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“Bye, Slate,” Jill said, throwing him a flirtatious smile before she got behind the wheel of her car and started it. He watched her back down the driveway, and only then did he turn toward the front porch. Granny had gone inside, and Slate would have to as well.
“Bring in the cookies,” he grumbled as he went around the house to the back yard to get the box of sweets that had cost him a kiss with Jill Kyle.
* * *
“Thanks for takingConnor to White Lake,” Nate said the next morning when Slate arrived in the equipment shed.
“Yeah, no problem,” Slate said. He’d picked the boy up after saying goodnight to Granny, and they’d had a great drive back to the ranch. Connor talked and talked, telling Slate about all the things he’d done that day with his grandparents, and Slate just liked listening to the joy in the little boy’s voice. “He’s a great kid.”
“His dad was great,” Nate said, turning away from Slate.
Ted exchanged a glance with Slate, and pulled on his weight-lifting gloves. “I think you’ve had him about as long as Ward now, right?”
Nate grunted, and that was all he’d say on the matter. Slate had known him in prison for long enough to know. The truth was, he’d been very lucky to be taken under the wing of Nathaniel Mulbury, and he wouldn’t do anything to hurt Nate, ever.
“He can go with me anytime,” Slate said.
“Yeah?” Ted asked. “Good visit then?”
Slate started to smile, his afternoon at the farm he hadn’t seen in a while made of sunshine and forgiveness and cookies.And Jill, he thought. “Yeah,” he said.
“He invited Jill to the farm, and she went,” Luke said.
“Hey,” Slate said, a whip of betrayal lashing against his heart. “I told you that in confidence.”
“Yeah, to get my advice about her,” Luke said. “And I suck at advice. These guys know what they’re doing.”
Nate had turned around and he looked at Ted, who looked at him with an equally blank expression. “I think he’s talking about you,” Nate said.
“No,” Ted said, drawling out the word. “He definitely meant you.” Ted looked at Luke and then Slate. “I have no idea what I’m doing and I’m the last person you should be asking for advice.”
“What he said,” Nate said, clapping his hands together. “Except I mean me.”
“Oh, come on.” Luke rolled his eyes. “You two are married. You’re doing something right.”
“I’m not sure what,” Nate said. “I think I just got lucky.”
Slate didn’t believe that for a second. He went to the back of the shed and picked up the barbells he wanted to use. He wasn’t looking to get ripped the way Luke was, but he was glad to be able to continue his weight-lifting regimen now that he was out of River Bay.
“You and Jill?” Ted asked, sidling up to Slate.
He tried the grunting technique Nate had used, but he knew that wouldn’t fly for long. Not with Big-Mouth Luke there.
“He likes her,” Luke said. “He said he doesn’t want to hurt her needlessly, but he’s not sure what he’s doing.”
No one said anything, and Slate put plenty of thunder in the glare he sent Luke’s way. Luke frowned and raised his eyebrows. “What?” he asked. “You said you wanted help. We can all help you.”
Slate shook his head, a measure of humiliation filling him.
“There’s no shame in liking a beautiful woman like Jill,” Nate finally said.
“He told her about the drug use,” Luke said. “And she didn’t freak out.”
Slate was infinitely glad he hadn’t mentioned a word about the hand-holding, or the kissing and near-kissing that had happened. He did want advice, and he did trust Nate and Ted as much as Luke. He just hadn’t realized it would be a group discussion this morning.
He sat on the bench and began his bicep curls, timing his breathing with the movement. Ted finished his warm-up and turned to Slate. “Are you going to ask her out?”
“I did already,” Slate said.
