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I knew it was, but I preferred to think of myself as determined instead. And honestly? There weren’t a lot of bright spots in my life these days. Seeing these guys every month or so was one of the few things I could actually look forward to on a regular basis.
So, I didn’t care if it was pathetic or unseemly or whatever. When it came to this one tiny part of my life, I was going full steam ahead.
Before I could get any closer, though, I felt a tug at my sleeve. I half-turned, ready to tell my uncle that I just needed a couple of minutes, but then couldn’t help but frown when I saw that it wasn’t my uncle at all.
“Did you need something, Nora?” I asked, pulling away and not even trying to hide my irritation as I lost sight of Cade and Boone again. “I’m sort of in a hurry, so I don’t really have time to talk.”
I knew I was being rude, and I didn’t care at all. Nora Statler might have had a pretty smile, but it wasn’t enough to hide her ugly personality. I didn’t like her, and she didn’t like me, and the sooner I could get away from her and back to my guys, the better.
“This won’t take long,” she promised, side-stepping so that she was standing directly in my way. “I just wanted to ask if you’ve thought more about the offer I made the last time we spoke. That offer won’t be good forever, you know.”
I rolled my eyes. Seriously? This again? “My answer is still the same,” I said. “And it isn’t going to change, so you can save yourself the trouble of ever asking me again. The Triple J Ranch isn’t for sale. Period.”
Her fake smile didn’t falter, but her eyes narrowed just a bit. Such cold eyes. Like a shark. “So young and full of pride. So sure of yourself. I’d probably respect that if it wasn’t so misplaced. But rumor has it that your little ranch isn’t doing so well. Rumor has it you’re just barely scraping by.” She gave a half-shrug and laughed a little as if we were talking about something cute and fun. God, I wanted to knock that smug smile right off her face. “It’s probably best that you won’t accept my offer, anyway. Why should I overpay now when I can get a better deal once it goes into foreclosure?”
My fingernails were digging into my palms, and I realized that I’d balled my hands into fists. She really had no idea how close I was to making a scene, did she?
When I spoke again, it took every ounce of willpower I had to keep my voice steady. “You are a real piece of—”
“Okay, we really should be going now,” my uncle interrupted, stepping between us so that his body took up my whole field of vision. “Looks like it might be best if we all called it a day,” he continued, pinning Nora with a hard look. “Good day to you, Mrs. Statler.”
If she said anything else, I didn’t hear it.
And just… whatever.
I didn’t give a damn.
My uncle was right. We needed to go. Well, she needed to go. I needed something else.
“Boone… Cade,” I called, finally catching sight of them again as I pressed through the thinning crowd. Just a few more steps and I was finally, finally standing in front of them, feeling sort of lightheaded as they both smiled down at me. “I was hoping I’d get a chance to see you guys today.”
And I’ve been stalking you across the meeting hall like a jungle panther, so I hope you don’t mind.
“We were hoping the same thing,” Cade said, smiling even wider as his eyes dropped to the low-cut neckline of the blouse I’d specifically chosen with a moment like this in mind.
Best decision of the day.
“How have you been, Janessa?” Boone’s deep voice made my insides start to melt like butter. “Always a pleasure to see your pretty face at these meetings.”
I was pretty sure I saw Cade cut his eyes in Boone’s direction, but if I was being completely honest, it was damn hard to be certain while wondering what it would feel like to be pinned between both of their hard, tanned bodies.
I blushed at the thought. Not like that would ever happen in a million years, of course. I knew they were just being nice right now. But I’d heard stories about them that kept me up more than a few nights. Stories about how they didn’t mind sharing…
“Janessa.” My uncle’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and startled a small, embarrassing squeak from the back of my throat. I felt like I’d been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, but… he couldn’t possibly know what I was thinking just now, right? God, I really would die if it was that obvious. “We have to go, sweetie. I can’t keep chasing you around this meeting hall all afternoon.” Belatedly, he added, “Cade, Boone, good to see y’all again, but you’ll have to excuse us. My niece and I were just—”
“Just hoping the two of you would join us for dinner,” I interrupted, earning a deep scowl from my uncle and a couple of half-surprised, half-amused looks from Cade and Boone. “Isn’t that right, Uncle Justin? We’ve got plenty of room and plenty of food, and I was just thinking earlier about how I wanted to fry up a bunch of chicken.”
I looked from my uncle’s face to Cade and Boone, then back again. My uncle was still frowning but finally sighed and shook his head. “I suppose it has been a while since we’ve had company over for supper. Unless, of course, these guys already have other plans?”
He gave Cade and Boone a pointed look, and there was no doubt about how he wanted them to answer.
“I’m pretty sure we’re free this evening,” Cade said and grinned.
Boone nodded, and I could hear my uncle groan a little as I clasped my hands together.
“Perfect,” I said, mirroring the smile that had already spread from Cade’s face to Boone’s. “We’ll see you around seven, and I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. Best fried chicken in the county.”
What I didn’t say out loud was that I wanted to take care of them in so many other ways, too.
