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She scoffed and followed. “You can’t fool me, big guy. Having Jerry out means you’ve got double the work.” She touched his arm, sliding her hand up to his shoulder. “Come on, pumpkin, I’m sure you’ve been working since dawn. Even ranch managers need a break.” Her hand didn’t move.
She stepped very close, pressing her body against his.
What was she thinking? They were in the front yard, and anyone could look out the windows . . .
Holt hadn’t ever made any moves on Barb, and she’d never been this aggressive before. He stepped back. “Have a nice night, Barb. I’ve got several things to finish before tomorrow.”
She let her hand drop as he moved away, but she didn’t leave, only watched him. “See you later, pumpkin.”
Holt hid his grimace at the nickname she called him. He lifted his hand in a wave, already striding away.
Once he reached the barn, he headed into a section that he’d made into an office of sorts. He’d constructed it for his dad a couple of years ago, but Rex hardly used it, so Holt had taken it over. He pulled out his cell phone and replied back to Knox.
This is the last time, bro. I’m serious.
Seconds later, Knox’s reply came. You won’t regret it, stud.
Sending right now,Holt typed. It should clear your account sometime tomorrow.
Beautiful.
Holt set his phone on the desk and logged into the computer. The Wi-Fi from the house barely reached the area. He did the transfer to Knox’s account from his personal account. There was no way he could use the ranch funds to do it, even if Knox really did pay him back. Next, Holt pulled up the financial spreadsheet to finish off what he’d been working on before dinner.
Right on the screen, in black and white, was the column for Briggs’s horses. The memory of Macie laying down the law with Briggs made Holt’s lips quirk. He typed in the amount agreed upon, added a column for “commission,” then sent the invoice to Briggs.
His phone buzzed with another text. Holt glanced at the screen. Knox, again.
Speaking of beautiful, how’s my girl?
Holt didn’t move for a moment. Did his brother mean his ex-wife, or his daughter? Finally, he replied, Macie and Ruby arrived safe. Ruby rode Sammy today.
What Holt expected was a warm exchange, maybe some back and forth texting. Instead, Knox wrote, Figures.
Holt didn’t know how to reply. So in the end, he didn’t. And apparently, Knox was done texting for the night. He’d gotten his money, after all.
Holt distracted himself by opening his emails and was about thirty minutes into them when he received an alert from Briggs. He’d paid the down payment.
“Well, I’ll be . . .” Holt muttered, leaning back in his chair and scrubbing a hand through his hair. The cheap-as-a-rock cowboy had paid up.
It wasn’t until long after dark, long after Ruby would be in bed, and everyone else in the house would be asleep, that Holt decided to head in. Tomorrow, he’d probably move his things to his house in town. With Macie around, Holt didn’t need to be so hands-on with his parents.
He exhaled. Exhaustion poked at the edges of his mind. The day had been unexpected, full of information and revelation, and he needed time to process it all.
He walked into the darkened house, trying not to make a sound. After locking the front door, he paused. He thought he’d heard someone in the kitchen.
Maybe one of his parents was still up, getting a drink or something. Hopefully, his mom wasn’t sick. A light over the kitchen sink was on—the same light he always remembered being on throughout his childhood.
Holt slowed when he saw Macie sitting at the table, her back to him. She was alone in the dimness, and he didn’t know if he should make his presence known.
But before he could head down the hallway, she turned.
“Hey,” he said, keeping his voice low.
“You were working this late?” she asked.
He pulled his gaze from the spaghetti-strap tank shirt she wore and what looked like pajama bottoms that exposed a bit of her lower torso.
Holt crossed to the fridge to get something cold—ice cold. “Yeah. I sent some invoices, then wiped out a bunch of emails.” He opened the fridge door, and the light spilled out, making him blink against the brightness. “Do you want a drink?” he asked without looking at her.
