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“Christ,” Ivan groused. “Did you and Harry count on the extra people when planning the food?” There was no way in hell he was missing out on the grub. The people who rarely or never came to poker night had to get in the back of the line. And hell yes, Ivan would use his clout to insist. There was a tiny part of him that said he’d give them a show if that’s what they wanted, but it was just a teeny voice that his growling stomach drowned out.
“Yes, we did, and here.” Rory stepped forward and extended a cookie that was nearly the size of his hand—Rory’s, not Ivan’s. “This will stave off the hanger for a bit.”
“What other goodies do you have?” he asked.
“We don’t have time to discuss it.” Rory stepped back into the hallway. “I’m going to put my stuff away and take a quick shower so I can help Harry set up the food.”
“I’ll help her,” Ivan said, though he wanted to toss Rory over his shoulder and carry him up to his bedroom.
“Fine. Eat your cookie.” Rory said the last part slowly as if talking to a child on the verge of a tantrum.
He wasn’t far off the mark. “Don’t think you can distract me with a cookie,” Ivan called out. But then he bit into it and barely resisted falling to his knees in worship. Ivan chewed slowly, picking out all the flavors and textures in one bite.
Rory ducked his head back into the kitchen. “Maybe not just any ole cookie. But I made those especially for you.”
The sweet gesture touched Ivan. Then he narrowed his eyes. “Where are the rest of them?” Rory patted the purple canvas bag. “Tucked away until we’re alone again.”
“Hurry.” But did he mean Rory or the passage of time? Ivan decided it was both and took another big bite of cookie after Rory disappeared out of sight again. He’d wolfed down the entire thing by the time the first wave of rubberneckers arrived.
Ivan knew they were in for a treat when Harry had to commandeer Dylan’s truck to get all the food she’d made from one house to the other.
“Though I could use the exercise the back-and-forth trips would’ve afforded me,” Harry said when they’d arranged huge foil platters on every available surface in the kitchen.
She and Rory had made a variety of sliders and chicken wings, which would’ve been enough on their own. But they also made hash brown casserole, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, pasta salad, and a bunch of brownies and cookies.
“Wow,” Ivan said once they had everything set out. “You guys made enough food for an army of nosy-ass ranchers.”
“Figured I’d put them in a food coma so they didn’t linger down here too long. If that doesn’t work, I have a surefire backup plan that will draw them out of the house.”
“Yeah?” Ivan asked.
Harry smiled. “You’ll know it when you see it.” She faced him with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face. “Cash left for a few days, so Dylan is going to stay with me at the main house.”
Ivan knew Cash had headed to Denver because he’d stopped by the barn on his way out. Apparently, Cash had expressed his concerns about Salvation Anew to Nick after Ivan had stomped out of the house like an immature brat. Nick was introducing Cash to a special agent who investigated cults. Or that was the excuse the guys were using to spend time together, but that was their business.
Harry winked and said, “We got you covered.”
Ivan’s cheeks heated, and he wanted to dispute Harry’s assumptions, but helet it go.They were grown-ass adults who didn’t need anyone’s blessing or permission. Besides, their interest would wane soon enough, and they’d find something or someone else to gossip over instead. “Appreciate it,” Ivan said instead of a rebuttal.
“Trust me,” Harry said, placing a hand over her heart. “I’m not doing this for you. If left up to me, I’d never kick that man out of my bed.”
“I’m happy for you both,” Ivan said, though he was dying to know when and how Harry had come around.
Dylan’s crush on her had been obvious as hell, but she’d acted impervious. Ivan suspected the age difference bugged her since Dylan was younger. Harry was surprisingly cautious for being Hope Newton’s firstborn. Then again, Harry and Finley had talked about the mistakes Hope had made when they were younger. They must’ve left an indelible mark on her impressionable kids, and it manifested in opposite ways. Harry, who was pure fire and sass, went to the extreme opposite of her mom. Finley had followed in her footsteps until the ill-fated romance with Keegan, who’d broken up with him to enter the cult. The betrayal had spawned a hiatus that came to an abrupt end when Kieran arrived at the ranch a year ago.
“Thank you,” Harry said. “Maybe it’s time for you to let your hair down a little too, yeah?” She narrowed her eyes and studied his attempt to style his hair as Danielle had. “Did you go back to the barber today?”
“Nope. Did this myself,” he replied breezily as if the entire process hadn’t eaten over thirty minutes of his time. Seeing the ravenous look in Rory’s eyes made the effort worth it.
“You better not be hoovering up all the food,” Kieran yelled from the living room. The asshole had gotten awfully brazen over the past twelve months, and Ivan couldn’t help but smile.
“Give him a break,” Owen said. “He needs to fuel up for tonight’s activities.”
A cacophony of laughter followed the remark but broke into catcalls and whistles. Curious, Ivan poked his head out of the doorway and saw Rory had descended the stairs. He wore a pale gray, long-sleeved shirt made from a material that looked ridiculously soft. Rory’s jeans were faded and distressed, but Ivan suspected that was by design rather than from wear and tear. He still hadn’t forgotten the sticker shock when he’d tried to buy a pair from a department store in the mall during college. His folks couldn’t afford to buy their kids designer clothes and wouldn’t have bought them even if money wasn’t an issue. Rory’s jeans looked soft and some of the holes on his upper thighs were strategically close to where Ivan wanted to put his tongue.
Rory shook his head and waved off the crew’s silliness, making a beeline for the kitchen.
“Why does he get to go in there while the rest of us have to stay in the living room?” Tyler called out.
