Page 8 of Disarming The Rancher

“Pizza is in the fridge,” Hardy begrudgingly said.

“Thanks,” was all she said before she grabbed a couple of cold slices and then placed them on top of a paper towel.

Kenny casually walked into the room wearing only his boxers. The man worked out and had nice, olive skin, but they had rules about being dressed in mixed company.

“Hey, foul,” she said to him.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal since you were gone,” he countered with a raised eyebrow and a shaming tone of voice. The man had nerve. She would give him that.

“I’m here now,” she said. “You know the rules.”

“I won’t forget next time,” he promised with a smile that made his dimple wink at her.

Come on. Did he think that was all he had to do to smooth things over?

“Good. You still owe a hundred dollars.” The ‘rule violation’ jar was on the tour bus. She clearly needed to bring it inside and keep it visible. She’d grab it tomorrow. All she could think about tonight was food, shower, bed.

The pizza didn’t make it to her old bedroom. Everything was as she’d left it, like it was stuck in a time capsule from when she’d been eighteen. There was a bed, nightstand with a lamp, and a desk for homework. Everything had been cleaned off and boxed up before she took off on her first tour, except for a few framed photos of her and Nana. Then there was Raleigh’s best friend who’d gone off to college and down a career, marriage, and family track. The two had lost touch despite believing they’d be friends forever during high school.

As she grabbed pajamas and her robe, Kenny came strolling in the room.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked.

“We have to double up on rooms. Three bedrooms for eight people. Buck is sleeping on the tour bus along with Jake. That leaves you and me.” His smirk was infuriating.

“No dice, buddy,” she countered. “One of us is sleeping on the couch downstairs or on the bus with Buck and Jake, and I don’t care which one of us it is.”

Tim walked out of Nana’s room and stopped in front of the doorway. “There a problem?”

“As a matter of fact, there is. No sleeping with mixed company. Remember the rule?” she asked Kenny.

“Only on tour. Technically, this doesn’t count,” Kenny immediately countered.

“Looks like I’ll be the one sleeping on the couch then.” There was no way she planned to share a room with Kenny.

“That doesn’t seem right,” Tim said. “Me and Willie can take our beds on the bus. You stay in your grandmother’s room.”

“I don’t want to—”

“It’s settled,” Tim cut in. “We don’t mind. We’re used to sleeping in there and at least it won’t be moving this time.”

He shot a look at Kenny that could have caught ice on fire. She shouldn’t get as much satisfaction out of it as she did.

“Thank you for being a gentleman,” she said to Tim.

“There’s only a twin bed in here. It makes more sense for me to sleep on the bus than uproot the two of you,” Kenny relented.

She wasn’t sure what he thought he was going to win by forcing the issue of being a couple with her. Or, maybe he thought she wouldn’t be able to resist him shirtless. She almost laughed out loud.

The man had a great bod. She would give him that. But there was so much more to a relationship than a pretty outer shell. A little voice in the back of her mind picked that moment to point out Brax Firebrand had it all.

“It’s settled then,” she said, looking first to Tim and then to Kenny.

Both nodded.

“Next time, we should probably make arrangements together as a group,” she said.

“We would have if you’d been here,” Kenny said low and under his breath.