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“Exactly why.”
Muriella lifted her chin. “The minute I decide I’m done, you’ll bring me straight home.”
“Or call Vivian,” I said.
“Or call Vivian,” she repeated. The annoyance in her voice had an undercurrent of affection.
“I promise you’ll be glad you said yes.”
“I didn’t say yes yet.”
It had been a long time since I’d seen her stubborn side. While I wished it had made its appearance on another day, it still did things to me. She was a challenge, and I liked to overcome hard stuff.
“Well?” I looked at her expectantly.
“Let’s go.” She pushed past Vivian and me and walked toward the foyer.
I caught her at the door. “Where’s your coat?”
Without a word, she retrieved it from the closet. I took it from her hands and helped her into it.
“Don’t forget this.” A purse dangled from Vivian’s fingers. “I put your phone inside.”
“Thanks,” Muriella mumbled.
“Keep your phone close,” I instructed Vivian while I opened the front door. As Muriella eased through, I said, “If you don’t say yes, this is just a practice round.”
She straightened up, squared her shoulders and looked me right in the eye, showing the courage I had come to admire. “Yes,” she said.
I held up both of my hands. “I’ll be good. I promise.”
Chapter Three
Muriella
Six Years Earlier
“I’m Stone Jacobs.”
I froze. Before me stood a long-legged cowboy with jeans and a plaid shirt molded to his muscular frame. He removed his hat and canted his head, a roguish smile on his lips. A man had never rendered me speechless, let alone sent this odd sensation running through me. Frankly, I was immune to the charms of the opposite sex, though I admit I paid attention to them. I just wasn’t sexually attracted to them. If I were, I probably would have been head over heels for Daniel.
He and Vivian had mentioned a new actor acquaintance of Daniel’s was coming over for dinner. Now I wished I’d at least looked him up so I wouldn’t be standing here as if I’d never seen a man before. I felt my defenses rising and circumventing my usually impeccable manners.
“Is that the best stage name you could come up with?” I finally asked. A glance at Vivian revealed wide eyes at my snippy remark. I was a little shocked too. I’d taken the words right from her mouth, but the difference was it would have come out more like a ribbing from her. My tone was insulting, a bit cruel even, and that wasn’t me. Vivian’s shock turned into a knowing smirk. Even Daniel had one on his face. I was going to get all kinds of grief for this later.
To his credit, Stone let the insult roll right off him. “It’s the name my mama gave me.”
His smooth Southern accent did strange things to my insides, and I didn’t like it. “Boulder didn’t have the right ring to it?”Muriella! What is wrong with you?
Vivian’s hand flew over her mouth to cover a snicker, and I glowered at her. She winked at me, and I wanted to disappear.
“Nah. Besides, that one was already taken…by my older brother.” He spoke with a straight face, and I really wanted to smile.
I was being rude, and he acted as though he didn’t even notice. “Let me guess? Your father’s name is Rock?”Enough already.This man was a guest in our home, and I was treating him terribly, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. This was self-preservation in its worst form.
He flashed me an easygoing smile, as if he understood exactly what I was doing and wasn’t going to hold it against me. “You’re a generation off. That was my grandfather’s name. My father is Boulder, Sr.”
“So you’re all hard-headed?”
