Whoa. I didn't do friends, so that thought came out of left field. Didn't hate it though. Didn't hate much about Montana or Wild Acre Ranch thus far.
More often than not, the moment I woke up in a new town, I was itching to get gone. But, two sleeps in a row still hadn't cured me of Larkspur.
Must have been those damn roots, reaching out of the ground and trying to hold me hostage.
I'd have to take an axe to 'em sooner or later.
Until then, a friend might be a nice change of pace.
"I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't know what I was walkin' into here. I would have been more… discreet had I known."
"It's not your fault." Her brows slammed together and all traces of the smirk vanished as her mouth turned down. "Brody fucking Lancaster needs to take a long walk off a short pier."
I snorted. "Tell me how ya really feel, Tink."
Her tiny little nose wrinkled. "Still not sure I like that nickname."
"It'll grow on ya. Like mold."
Just like that, that frown turned upside down.
"Damn it. I really didn't want to like you. Since we're, ya know, timber sisters." Couldn't miss that wince if your eyesight was worse than a bat's.
"Timber sisters?" I asked.
"Yeah, like… sharin' the samewood."
I barked out a laugh and shrugged. "Meh, not exactly."
She held up a hand. "Really, I don't need to know. Let's just… pretend it didn't happen."
"You got it, Tink."
Before our conversation could go any further, two soaking wet cowboys moseyed on into the barn. "How nice of you to show up," I drawled, eyes on Rhett. It took all of my very limited willpower not to glance toward the beautiful blonde boy scout next to him, but I managed.
After my tentative truce with Sassy, I was bound and determined not to fuck up this interaction. It was best that I just focused on the work and left them all to their drama.
Rhett cleared his throat. "Sorry. We just had a couple… horse things to talk about."
This time, Sassy snorted. "Horse things? You're a terrible fucking liar, Rhett Calloway. Go dry off so you can show this one"—she tossed a thumb in my direction—"the ropes."
The smile he shot her way was so warm, so full of genuine affection. If what Brody had said was true, I was sure Rhett was just happy to see her not cryin'—especially after he'd caught her in the barn withthe viper.
"Yes, ma'am." He tipped his Stetson her way and a pretty pink flush crept up her chest into her cheeks.So interesting.
"See, some ladies like being called ma'am," the boy scout tossed out.
Yes,theboy scout. Because he wasn't mine.
"Sure," I said without looking at him. "I'm just not one of 'em."
The words dropped like dead weight in the middle of the barn. Soft nickers from the stalls behind me were the only sound that accompanied the shuffling of our feet. My eyes darted between Sassy and Brody who were doing their best to look anywhere but at each other.
The tension on this fucking ranch was going to give me an ulcer.
Finally, Brody announced his departure. "Alrighty, well, I'll leave y'all to it."
Then, he was gone—which, I reminded myself again, was a good thing.
