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Luke knew he had a lot of muscles. He worked purposely to get them and keep them. He’d loved boxing, and at least half of that was because of the physical conditioning it required.
He liked to run, and he liked to lift weights. With all the muscle he had, it was no wonder he was like a walking furnace—or that he only slept in a pair of thin gym shorts.
Hannah stared at him, her mouth hanging open, and the moment turned awkward. Luke reached for the blanket she still held in her hands, and it came loose easily. He covered himself up as she blinked her way back to the land of the living.
He didn’t know what to say or do. He’d entertained a fairly massive crush on the woman standing in front of him while he’d lived here at Hope Eternal Ranch.
But Hannah had been dating Bill Buckingham at the time, and Bill was one of Luke’s roommates in the Annex. When they’d broken up, Luke had started to form a plan with Jill to ask Hannah to dinner, but in the end, he hadn’t.
In the end, he’d gotten a job with a construction crew and knew he wouldn’t be staying in town. He didn’t think it fair to start a relationship with Hannah that he couldn’t finish, and he’d never asked.
He met her eyes and found her face red and getting redder fast. Without a word, she spun and left the bedroom, the slam of the door behind her making him cringe.
He sighed and looked up to the ceiling. “Really?” He didn’t have any other words for the Lord. Out of all the people who could’ve come in and disturbed his sleep, it had to be Hannah?
She was dating someone else now, and Luke wasn’t surprised. She was easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever met in his life, and he was honestly surprised she hadn’t been taken a long time ago.
He wasn’t as surprised that he was still single. He’d never really wanted a girlfriend growing up, because his older brother had had one, and she was so muchwork. Luke had enjoyed wrestling in high school, and then he’d gotten into boxing immediately afterward.
He hadn’t gone to college, and he’d never wanted to. He liked working with his hands, and he’d thought construction would be a good career for him. The work was hard, and he had to get up early, but he didn’t mind either of those things.
His father was a part-owner in a real estate development firm, and Luke had been working for him since Thanksgiving.
Someone knocked on the door, and Luke said, “Just a sec.” He jumped up from the bed, left the blanket behind, and pulled a T-shirt over his head before opening the door.
Slate stood there, looking over his shoulder as he said something to Nick and Connor down the hall. When he turned back to Luke, he said, “I’m an idiot.” He stepped past Luke into the bedroom and started pacing.
“Why?” Luke asked. “What happened?” Slate felt like the little brother Luke had never had, though he was technically older than Luke. He closed the door and watched his friend go back and forth.
He’d done this in prison too, when he needed a couple of seconds to work out his thoughts. It was amazing to Luke how much of a person was ingrained in who they were, and also how much a person could change.
“I forgot Jill and I were going to her parents for brunch in the morning.”
Luke frowned, the dots not lining up. “Okay.”
“I can’t drive you to the airport.”
“Oh.” Luke smiled and ran his hands through his hair. “It’s fine. I’m sure one of the other boys can.”
“They can’t.” Slate stopped pacing and faced him. “When Jill reminded me last night, I asked everyone. Ted and Emma are going to San Antonio to see Missy’s other mom. Dallas and Jess are leaving for Montana tonight. Ginger has a horse she’s taking through a birth, and she wants Nate there, because she’s getting bigger, and she’s worried she’ll need to take a break, and someone has to be there with the horse…”
Slate hung his head as Luke’s mind spun. Everyone had such busy lives…except for him.
“There are tons of cowboys here,” Luke said. “I’ll find someone to take me.”
“You don’t need to do that,” Slate said. “I found someone.”
When he wouldn’t say who, the unrest in Luke’s soul stirred. “It’s not Bill, is it?”
“No.” Slate scoffed. “Give me some credit.”
“Why aren’t you saying who it is?” Luke asked, squinting at Slate. “There’s no credit, unless you somehow got me a ride on a spaceship or something so the drive will only take five seconds.” Luke hated driving in the car. He felt like it was such a waste of time.
“You like this person,” he said.
“Is this a guessing game?” Luke’s patience was already thin, and he hadn’t even showered yet. “Just spit his name out, Slate.”
“It’s not a him,” Slate said. “It’s a her. It’s Hannah.”
Luke opened his mouth to respond and only a guttural squeak came out.
“She seemed really happy and excited to do it,” Slate said in a rush.
“That’s not happening,” Luke growled, the words coming out coated with gruffness and maybe a little distaste. “I can get my own ride to the airport.” Heck, he’d call a cab before he rode for an hour with Hannah Otto. The woman had just fled his room without a word; riding in the car together for even five minutes would be akin to torture—for both of them.
No way. Wasn’t happening.
