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I slide my hands into my back pockets, considering if I should hug him goodbye, but I’d come away with diamond-hard nipples.
He interrupts that thought. “What are you doing now? Want to grab something to eat? I haven’t quite gotten used to having dinner in the main house with my mom and dad. I’d rather be out, if you’re up for joining me?”
My heart dances like a little girl with a golden ticket in her hand. But then responsibility hits. I’d love to take a drive with Ashton out of town for some food but I can’t. “I have the chickens. I need to shut them away because I’m pretty sure the perimeter of my coop isn’t totally secure. I haven’t had time to fix it since I got them so I need to make sure they’re in their hutch. I risked it last night. Can’t do that twice.”
He nods like he’s not sure if it’s an excuse or a reason. “I’m happy to head to yours if that’s where you need to be.”
An insistent man is so damn hot. “Okay. I could whip up an omelet.”
“You’re going to be one of those people always pawning off your eggs now, aren’t you?”
“Pretty much.”
“Okay. Sounds great.”
This feels like a date. A date we probably shouldn’t have. One with potential for hurt feelings and turndowns that will ache. But Ashton in my house tonight is not something I intend to pass up.
We walk slowly, Ashton’s limp more obvious now that he spent the last hour and a half on his feet.
“I’ll check out your hutch if you like,” he offers.
It’s been a long time since anyone offered to help me with the more mundane things in life. My brothers and mom would always come by and lend a hand, but I typically have to ask. To me, his offer is about so much more than the chicken run itself.
But if he doesn’t respect his orders to rest, one of us should. “I don’t want you on your feet anymore.”
“Starlight Canyon breeds tough stock. I told you I’m fine. Plus there are no classes tomorrow, so I’ll be bored with my foot up for hours.”
We reach the cars and climb inside. He follows my SUV even though he knows where I live. I think about his last words as I drive. There are no classes tomorrow. In the rearview, I make out his chiseled jawline and intense hooded eyes and wonder how late he’ll stay.
Chapter Eleven
Why am I doing this?I question myself the entire way to Bird’s Eye, Jolie and I catching glances in her rearview mirror. Maybe she’s thinking the same thing.Is this a good idea?
I caught myself one too many times stuck in a spiral of thoughts about what a stunner she is now. If it was the same Jolie from years ago—the one who seemed a hell of a lot younger, the one who seemed like a little sister—I wouldn’t be wondering why I’m catching a bite to eat at my friend’s house, someone I’ve known since I everremember knowing people. I wouldn’t question my motives if I hadn’t stared at her round, filled-out jeans and her full breasts. I’m a warm-blooded male just like any other.
But I do want to know more about what’s happened in the past years and what’s going through her mind as she questions abandoning a career she worked damn hard to qualify for. Is she okay? There’s a haunting glint in her eyes now I don’t recognize, even though I spent years getting to know every last shade of green in every sliver of her irises. I know Jolie. Or at least I’ve always thought I did. And now I can read a lot of her movements, but others are a mystery.
I get out of my car, and Jolie, who just parked, comes over to me.
“I’ll just grab today’s eggs to add to what I have inside.”
I follow her to her hutch and chicken run that’s about thirty yards from her house. Herbighouse. It’s a lot of space for one person. She must be knocking around inside there like a pinball. Jolie isn’t as bad as Logan, but I know she’s never been big on being alone. Not like Dash who craves solitude. Even Colt is better at being alone than Joey, though now he has a wife and daughter, I bet he never is. It must be the best feeling in the world to know you’ll always have someone to come home to.
When Jolie steps into the chicken run, her hens come running over to her. She reaches into her jacket pocket and tips out some feed. I always keep a few treats in my farm jacket pocket, too, and for some reason, even though a lot of ranch folk do it, my heart warms because Jolie and I are kindred. I just lived in a place for a very long time where most of the company I kept wouldn’t have dreamed of keeping crumbly chicken feed in their pockets no matter how much joy it brought to their hens.
Joey throws the food down and crouches to scoop one ofthe hens up, nuzzling it with her cheek. “This is Phoebe.” She nods to the ones pecking at her feet. “And that’s Rachel and Monica. I got them from Luis Mendez.”
“Still intoFriends?”
“Course. Who isn’t?” She takes Phoebe over to the hutch and gently ushers her inside. Monica and Rachel notice and head for the steps leading up to the hutch.
Watching Joey with the animals has my heart twitching. It’s just… cute.
Too cute. She closes the hens inside and reaches around back, taking out two eggs. “This will literally never get old.” She lifts the white, ovular gifts to show me.
“Yeah…” Suddenly, the way I’m feeling right now makes me wonder why I’m here again. I told myself after Sly’s it was mostly the alcohol that had me wanting to gather Joey up in my arms, but then, in the arena, here… it’s…
I need to chase these thoughts away. “Why don’t I inspect the chicken run barrier while there’s still a bit of light?” I notice some supplies on the ground and point to them. “Is that what you have, if I find a problem?”
