Page 16 of Spurred On

“You’re trying to matchmake.”

“Shut up.”

Cody stilled. Sidney had hooked arms with Hanna and they were now heading for the house. Shit! He needed to talk to her. He’d hoped to have a chance when she arrived. He could hardly go tromping up to her room.

“Didn’t Logan have a thing for Hanna in high school?” his brother asked.

“Yeah. He still does.”

This time, when Cade looked at him, he didn’t seem judgey in the least. He looked . . . proud. He slapped Cody on the back and said, “Hanna and Logan? Okeydokey. Let me know how I can help.”

Their warm moment shriveled up when a high-pitched squeal heralded the onslaught of Tibby and her friends. They’d spotted Cody and were making a beeline across the yard.

“Oh. Wow.” Cade’s nostrils flared. He looked at his watch again. “Gotta go.” And he sprinted off toward the house, leaving Cody alone with a veritable swarm of barracudas.

So much for Cade’s promise of support. Cody was inundated in seconds.

***

After they checked in and settled in their rooms—Hanna and Sidney sharing one and Hanna’s friends Amy and Porsche the other—they headed down for the first event on the schedule, the Hunky Hayride.

“Seriously?” Hanna said as she made her way down the stairs, as though her shoes were filled with mud. “A hayride? How cliché is that?” She’d been whining about every aspect of the party since Sidney had given her the agenda.

“Hush, hush,” Amy chirped. She was like a little bird, bright, curious and hopping around. “It’s a Hunky Hayride. With hunks.”

“Trust me,” Porsche said, patting Hanna’s arm. “You’ll enjoy it.”

Hanna put out a lip. “Hay makes me itch.”

“No worries. These hotties can scratch any itch,” Amy said as they stepped out onto the porch. Indeed, the lawn was practically swarming with hot dudes.

Granted, they’d already scoped out the options when they’d arrived, and discussed them all at length. But to Sidney’s way of thinking, none of them were even close to Hanna’s type, which only made her ire rise.

If Cody had flaked on this one thing, the whole weekend would be for naught. She’d have his guts for garters.

Amy tugged on Hanna’s arm, leading her toward the tractor, which was hooked up to two trailers festooned with bales of hay. “They should have let us watch the guys tote these bales,” Amy said. “That would have been a show.”

Porsche snorted. “No, it wouldn’t have. I happen to know for a fact that Cody has his real ranch hands set these things up. The pretty boys can’t be bothered.”

“They’re probably too busy doing their hair,” Hanna muttered.

Sidney frowned at Porsche. “How do you know that?”

In response Porsche tossed her head. “This is hardly my first, ahem, rodeo.”

Why her blasé attitude made Sidney’s jaw clench was a mystery.

“You’ve been to one of these parties before?” Hanna asked.

“Of course. I came here for my twenty-first birthday.”

What a shock.

“How was the party?” Amy asked.

“They do a great party. No worries about that.” Porsche gave an evil chuckle. “Just ask Crystal.”

“Crystal?” Sidney wrinkled her brow. “Your boss?”