out after him weren't reaching for their weapons. "He looks like a damned Spaniard," Travis whispered at Lily's side. "How does he do that?" With years of practice and an Indian talent for deception—but Lily didn't say that out loud. She was gradually learning that Cade was like a chameleon, able to blend in with his surroundings for safety. She didn't like to think of the child he must have been to grow up that way, but it certainly helped to survive in this chaos that was Texas. Lily

Lily shoved back her chair and jumped to her feet, knocking the chair over as she glared at Cade. "Leave us? Some friend of yours shoots at my family and you talk about leaving? Do you plan to join those suicidal idiots at the Alamo?" "Lily..." Travis and her father both rose to their feet, but Lily only had eyes for Cade. He met her glare with the same stoic facade he had used the day they met. "There is something I must do there. I know nothing of white men's wars, but for a few hundred men to stand against an army of thousands is the work of either fools or great heroes. I cannot help them either way. My business takes me beyond those walls." "And I suppose I have no right to ask what that business is? I am only your wife, after all." "This is business between myself and one other man. I have already told you more than should be said." "How can you do this?" Lily whispered, so furious she did not dare speak louder. "I can do this because you do not need me here. You have told me yourself that you can stand on your own. You have a father and friends here. You will be safe with them." But would he be safe without her? Anguish tore through Lily as she met the implacable look in Cade's eyes. He wasn't going to give an inch. She hated him as much now as she had ever hated anyone. "You're right, I don't need you. I don't need anybody. The whole lot of you can go to Bexar. I'm going to take a nap." Lily walked out, leaving the room behind her crackling with unspoken emotions. Neither Ephraim nor Travis said anything as Cade took the back door toward the barn. The cabin was too small for all of them. Newlyweds ought to be allowed their spats in private. This, however, had the makings of something more than a lovers' quarrel. *

He didn't want to hear Cade's fury. He wasn't ready yet for whatever Cade would decide. Travis had been on his own since he was fifteen. Lily and their son and Juanita were as close as he had ever come to family since then. Even the little brat, Serena, had carved a place in his heart. He wasn't made like Cade. He longed for the warmth of human emotion. He even missed that old rascal Ephraim. He didn't care about the damned land or the cattle or whatever else it was that drove men to fight. Travis required Juanita's shy adoration, Roy's admiring phrases, Lily's rare laughter. Ricardo could have the damned hacienda. Travis wanted the women and children. He was afraid Cade wouldn't think the same. These past weeks had made it obvious that Cade had a single-minded fascination with the Spanish family and the hacienda he had been denied all these years. When he was coherent, he had spoken of the changes he would make, the plans he had for that mesquite-studded acreage. When he was fevered, he had cursed Ricardo, cursed every obstacle that had ever stood in his way, and sworn oaths that made Travis shiver. Behind that stoic facade lay a lifetime of hate and longing. He didn't want to think about the decision that Cade had to make now. Lily and her small farm had only been an afterthought in that lifetime. When

A wide-eyed and terrified Roy staggered into Travis's path, and Travis bent and scooped him up as if he were as small as Serena. Lily didn't watch the reunion. Her attention was focused wholly on the unconscious man in the bed. Hugging Roy, Travis glanced back at Lily with sadness in his heart and let the last piece of his dream go. She had been a bright part of his adolescence, of his growing up. He was grown now, and as a child surrenders the comforters of his past, Travis surrendered any notions he might still have harbored about the mother of his child. He didn't want to let his son go, but the woman was already lost to him. Reassuring

Travis grinned and gave her an admiring look. "I wish I'd been there to see you grow that big with Roy. A woman never looks better than when she's carrying a man's child." That

homemade rice.

He smelled like a heady combination of citrus and sandalwood, accented with a hint of masculine musk from his time on the dance floor that said promising things about all the other delicious smells and tastes his body might offer.

If we want authenticity we have to initiate it. We will never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it. It's this self-discovery that inevitably takes us to the wildest places on earth.

The sight of Connor walking away was like watching a flight you’d raced to catch pull away from the gate, or your own car sliding backward down the driveway without you in it because you forgot to set the parking brake. Suddenly it felt like the potent connection they’d made would blow out to sea and be lost forever the minute the door closed behind Connor’s perfect butt. Logan had enough counseling under his belt to know that sometimes when something scared him, that meant it was good for him. Would Connor Harcourt qualify?