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He could only laugh at her and take her into his arms. “Really? My very presence is that distracting?” He wasn’t sure if she was complimenting him or disgusted by him. Honestly, he’d take both, because he just liked being with her so dang much.
Everything in his life had brightened since Gina’s return to Chestnut Springs. No, she wasn’t precisely where Blake wanted her—on the ranch with him full-time—but she was close. She was back. She showed up to work every day, did phenomenal work, and kissed him like she once had. Like she meant it. Like she maybe could fall in love with him again, and then his dreams of having her on the ranch with him full-time would be a reality, the way they were for Becks and Luke.
“It’s the cologne,” Gina said, relaxing into his arms and taking a deep breath of his chest. “Very sexy.”
“Mm,” he hummed through his throat. “Watching you throw that corn bag is sexy.” He leaned down and kissed her, not caring who happened by the cornhole arena. It was open all the time for family and guests, and it sat out in front of the lodge only several paces from the fire pit.
Someone cleared their throat, and Blake broke the connection between him and his girlfriend. Jesse himself stood there, and Blake dropped his hand to Gina’s and turned toward his brother at the same time. “We were just talking about you.”
“Were you?” Dark, stormy Jesse looked from Blake to Gina. “I can’t imagine why.”
“Gina thinks she needs a new partner for the cornhole tournament,” Blake said. “I told her you were the best player in the family.”
Jesse’s tumultuous look turned even more sour, but Blake only continued to smile at him. “That’s ridiculous,” he said. “We’d be starting a week behind everyone.” He frowned at Gina. “Besides, Blake’s the best, and he knows it.”
“You two did win last year,” Gina said.
“I’m not playing this year,” Jesse said.
“You should,” Blake said. “Everyone always plays.”
“Yes, well, I don’t have a partner.”
“Starla said she’d play,” Gina said, her voice pitching toward innocence. “I was talking to her about it this week, and she said she’d love to play.” She looked from Jesse to Blake. “No one ever asks her to team up with them, she says.”
“Starla?” Jesse asked as if he didn’t know who Starla was.
“Yes,” Gina said. “She says she’s pretty good too.”
Jesse looked back to the lodge like the head chef and kitchen manager would be standing there. “I guess I could ask her.” He sounded really doubtful about it, though.
“I’ll text her,” Gina said, her hand slipping away from Blake’s. Her fingers moved like lightning over her phone while Jesse swung his head back to her.
“No, you don’t—”
“Done,” Gina said, smiling up at him. “She’s really great, you guys.” She looked between Jesse and Blake again. “Why don’t any of you like her?”
“I like her fine,” Blake said. “Sheisgreat.” He blinked at her, somewhat surprised by her question. “I didn’t thinkyouliked her.”
“Well, we’ve had some moments together in the kitchen,” Gina said with some measure of aloofness in her tone. “She’s… I don’t want to betray her confidence, but I know she’d love to be more involved with family things around the ranch here. Everyone else seems to be. Nash asked Ashley to be his partner, and I think that hurt Starla’s feelings.”
“Nash has a crush on Ashley,” Jesse said without any emotion at all.
“Jess,” Blake said. “I don’t think that’s common knowledge.” He shot a look at Gina. Ashley worked in the kitchen here too, and with Nash the morning manager he saw her often.
“Sure it is,” Jesse said. “Didn’t you see them at the cornhole tournament last weekend?” He glared at Blake and Gina. “They’re almost as bad as you two.”
“Hey,” Gina said in defense. “We weren’t bad. In fact, by the end, I was mad and would barely speak to Blake.”
“It was still cute enough to make me puke,” Jesse said, folding his arms.
Blake shook his head, his smile determined to stick around today it seemed. “What did you need? You totally interrupted us, you know.”
“Heaven forbid,” Jesse said, rolling his eyes. “Todd was looking for you. Something about Azure. I said I’d seen you out here practicing, and I came to get you.”
Blake pulled his phone from his pocket, a dash of alarm ringing through him. “He didn’t text me.” Not that he’d heard or seen anyway. Sure enough, his phone didn’t hold a single notification. That was kind of odd actually, and Blake pressed and held the power button to restart his phone.
“He said he did,” Jesse said. “I texted you too, but you just kept grinning at your girl.”
