AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I was not! And what areyoudoing watching him? You’re married now.”
Laughing, Rose replied, “I walked up and said your name.You were so engrossed in watching what he was doing, you didn’t even hear me, Lily.”
I waved her off. “It’s nothing like that, Rose.”
Her smile faded. “Lily…you’re not still hung up on Ben, are you?”
“Of course not.”
Rose exhaled. “You never were a good liar.”
I gently pushed her shoulder. “Oh, be quiet. The only thing I feel toward Ben is friendship.”
She gave me a knowing look. “That’s a lie, and you and I both know it.”
“He’s in love with Abby.”
“And have you told him how you feel about him?”
I exhaled in defeat. “I don’t really knowhowI feel about him, Rose.”
She was about to say something when, thankfully, Aunt Kaylee announced it was time to cut the cake, and all talk of me and my feelings for Ben floated away.
And when the man himself reappeared and put his hand on my lower back…it was only then that I realized it didn’t make my stomach leap or my heart skip a beat. Not like it had when Maverick touched me.
I turned to see Ben staring down at his phone, reading a text from Abby, a wide smile on his face.
Standing straighter, I took a step away. He dropped his hand and started to text her back while I forced myself to focus on Rose and Bryson cutting their cake and looking ridiculously in love.
A feeling of longing washed over me. Would I ever have a man look at me the way Bryson looked at Rose?
I glanced at Ben and saw him still grinning at his phone.I ignored the way that made my stomach drop. When I looked across the room, my gaze met Maverick’s. He smiled, and my heart damn near tripped over itself.
Jesus. What in the hell was wrong with me? Did I have feelings for Ben…or for Maverick?
Or both?
Chapter Two
MAVERICK
The guy was an idiot. How could henotsee how Lily looked at him with those big honey-colored eyes was beyond me.
“Fucking idiot,” I whispered as I lifted the beer and took a long pull.
“Who’s a fucking idiot?”
Turning to see Nathan, Lily’s younger brother, I smiled. “No one.”
“If you’re talking about Ben and my sister, I’m right there with you.”
I narrowed my eyes at the seventeen-year-old who stood next to me. He was dressed in a black suit with a cream-colored tie. The kid was already drawing looks from nearly all the single women in the room. Youngandold. He was tall, muscular from working on the ranch, and he had the craziest-colored eyes. They almost looked silver. He was the spitting image of his father, Tanner, but had his mother Timberlynn’s kind disposition. Undoubtedly, he’d be leaving a long line of broken hearts in his wake as he went through life.
“I was, in fact, talking about him,” I replied.
In the three years I’d been working on the Shaw Ranch for Tanner and Timberlynn, I’d grown pretty close to Nathan, so I wouldn’t lie to him now. He was like a little brother to me, and there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him. Hell, for the entire Shaw family. To say they made me feel like one of their own would be putting it lightly.
A small part of me, though, was waiting for the floor to drop out from under me. It took me at least a year before I’d even accept any kindness from Tanner or Timberlynn. The only thing I took was orders for my job and a place to sleep. Every dinner or party invitation was turned down until Timberlynn finally broke me.
