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Yes, you idiot. Love. Angel lives rent free in your head at every moment of the day.
He groaned and tried to get out his frustrations with his work. Picking up his hammer, he placed a nail against the sleek side of the greenhouse. After one hit, the metal bent weird. He tried to get the nail out and it stuck.
What? How hard was it to put this together? He’d been building things since he was nine!
He dug out the nail and tried again with a new one. He got his thumb with the hammer this time.
Shouting out in pain and frustration, he threw the hammer across the grass with a curse. Part of that was directed at his brother.Nash! Where are you?Out in the lap of luxury somewhere, likely languishing on a poolside without a care in the world, whispering sweet nothings that he didn’t mean and kissing a soft cheek. Emily had better dump Nash on his head! Maybe then he’d check his stupid messages.
Just like clockwork, his phone rang. Porter’s eyes widened. He dug into his pocket. His first glance at the screen told him that Nash was calling. What was this? Some insane twin connection? The next instant, Porter was throwing the phone to his ear.
“Hey, Nash. What’s up?” That came out a little sarcastic, but Nash had sure taken his sweet time getting back to him. He’d probably only called to get help. “You’re not running away from another angry brother for leading on his sister, are you?”
“You’re on speaker,” Nash said. “Emily’s here. Don’t be a crazy person.”
Porter winced. “Sorry.”Not really.He dug for ways to make it worse. “I’ll ask how your acne is clearing up later.”
“Hi, Porter,” a sweeter, feminine voice stopped him from taking it further. “I was wondering…” She sneezed.
“Bless you,” Porter said automatically. Nash seconded that.
“I was wondering…” Emily cut herself off by sneezing again.
Where were they? A meadow of flowers?
“She’s allergic to hot men,” Nash said quickly.
Did he really just say that? Unbelievable. Porter took a deep breath. “Emily! Why are you hanging out with that jerk?”
She laughed. “He picked me up on the way to Millie’s ranch, and there was nothing I could do, except come along. It just kinda happened.”
“Huh, yeah, I might’ve heard something about that.” Despite his mounting irritation—or maybe because of it—Porter decided to let Nash know exactly how the news had traveled to their family, “From the aunts at Harvest Ranch…”
He smiled when he heard Nash’s intake of breath. Finally his twin was getting his. It was about time. Porter rubbed it in. “They won’t stop talking about you two.”
Emily groaned.
Oh yeah, Emily… Porter was torn between teasing Nash and dialing it down.
“How’s Mom?” Nash asked.
Porter softened at the concern. “She’s great. Angel’s been a real… angel.” He laughed grimly at the absurdity of their conversation. He’d been looking for a way to bring her up, but she and Emily were such close friends that he wasn’t sure how to get her backstory without Emily suspecting. Bragging about how Angel had taken their momma under her wing seemed like a good start. “She’s taking care of her, and Emily, she’s keeping your flowers alive too.”
“Oh great,” she said. “I’m sorry, who’s Angel again?”
His heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach and just stayed there like a dead thing. “Uh, wait…” Porter tried to clarify, “you don’t know Angel?”
Emily giggled that same familiar giggle that every girl had around Nash. “No, but she sounds great if she’s helping you water my plants.”
But Angel is staying at her place!She’d told him that she and Emily were friends.They’d been college roommates…. Had she lied?
Porter wasn’t the only one who was good at pranks. In any other circumstance, the irony would be hilarious, but… hurt and anger simmered through him as he tried to grasp what was going on. Stupid Grey hadn’t followed up on his end of the bargain to look into her background. Grey had hidden his laziness behind a cloud of rainbows and popsicles and “See the truth of who Angel is in her eyes!”
What an idiot! They wereallidiots!
Yet, how could any of them have known?
Emily let out a happy sigh like she hadn’t just shattered Porter’s world with her words. “Meet you inside, Nash,” she whispered to his brother. “I’d better get some allergy medicine before I lose my nose.” A door slammed shut. It sounded like they were in a car, which meant Nash was finally alone.
