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Penny cast her a suspicious look. “Okay, but why?”
Pivoting, Allie headed back to Penny’s car, tossing over her shoulder, “I want cobbler instead of pie,” even though Penny wouldn’t let her get by with such a vague answer. She didn’t care. She just wanted to leave before Brett saw her and came to the wrong conclusion.
****
“Isn’t that Allie, ourpie girl?”
Slade nodded toward the window and Brett followed his gaze to witness Allie do an about face and walk away instead of coming into Ina’s.
“Looks like her, and she’s notourgirl, pie or otherwise,” he retorted, turning back around in his seat, wondering why she’d changed her mind about lunching here. He hoped neither of his brothers noticed his interest, but Reed wasted no time dashing that wish.
“And yet your head almost did a Linda Blair spin when Slade mentioned her. I think big brother is smitten. What do you think, little brother?” Reed’s teasing smirk matched Ina’s grin when she set their plates in front of them.
Ina heard all and knew everything there was to know about her regulars, including the Kincaids, and, apparently, Allie when she told Brett, “That girl is my goddaughter, so don’t you go breaking her heart after I made sure she brought you your favorite pie.”
Brett didn’t think that was a problem given her brush-off that morning. For some reason, that still rankled. “I don’t think that will enter into the equation, Ina. She’s as interested in starting up something with me as I am with her. But thanks for the pie.”
“I’m with Reed. I saw how cranky you got when she left the day she stopped by the ranch. She’s a nice distraction. You should invite her to the picnic.” Slade maintained a bland expression as he bit into his buffalo burger.
“Oh, that’s a good suggestion.” Ina beamed as if she’d thought of it.
“No. She’ll get the wrong idea and I haven’t even rid myself of Gina yet. And you” – Brett pointed at Slade – “have a lot of nerve butting in when you rarely give any woman more than the time of day.”
Brett was considering adding a slight amount to Gina’s settlement just to get her to sign the damn divorce papers, but that would be a bitter pill he wasn’t quite ready to swallow yet. For all intents and purposes, their divorce had been final for a while, the paperwork just a formality needed to legalize everything.
“Well, your invite said feel free to bring a guest, so I’ll invite her.” Ina patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. There will be other men there who will grab her attention.”
Ina all but skipped back to the kitchen, leaving Brett to frown at her hasty retreat, irked by that last comment.
“I’ve attended a few play parties,” Slade said in defense to Brett’s previous comment.
Reed snorted, biting into a thick French fry. “Only when your body is begging for relief and you’re tired of using your hand. You’re not fooling anyone.”
Slade shrugged, nonplussed. “I’m up front about any involvement beyond a scene or two. There are a few members who feel the same, and we get along just fine. I don’t see you settling down with one woman.”
“Let’s face it – Dad did a number on us.” Brett stated what all of them were thinking.
He wished it weren’t so, but growing up with Casey’s sordid reputation thrown in their faces had left them leery of making the same mistakes or being regarded in the same negative way as their parent. Having failed at his marriage didn’t help.
“True,” Reed said, “but of the three of us, I’m the only one open to settling down. Speaking of Allie, my friend with the Casper police checked out Stephen Taggert, and he has an alibi for the time in question last night. He went straight home to his wife.”
“So the guy’s a two-timing jerk as well as an ass who can’t accept no from a woman. He won’t be allowed back at Casey’s, right?” Slade’s tone was as rigid as his tight jaw.
Reed shook his head. “Already taken care of. He’s been banned.” He turned to Brett with a blunt observation. “I saw your reaction to Allie’s accident last night. You’re already interested, so why not follow up on that interest? She’s attractive, fun, and aware of your preferences. You could do a lot worse. In fact, you did when you chose Gina. Other than her looks, that woman has nothing going for her and was never the right fit for you.”
Brett found it too easy to remember his fury and concern when Allie had relayed how she’d been forced off the road, not to mention the tight contractions of her body and how she obeyed his demands without question. His brother’s observations weren’t incorrect, but that didn’t mean he welcomed them, either.
“I hardly know her, and she’s still too young,” he returned before taking the last bite of his club sandwich.
“So, get acquainted, and be the one to invite her to the picnic,” Slade suggested, leaning back and crossing his arms with a challenge in his direct stare.
“And stop using her age as an excuse. Gina is older than Allie, and yet here you are.”
He bristled at Reed’s smug tone but admitted he was right about Gina. “I’ll think about it.” But only because Brett wanted to assure himself she was okay after her ordeal and that she hadn’t picked up a stalker. He would hate to see her as frightened and hurt as his new client, that teasing glint in her bright blue eyes replaced with pain and constant fear. With the Taggert guy cleared, the identity of whoever caused her such grief was still unknown.
Tossing down a generous tip, Brett stood. “Let’s get back. With the picnic next weekend, we have a lot more work to get ready for it. At least the vandalism seems to have been a one-time incident.”
Reed frowned. “I still want to find whoever is responsible. They shouldn’t get away with such destructive behavior.”
