Page 48 of Hometown Hottie

Ryan frowned. “You just said he’d have paperwork drawn up or something like that.”

“Yeah, he offered, but you know he’s gonna fight it when it comes down to paying him back. Even if he does let us pay him back, he’ll probably just find some roundabout way to pump it back into the ranch. Tell us to buy him a herd of cattle or something and to raise them for him.”

“Raising a herd of cattle doesn’t cost as much as the damn ranch.”

“Now you’re focusing on the wrong thing.” I shrugged. “It’ll be something like that. He’ll say that he’s paying us for our time or whatever. He won’t just let us pay him back. I just want you to be prepared for that.”

Ryan fell silent, chewing the inside of his lip before he sighed. “Are you sure there’s nothing going on between the two of you?”

“I’m sure. We’re just friends.” I shook my head. “No, we’re not even that. We’re acquaintances who talk because you two are friends.”

“Then how do you know that he won’t just let us pay him back?” he asked, looking me right in the eye. “How do you know that he’s going to find some way to get around it? I suspect those things, but I’ve been his friend since we were kids. We never hung out with you together, and as far as I know, you have no reason to know him that well—unless you do. Unless you somehow know him a lot better than I think you do.”

“What I know is I don’t want to lose the ranch, so maybe focus on that, you weirdo,” I teased, but he kept staring at me, waiting for some kind of answer. “Would it be a problem if there was something going on between us?”

I’d kept my tone light and still teasing, but Ryan got up anyway. “Thanks for the coffee.”

Without another word, he turned and walked away. I gaped as the door swung shut behind him. He hadn’t even said goodbye. Hadn’t stopped to add anything else. He’d just left.

Then again, he did have the last word. Maybe that was good enough for him.

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. He got in his truck and drove away. His fresh coffee was still standing in my machine and I slid it out, drinking it myself as I sat down behind the counter and wondered when our relationship had become like this.

Growing up, Ryan had always been protective of me, but it had never been this way. It’d never been to the point of shutting me out or trying to control my life. As my older brother, he’d always beat our mom to the band-aids when I scraped a knee and he was the one who comforted me if I spilled my drink and cried.

Growing up, he’d always been the person I’d turned to. About everything. If I was having a tough time at school, I spoke to my brother about it. When things were great, I told Ryan first. As soon as I had news, he was the one I called.

Yet, something about me catching feelings for his best friend had disrupted all that. I hadn’t gone to him when I had my first serious crush because it had been Carson.

I hadn’t asked him for his advice when my heart had been so sore after Carson had left because neither of us had spoken about the other thing.

Instead, when it came to his best friend, my brother turned into a helicopter parent, breaking it up when he caught us kissing and threatening the boy if he tried it again. Even now, it wasn’t even a matter open to discussion.

It was just a firm no—that wasn’t even worth being told to me directly because he’d already said it to Carson. It was ridiculous.

I missed the fun my brother could be. The good times we’d had and the laughter we’d shared, but it didn’t feel like there would be any getting back to that. Now that Carson was back in town, it felt like that version of my brother was totally off the table.

Just the other day, I’d been thinking about their friendship and how much Ryan had missed Carson. Now that I was missing Ryan, it wasn’t as simple as getting myself out of the way. Or maybe it was, but the part of myself I would have to leave behind in order to do it was my heart, and I just didn’t know how to shove that aside.

Not without resenting my brother for it for the rest of my life.