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“You got it, rodeo boy.”
I prayed I’d get back to the house before everyone was up, but I didn’t make it. Jacob whistled when I walked in. “Damn, you’re looking rough.”
Grant snorted. “I hope you’re going to be up to working today.”
I flipped him off. “I’ll be fine.”
“Riley.” My twin never used my real name unless he was being sappy or I was in trouble. “Are you okay?”
I wasn’t. I was a fucking mess. But not for the reasons he was thinking. So I winked at him and gave him my patented grin. “More than okay.”
Rhys frowned. “Don’t you dare give me any details.” I just laughed and headed up the stairs, fighting like hell not to look like I’d just gotten off a horse after an all-day ride. As soon as I was out of sight, I hobbled the rest of the way to my room.
Dammit. Ghost was right. It was going to hurt like hell to ride today.
When I’d showered and dressed, I hurried back downstairs. I wasn’t eager to see my brothers again before they headed out to the barn, but I also knew the chance of them eating up everything Jacob had cooked and not leaving any for me was huge.
My brothers and TJ were all seated at the table, and like I expected, they’d done a good job clearing all the serving bowls. Thankfully, Jacob had set aside a plate for me. He placed it on the table as I poured myself a much-needed cup of coffee.
After a few bites, I looked up at Rhys. He’d been watching me since I sat down.
“Something is up with you.”
“I hooked up with somebody, fell asleep in their bed, and dragged myself home. It’s nothing new.”
He studied me for a moment and shook his head. “No. I’m not wrong.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to eat my breakfast and get my chores done.”
Rhys scowled. “If you’re going to work here, then you have to —”
“Why don’t the rest of you get on out of here,” Jacob said, interrupting Rhys. “If you let Rogue eat his breakfast in peace, I’ll make sure he gets to work.”
Grant glared at me. “We’re all going to talk later.”
I was not in the mood for his high-handedness. “What are you going to tell me? That I’m grounded? That I have to stay on the ranch?”
“No. I’m going to tell you that you have to get enough sleep to be able to—”
“Don’t you have a lot of things to get done this morning?” Jacob asked Grant.
Grant glared at him, but Jacob held his ground. The heat between the two of them was really something else.
Once my brothers had left, I let out a long breath.
Jacob smiled at me. “Rhys is right, isn’t he?”
“What do you mean?”
“Something is up with you. This is not how you usually act when you come home from a hookup.”
“You’ve only seen me like that a few times.”
“Most nights when I stayed with you, you would sneak in.”
Jacob had stayed at my place for a few weeks after leaving his abusive ex. “Fine, but I really just fell asleep.”
Jacob rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to make you tell me what’s going on.”
“Nothing is going on.”
“All right, then. Eat your breakfast.”
Once I’d finished at least half of what was on my plate, I looked up at him. “What if something was up?”
“What kind of something? Something good or something bad?”
“That would depend on who you asked.”
“Rogue, you’re not involved in any criminal activities, are you?”
“You mean like keeping assassins safe, making sure they don’t get caught, and that nobody finds out this ranch is more than it seems from the outside?”
Jacob rolled his eyes. “Other than what you’re doing here at the ranch.”
“I’m not. I swore to Grant I would never do that again, and the only reason I stayed in that line of work was so I’d have money for us to live on whenever my brothers came back. We’ve got plenty of money now that we’re here. There’s no need for me to do that.”
“Good. So then what’s bad?”
“I can do a lot of bad things other than hook up with the mafia.”
“And speaking of that”—Jacob glanced toward the door—“your brother could use some encouragement.”
I snorted. “Rhys needs to take care of his own business and stay out of mine.” We were all waiting for Rhys and TJ to finally give in to the chemistry crackling between them. Why should I be left out?
“You know he’s never going to stop worrying about you. Neither of them is.”
“I just wish they realized I’m actually a grown up.”
“They will, eventually, once you’ve been here long enough.”
It was time to change the subject. “I liked the guy I was with.”
“You should like everyone you sleep with.”
“Now you sound like Grant.”
