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“You’re gonna get bougie once you start grindin’ your own beans,” I warn as she pulls two mugs from the cabinet and starts a pot of gourmet coffee.
“I grew up drinkin’ the same as Mom and Dad grew up drinkin’—Folgers.”
I smile and think about the jingle on the commercial. “In my opinion, it’s the official ranch coffee. It’s either that or Seaport, and the latter will make hair grow on your balls. It's strong, the stuff sailors drink.”
Kaitlyn bursts into laughter. “Actually, it sounds pretty good.”
“It’s an acquired taste, not my favorite. My mom likes it, though.”
“She must have hairy testicles like a caveman, then,” she says. I softly chuckle, realizing how much I miss my mother. That’s the last thing I wanted to think about today, though.
After it’s brewed, Kaitlyn hands my mug over, and I take a sip.
“It’s good. You want some eggs?” I offer.
“Nah, I’m gonna stop by the B&B. Maize pulled out some deer sausage and fried it up. Not missin’ that.”
“Been a while since I’ve had that. I won’t be able to stop by until later. Gotta take care of some shit at the office first thing,” I tell her. Her eyes are locked on my lips, and I’m oddly aware of how she studies the different parts of my body. Or maybe she’s always done that, and I tried hard not to notice before.
She frowns. “Can’t you just tell my brothers to go fuck themselves and then come eat with me?”
Chuckling, I shake my head. “You know for a fact they’d flip their shit. Plus, they’re already stressed enough because of how busy we’ve been. That’d just be cruel.”
“I guess.”
“What about lunch? You have plans?” I ask.
“Not at the moment. Unless you’re askin’.”
“Of course I am,” I say, checking the time.
She watches me finish my coffee as she adds creamer to hers. “I gotta run.” I set my mug down once I’ve emptied it.
“Have a good day, BD.”
“It won’t be until lunch,” I tease with a wink, and she playfully shoos me away.
After I’m dressed, I grab my keys to leave, and Kaitlyn follows me. She’s wearing her riding pants that hug her ass like they were painted on. It doesn’t help that they’re nude. Makes me wonder how many ranch hands will stare at her today. Better only be me.
“See ya later,” I say with a wave.
“Bye!” she says as she pulls her blond hair up into a ponytail.
On my way to work, I stop by the horse rescue to see how much progress has been made since the construction started. Fifteen acres were designated for the nonprofit. The foundation for the large eighteen-stall barn has been poured. The steel support beams were delivered yesterday. When I talked to the construction company, they said it’d be completed in three to four weeks, so we’re planning a dedication and grand opening right after the Fourth of July. I‘m still pinching myself that this is my life. But the Bishops play hard, so the fact that everything is getting built so fast doesn’t surprise me. Also, it helps that the construction company’s owner is a friend of the family.
As I finally make my way to the stud facility, I suck in a deep breath and try to push the dirty thoughts of Kaitlyn out of my head. Right now, I need to get my shit together because her brothers aren’t nearly as stupid as they sometimes act. They’ve been pushing Kaitlyn and me pretty hard lately—trying to get the truth out of us—but we haven’t slipped.
When I enter the barn, Knox sloshes toward me because he’s soaking wet. The fucking sun isn’t even awake yet, and he’s already found trouble. Typical.
“What happened?” I try to piece together every scenario that could’ve caused this.
He sucks in a frustrated breath while holding the bridge of his nose. “I tripped on the water hose and landed face-first in the trough I was fillin’ up.”
I try not to laugh, but it bursts out of me in a roar. As I struggle to breathe, Kane walks up and joins in on poking the bear.
“Fuck y’all. Both of you.”
We’re bent over, sucking in air as he storms off.
