“What do you mean?”
“This is Jesse in love.”
“I’m not in love.”
“The hell you aren’t. I mean, I’ve never seen you with a girlfriend before—”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Jesse amended. Yes, his feelings were strong, but Lily-Grace needed time to figure things out and he wanted to respect that, and he wanted his family to respect that too, even if they were just clowning him a bit. If Lily-Grace was going to be his anything, she was going to be the one to make that call.
Zach bit his lips, which was new. Usually he’d come back with some Corie-like quip, giving him a hard time for being sensitive or having a temper like Senior.
“Sorry,” Zach said. “I’ve never seen you care about anyone like this, but it makes sense. Hell, you spoil Vega and she’s your grandmother’s assistant’s girlfriend. It makes sense that you would go all out for a woman you have real feelings for.”
“You don’t think I’m making an ass out of myself?”
“Nah. I basically bought Evie a restaurant. You and Sam chipped in. And I’m not even mad that she doesn’t want to run it anymore. That’s what intense feelings do to you, man. I’d give Evie anything she wanted, on the right side of the law or whatever.”
“Yeah.” Jesse sighed. He wasn’t in love, but Zach was right about one thing. The feelings were intense. “She said she wanted a horse, and my brain just said, well, buy her a horse then.”
“You know who couldn’t say shit about this?”
“Who?”
“Senior.”
That made Jesse laugh a little. His brother was absolutely right. Their dad gave their mom everything and anything she wanted, and had their whole marriage. Any bit of prize money he won, part of it went right into a Whatever Regina Wants Fund. And now the woman was living large, shopping her way across Europe. Most of the money they’d spent on Zach and Evie’s wedding, down to the elaborate centerpieces, had been to make their mom happy.
Zach leaned forward. “Majesty.”
“Oh fuck!”
Zach put his hands up, the universal gesture for Seewhat I mean.Sam’s prized black Friesian, the bane of all of their existence, a walking asshole in horse form, had been a gift for their mother. A gift she waved off. She was sweet about it, but she waved the stunning filly off all the same. Worked out great for Sam. He loved that damn horse.
“You go ahead and buy your lady friend a horse. Worse case scenario, things don’t work out—and they will, ’cause I know that look in your eye and that is the look of a man definitely headed to the altar. But if things don’t work out”—Zach rapped his knuckles on the surface of Jesse’s mahogany desk—“we give whatever horse you pick out a home right here. And the ranch will pay you back.”
“Hmm, you really found that silver lining.”
“It’s what I do, baby. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your selfies.”
“Bah, I bet they all came out like shit.”
“Here, let me see.”
Jesse pulled up his camera roll and reluctantly handed over his phone. Zach looked at the pictures like he was examining an X-ray. “Okay, you’re trying to be too serious. You gotta loosen up a little bit. Or go full completely serious, but we gotta do a whole-ass photo shoot.”
“Didn’t you come in here to ask me something?”
“I did, but this is more important. Okay, stand up and push your chair back. Put your left foot on the seat of the chair.” Jesse followed Zach’s directions, feeling like a complete jackass as he hiked up his pant leg. “Okay, hand under your chin and make that face you make when I say some of the funniest shit you’ve ever heard.”
Jesse blanked out his expression completely. His brother wasn’t nearly as funny as he thought he was.
“That’s it. Okay, send that to her.” Zach handed over the phone.
“I look stupid as hell.”
“Exactly. She’ll appreciate that you can laugh at yourself. A little.”
“Fine.” Jesse quickly dropped the picture in their text thread and hit send.
