“In a way it’s funny, but it’s also sad how she picked boyfriends. They had to be nice, intelligent and neat. None of them turned her on but she didn’t care. She figured their good qualities would eventually make them sexy.”
“Good grief. How’d she come up with that?”
“Clearly she needs to be in control of a sexual situation. I think she’s convinced wild passion will cloud her judgment and she’ll make a terrible mistake.”
“She’s not wrong. It happens, but she’s so level-headed I doubt?—”
“Try and tell her that. She won’t believe you. That’s why I offered to draw up a contract before we did the deed.”
“And she died laughing?”
“Nope. We’re under contract to end this experiment at midnight on Friday.”
His brother’s eyebrows lifted. “Seriously?”
He nodded.
“Let me think about this.” Picking up his beer, Luis sipped it and gazed into the fire. “Do you want my advice?”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“You two nerds have managed to intellectualize the hell out of what’s basically a highly emotional issue but I guess that’s not surprising.”
“If there’s advice buried in that statement I can’t find it.”
“I’m getting there. When will you see her again?”
“Tomorrow afternoon at two. In her apartment.”
“Since you’re both overthinking this, it might be helpful if you break through the noise by having some of that wild sex she’s so worried about.”
“Hmm.” He certainly hadn’t done that today. Much as he’d enjoyed himself, he’d also been aware they were right above her office in the middle of downtown Mustang Valley.
“Be forceful, be bold. Give it all you’ve got, and then tell her you love her, want to marry her and make babies with her. You want that, right?”
He let that sink in and fill all the lonely places in his aching heart. “Yeah.”
“Of course you do. You’re Spence Bridger all over again. He loved kids more than he loved wild horses and that’s saying something.”
“Then what?”
“That’s up to you. In your shoes, I’d say I didn’t want to hear from her again until she had an answer.”
“What about the contract?”
“Tear it up. Right in front of her.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Auntie Kat’s text showed up first thing in the morning.Can you squeeze me in? I only need fifteen minutes. I have something fun to tell you and I want to do it in person.
Tracy checked her appointments for the day. Her one o’clock might not take an hour but she wasn’t about to risk having Auntie Kat there when Adam showed up. Ethel Forbush, her ten o’clock, was her next best bet.
She texted back.If you can come at ten forty-five, I can probably see you.
I’ll be there.
Ethel wanted to switch which charity would inherit her estate if neither of her heirs were alive at the time of her death. Handling it took very little time, but the lady liked to chat, and it turned out she’d chosen Hearts & Hooves as her charity. The bell on the outer office door jingled at ten forty-five when Ethel was in the middle of a long episode concerning her dog Mitzi.
