Page 261 of Cowboy Daddies

“Who told you that Casey was my girlfriend?” Jeb asked Wyatt.

“Billy did. He’s been saying it since we went back to school. I think he was saying it to upset me, but I was happy. Because I love Casey.”

Oh god.

Tears dripped down her face. “I love you too, sugar.” She held out her arms and he climbed into her lap as she sat on Jeb’s.

Jeb held them both, supporting them.

“Why would Billy think that?” Jeb asked.

“His dad,” Casey said. “Apparently there have been some rumors about us being at the motel together.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered. “We were there to drop you off. We didn’t even get out of the truck.”

“I know. But you know how rumors are.” She leaned her head against his chest.

“So when you guys got home, Wyatt ran off? And you followed?”

“I ran off in town too,” Wyatt said miserably. “I know I’m not supposed to, but Megan was being mean.”

“Megan was being mean?” Jeb asked. “What does Megan have to do with anything?”

“She approached us while we were eating ice cream. Man, I didn’t get to finish that ice cream,” Casey said sadly.

“Sorry, Casey,” Wyatt said.

“Not your fault, sugar,” she said. “There will be more ice cream. There’s only one Wyatt.”

He gave her a small smile.

“Someone tell me what Megan said,” Jeb ordered. “Now.”

Oops. Boss man had spoken.

Jeb was fast running out of patience. He didn’t like that his son had been upset by those rumors. And he also didn’t like that his woman had just been terrified. He hated the way he’d found her and he wanted to make sure it would never happen again.

How are you going to do that when she moves away?

Well, that was simple. She just wouldn’t be allowed to move away.

The thought settled something inside him. He hadn’t realized how upset he was about the fact that she was moving away. That she was leaving.

Not happening.

She was his. Theirs.

And she was going to stay that way.

Decision made, he wanted to claim her immediately. But she might need some persuasion and it wouldn’t be fair to do any of that in front of Wyatt.

“Um, she came into the ice-cream parlor as we were talking about the rumors,” Casey said. “And she said that I wouldn’t be staying so I couldn’t be your girlfriend. That I was going to leave soon.”

“In front of Wyatt?” he asked in a low voice.

“Yes.”

That bitch.