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As she began cleaning up the bar, she wondered, not for the first time, if she was getting a little too excited about seeing JT. They were supposed to be having fun and keeping things casual, but they'd been spending at least three nights a week together for nearly two weeks. She'd never been a casual sex person before. How long could she do this before she risked becoming attached?
You can do this forever, she told herself sternly. Or at least as long as it feels good. Because instead of going into it with your fairytale dreams of marriage and kids and happily ever after, you're going into it with your eyes wide open.
"Business looks like it's doing well," Cort said as he forked a bite of steak into his mouth. "Seems more crowded than when we were here last year."
JT nodded as he chewed a bite of his own steak. "Guest numbers are up thirty percent over what they were last time this year."
"That's great. How's the rest of the summer look?"
JT tried to get his shoulders to relax as he answered his brother's question. Funny thing was, even when he had good news to share, talking ranch business with Cort always made him tense.
"Good. We're almost at capacity for July and the first half of August. Things drop off a little but then we have two weddings and a corporate retreat in September. All in all, it's going to be a great year."
"Probably helps that lots of people are avoiding Europe, what with the uptick in terrorist activities."
"Or it could be that the marketing campaign Paulina launched right after the new year helped us gain more visibility."
Paulina, who was helping Anabelle cut her meat into bite-sized pieces, gave him a little smile across the table.
Cort chuckled and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "I don't see how a few Facebook and Instagram posts could have more impact than well documented travel patterns."
JT's jaw clenched and he saw Paulina's do the same. But neither of them bothered to point out that Paulina had done more than post a few things to social media. Rather, she had put together a digital marketing campaign that leveraged several platforms, and had recruited past guests—some of them A-list celebrities—to publicize the ranch in their own posts. Once Cort decided he knew the answer to something, he rarely wavered.
"For example, Justine and I were going to take the kids to Paris the week of Labor Day, but we decided to go to Banff instead."
"We get to stay at the Ritz and get room service!" Anabelle proclaimed.
"Aren't you a lucky girl," his mom said. "That sounds like heaven."
"You should come with us," Justine offered, oblivious to her husband's warning look. "You all should."
"I'm afraid the Ritz is a little out of my budget," Paulina said.
"Our treat of course, as always," Justine said.
"As always," Cort echoed.
Though there was no edge to his brother's tone, JT felt his hackles rise nonetheless. He loved his job and his lifestyle, but it didn't come with a big paycheck. Most of the time he was all right with that, but sometimes he wondered what it would be like to be able to jet off to Paris or Canada or wherever the hell he wanted and bring whoever he wanted with him.
"As great as that sounds, Paulina and I will be busy throwing a wedding over Labor Day."
His gaze strayed over to the bar, where Colleen filled an order. Would she be like others in his past who had chafed at the idea that, while he would always have a comfortable roof over his head, a car to drive, and plenty to eat, any disposable income he had went towards saving for the future and the kids he hoped to have one day. Would she be okay with the idea that a trip to Paris or Hawaii would be a once-in-a-decade kind of thing for him, rather than once a year?
She'd married a surgeon, after all. Surely she had some expectation of a more luxurious lifestyle.
He watched her smile at the waitress, thought about how hard she was working to pay off her mother's debt. Tried to think of one time when she'd complained about it. Other than admitting she was tired after pulling double duty at the hospital and bartending, he couldn't.
Something told him she'd adjust to his lifestyle just fine.
There you go again. spinning off, getting way ahead of yourself. You've been sleeping together for less than two weeks, and she made it crystal clear she's not looking for anything serious. And here you are trying to imagine how she'll fit into your life.
"What do you think about that?"
It took him a few seconds to realize his brother was talking to him.
"Sorry, I was thinking about something else."
Cort gave an irritated sigh, like he couldn't believe anyone wouldn't be mesmerized by his voice and brilliant ideas. "Dad and I were just saying, that maybe with the extra income you've made in the last few seasons, you could expand the herd."
