“I have so many.” Finn’s blue eyes dance with mirth.
“And I want to hear them all!” Trina rubs her hands together like a villain in a spy thriller.
“Me too.” Pen coos, intertwining our fingers. Her sparkling gaze lands on me and her lips tug up into a wide smirk.
Grinning, I lift our joined fingers to my lips. “I’ll be the butt of the world’s jokes as long as you keep looking at me like that, luv.”
Trailing her hand up my arm she cups my cheek and leans in, pressing that heart-stopping smile against mine.
“Fuuuck, I need to write that line down,” Finn says, cluing me in that I’d said that loud enough that everyone else heard.
“Clearly, it’s a good line. I think Pen’s tongue has relocated to Rowan’s throat,” Trina quips.
“Sorry.” Face pink, Pen pulls back.
But I don’t let her go too far, tucking her back against me. “Never apologize for that.” I trace the outline of her smile with my fingertip. “I told you.”
She snuggles into my side.
JoJo places her hands on her heart. “Adorbs!”
“You two are pretty cute, but can we get back to the show?” Wes lays back. “Come on, JoJo, let’s channel our inner Onalee and Dylan. Picture a team of wild wolves ready to attack.” He whistles. “GB?”
GB looks up from his rawhide bone, tilts his head, and then proceeds to go back to chewing.
“This is why I never work with animals.”
Chuckling, Wes and JoJo proceed with their reading.
“This is my favorite part,” Pen whispers, as JoJo, AKA Onalee, throws herself atop Wes, AKA Dylan, after running out of bullets.
“Me too,” I murmur and kiss her forehead.
The story of the Bostonian heiress that inherits a Montana ranch in 1908 and, despite everyone telling her she can’t, runs it and falls for the ranch hand and rodeo cowboy always stuck with me. There’s no third act break up in this book. Just a couple who falls in love and meets life’s obstacles together, including a pack of wolves that chase them down after Dylan falls from his horse and breaks his leg during a cattle roundup. Onalee is left by herself to fend the wolves off.
“You can’t have him,” JoJo shouts, the book that she reads from in one hand and the wooden spoon turned empty rifle in the other. She points the wooden spoon at GB, who gnaws on his rawhide, ignoring her entirely. “If you want him, you have to take us both because I won’t live without him.”
“Did I really write that?” Finn mutters.
“Hush you. It’s amazing,” Trina laughingly scolds.
“What the hell are you watching?” A gruff voice calls out, causing all of us to turn, even Finn.
My spine stiffens. On screen, Gillian stands behind Finn, his face twisted into a scowl. Despite the neat beard covering my brother’s face, we look nearly identical. Unlike Finn with his blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, the spitting image of our mam, Gillian and I take after our dad. Our hair is a dark brown, though his is sprinkled with silver at his temples. We both have our dad’s green eyes and olive complexion.
“A dramatic reading, which you rudely interrupted,” JoJo tuts, wagging the wooden spoon towards the laptop.
Gillian’s eyebrows knit together. “Finn, why can’t you be normal and just look at porn. Is this one of those Only Fans things?”
“Excuse me, this is completely normal.” A furrow mars Trina’s forehead. “We’re honoring your brother’s work.”
“Only Fans? Hear that, Wes, we’re good enough for people to pay for our dramatic readings?” JoJo’s eyebrows waggle.
“Seriously, what is happening?”
“It’s brunch with Rowan, his girl, and her friends,” Finn offers, gesturing towards the camera.
Rowan’s girl.Christ, I like how that sounds.I hold Pen just a little tighter. The way the laptop faces the pretend stage, we’re not fully visible. Still my protective nature kicks in, wanting to keep her close.
