“Hey, uh... Would you like to go out sometime?” His voice was hoarse, as if we hadn’t been conversing every day for the last week.
I bit my cheek. How carefully should I tread? Would I scare him off if I was overly enthusiastic? “If we went out, people might think we’re a thing.”
“We don’t have to go anywhere in Bourbon Canyon. I can go to Bozeman.”
“Oh.” Disappointment rang through me, as clear as a choir song. “Okay.”
“Bourbon Canyon is fine too. I don’t want you to have to drive.”
“Curly’s buns are worth driving for.”
“He’s a dick.”
I nodded, pleased I wasn’t the only one who thought Curly Binstock was a good ole boy who got away with too much. But he owned the best restaurant in town and he made sure his food was good enough we all looked the other way. “Is that why you don’t want to go anywhere in town?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah,” he replied just as softly. “Until we decide how to proceed.” He turned toward me and his gentle touch at my elbow drew me around until I faced him. “Your history with Eli”—he winced—“mine too, will make the chatter loud and opinionated. I know fifteen years have passed, but once we’re seen together, it’s going to feel like yesterday to those who remember.”
My shoulders drooped. He was right. I didn’t care, but he clearly did, and I’d respect his feelings. “Bozeman would be fine. There are some restaurants I’ve been wanting to try.” They’d been too gauche for Boyd.
“You have to get back to work right away?”
My remote work attempts had stopped when I’d left my laptop in my loner office in Copper Summit over a week ago. Now it was Wednesday. “I should go catch up for the rest of the week.” He needed to make up time too. “Saturday? We can have a sleepover.”
His eyes crinkled at the corners and heat filled hisgaze. “Saturday.” The heat cooled. “You have history in your place with that cocksucker, don’t you?”
My heart sank. We each had separate lives, but I, too, would’ve had hang-ups thinking about him and other women in the cabin. “Yes, but not much. My little condo wasn’t posh enough.”
“No worries. Just wondering how many condoms to pack. I’m going to make you come at least twice in every spot you two did it.”
I stopped at the distillery to collect my laptop before going to Mama’s. The place was quiet for a Wednesday, but I’d left Jonah’s when the workday was winding down. Otherwise, I might’ve skipped the errand. I was wearing the same sweats as when I’d brought groceries to Jonah. The roads to the distillery had been plowed a couple days before the ones to Jonah’s place.
I was antsy, waiting for my siblings to pop up and interrogate me. Autumn already knew, but I didn’t want to admit that I hadn’t really talked to Jonah about us. She might not view the way he’d asked me on a date—out of town—as a good thing.
Going back to my condo was looking better and better. None of my family would venture there to interrogate me. After I visited with Mama, and evaded some questions she’d likely have, I could return to Bozeman.
I wrapped my charging cable and stuffed it into my computer bag, followed by the computer.
“Look who the cat dragged in.”
I yelped and spun around, nearly knocking mycomputer bag off the desk. “Teller! Don’t sneak up on me.”
He grinned and leaned against the doorframe. His beard wasn’t as trimmed as it had been at my wedding, and he was in a green flannel shirt and jeans. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
But he was a proper brother and had capitalized on the opportunity. I scowled. “I thought everyone was gone.”
“They are, but I wanted to check on some things.”
He was a workaholic. If there was nothing at the distillery that needed his attention, he was on the ranch, finding equipment to weld or animals to rescue.
I pulled the strap over my shoulder. “I’m taking off.”
“How’s Jonah?” he asked as if he hadn’t heard me.
“Fine.” My cheeks warmed. I could not blush or Teller would know.
“Weird how you got stranded with him twice.”
“Yeah.”
