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Wilder’s eyes flared. “You gonna correct that, Cody?”
My stomach clenched. Crap. Was he pissed he had a dancing nephew? Guys could be so—
“She’s been here for days, and you haven’t taken her riding?” he finished.
I didn’t catch the unintended innuendo until Austen snickered. Eliot cleared his throat and looked down, his lips twitching.
I nearly choked on my next breath. What had Cody told them about us? I couldn’t picture him talking about something so intimate. Was I not playing it as chill as I thought? How obvious was it I wanted to plaster myself to this man?
“Uh, no.” Humor and curiosity mingled in Cody’s dark gaze. “I didn’t realize I had such a grave error to correct.”
“Can we go riding too, Dad?” Grayson asked.
“Tomorrow,” Eliot said, walking toward the grill. Austen followed him. “We’ll eat and drink tonight.” He pointed at his nephew. “Milk for you, little man. And in the morning, we can ride.”
“If some of us can wait that long,” Austen muttered under his breath, earning a hard scowl from Cody.
Heat crept up my face, but I couldn’t hold back my smile. “Really? You don’t mind?”
“No,” Cody said. “You can’t stay on a Montana ranch and not ride a horse.”
“I’ll ride with Grayson,” Wilder said. “Eliot or Austen can take Ivy, so you can handle Tova.”
That one I caught and nearly snickered myself if it wouldn’t be a signal that I wanted Cody to handle me.
Austen’s body shook with suppressed laughter. He was the clown of the bunch, but I didn’t miss the way mirth sparkled in Wilder’s eyes. He’d phrased his words on purpose.
The guys liked teasing Cody, and Cody needed it. I was starting to like them. What was it like to have siblings simultaneously looking out for you while also frustrating you to no end?
“Ivy!” Grayson darted toward his sister. “We get to go riding tomorrow!”
He took the playful energy with him, and the men’s speculation landed on me.
“So...” Austen said, more serious than I’d seen him all weekend. He folded his arms, seemingly content to let Eliot get the grill ready. “What kind of dancing do you do?”
“Uh...well.” This was tricky. I was still a cautious city girl, even though I was in the middle of nowhere. Cody knew my former career, but I was still alone with four men, three of them I’d only met days ago. “I’ve worked in clubs and...”
“A stripper?” Austen asked, but his question wasn’t lecherous. More matter-of-fact.
“Not exactly.”Please don’t let this be a mistake.Thelma would be there if I needed her, but I didn’t want to send an SOS text. I owed her so much already. “Burlesque.”
“Like the movie?” Wilder asked. “Sutton watched it all the time.”
“Technically, that’s more cabaret.”
“I dated a stripper once,” Austen said. When he caught Cody glaring at him, he shrugged. “What? She owns the joint now. Smart lady.”
“Which is why she’s not with you,” Eliot added.
Austen had the same glare as his brother, but then he relaxed. “Nah, she wanted freedom from all men and never planned to get married.”
“Good decision.” Wilder’s tone wasn’t a commentary on his brother but was aimed at the institution of marriage. His brothers sent him worried glances.
“So, burlesque?” Austen seemed like he was directing the attention away from his brother, and I adored the sweet gesture. “Boas and shit?”
“I use fans in one of my acts. I like to have the flapper look. That way the humor fits in better since it isn’t thought of as a serious time period, being after World War I and before the depression.” I relaxed as I spoke. Only genuine interest and mild curiosity were in their expressions.
“Cool,” he said, and they all nodded.
