“It’s not about the land anyway. That’s not what Sully wants. He wants the mountain. He wants the Ca—" Wyatt says before Jude starts coughing hard.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was trying to shut Wyatt up.
That’s when Sutton appears in the doorway to the barn and walks toward me, his brows lifting when he spots my gloves. “They puttin’ you to work, gorgeous?” he says, coming up next to me and wrapping an arm around my waist before brushing his lips against my cheek.
“I wanted to help.” He smiles down at me before looking over at the bales. “Damn that’s a lot of hay.”
“Well, itisa double weddin’,” Wyatt replies. “Besides, you know that donkey of ours is goin’ to get into it before the big day.”
Sutton sighs and I can’t help but giggle. I melt into his side, loving the way he’s holding me close. He doesn’t shy away from showing affection in front of his family. It’s like he’s claiming mein his own way, just not in a ‘caveman banging his chest’ way. “As long as he stays away from everyone on the weddin’ day, that’s all that matters.”
Jude and Wy exchange a look. “Yeah. I mean. Sure,” Wyatt stutters out.
“Oh no,” I giggle.
Sutton narrows his eyes. “What aren’t you tellin’ me?”
“It’s nothin’,” Jude says, his twitching lips totally giving him away. “We’ve just been workin’ on something for the big day.”
“And it just happens to involve the donkey they all loveso somuch,” Wyatt adds with a knowing grin.
Sutton scrubs a hand over his face. “Can you at least promise it won’t end in disaster?” He’s playing the big brother card while also humoring Jude and Wy. It’s sweet as hell and all I want to do is kiss him.Which I plan on doing later anyway.
Jude holds up his hand. “Scout’s honor. Besides, we’ve been trainin’ him.”
I go stock still at the same time Sutton does, both of us turning to look at each other with wide, worried eyes.
One thing’s for sure, the Cooper Ranch double wedding sure will be memorable.
Chapter 15
Sutton
“Ithought I was treatingyoutonight?” Blair asks from her perch at the kitchen island. When I arrived with a bag of groceries, I sat her down, poured her a glass of wine, and took over the small but well laid out cabin kitchen.
Over the past week or so, we’ve been switching between cooking together here and having dinner with the family in the main house. As much as I enjoy spending time with my brothers, I especially like my nights alone with my One.
I shoot her a lopsided grin. “That was before I saw you tonight and decided I’d much rather watch you sit there and whileIcook foryou.”
“And when did you decide this?” she asks, a wry smile playing on her lips.
“The moment you opened the door wearin’ those cute as hell pajamas again.” I had to swallow my tongue when I laid eyes on that pink polka dot set again.
She frowns. “When did you—oh.” Her cheeks blush the same color as her sleepwear and I can’t help but chuckle. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m not wearingeverythingthe same as that day…”
I slowly run my eyes down her body and back up again to meet her dancing eyes. “Considerin’ I’ve only ever seen the pink ones Grumps took a shinin’ to and the replacements I bought, that’s not that hard.”
“Play your cards right,doctor, and one day you might get to see more of my collection.” Her hooded eyes watch me intently and if it wasn’t for me wanting to impress her with my cooking prowess, I’d be tempted to take her up on that offer right here and now. “Especially if dinner tastes as good as it smells,” she says.
I return my attention to the stuffed chicken breasts, slipping them into the small oven to finish cooking before turning the vegetables on so they’ll be ready at the same time.
“Well, I hope so.” I chuckle. “It would be a bit embarassin’ to take over cookin’ and serve up somethin’ horrible.”
A gorgeous smile touches her lips. “One might think you’re tryin’ to downplay your skills in the kitchen.”
I drape the kitchen towel over my shoulder and lean a hip against the counter, taking a sip from my wine glass. “I like it. It’s somethin’ I do when I need to forget about my things and distract myself. It helps get me out of my head and stops me from gettin’ overwhelmed.”
Blair nods. “I can see how that would work. I’ve been known to go a bit wild in the kitchen on occasion. Especially after watching too much Food Network. I start thinking I’m just as good as those famous chefs and chaos ensues.”
