Tears spring to my eyes as I wrap an arm around them both. “I can’t believe you’rehere.”
“Duh, where else would we be,” Cate says.
“Did I not tell you we’d visit,” Alex adds. “There’s nowaywe could go six months without seeing you.”
I stand back and glare at her. “You said that the day I got here. You think you maybe could’ve mentioned something when we talked lastweek?”
“Nah,” she says, grinning, her glassy eyes matching mine. “Where’s the fun in that? It’s much better to see the stunned look on your face and meet your man without warning.”
“What’s all this?” Birdie says from behind us.
Looking back, I see she’s not the only person in the Cooper Ranch clan that have come to see our visitors.
“Everyone, this is Alex and Cate, my two best friends from Minnesota. Alex and Cate, that was Sutton at the door–”
“Called that already, B,” Alex muses. “ButhelloCooper family.”
I roll my eyes, laughing at her antics. “They’re all taken, A.”
“I’m not,” Wyatt says, holding up his hand like a school kid. “Jude’s not either.”
“Leave me out of this,” Jude says. “We’ve already had a brother fall for a brother’s girlfriend’s best friend. The mountain doesn’t repeat herselfthatquickly. It would be too predictable otherwise.”
Wyatt nods. “Sorry, ladies. He’s right. Best try your luck at the Lion’s Lair Tavern if you’re lookin’ for mountain men in town.”
“Nowhewould make a good wingman,” Alex tells Cate. “Honest, to the point, doesn’t waste time.”
“That’s Jude. He’s my youngest brother,” Sutton explains, moving next to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Wy’s the youngest in the house, he’s our ranch hand. Don’t go gettin’ any ideas though cause he’s eighteen goin’ on forty. Wise beyond his years but still a young buck.” He looks over my best friends. “Somethin’ tells me you’d eat him alive.”
Alex’s amused gaze meets mine. “You were right, B. Sutton’s perfect for you.”
I grin up at the man in question at the same time he gazes down at me. “Definitely perfect,” I say, loving the soft look on his face.
“Aww,” Cate says, tugging on Alex’s arm. “They’readorable.”
Alex cocks her head and looks us up and down. “Hot too. Good job, B. Bravo.”
I tug Sutton’s head down to steal a quick kiss. “Thank you.”
He frowns. “For what?”
“Beingyou.”
“I’m only mebecauseof you, so I’ll take it.” He looks over at his brothers. “Who wants to help move a trailer load of boxes into the barn? The besties came loaded with Blair’s belongin’s.”
I gasp, staring at my proud as punch best friends.
“The food can wait. Y’all go help Sutt and we’ll get back to cookin’ when y’all come back,” Birdie calls out.
Anhourlater–no word of a lie, I had a lot of stuff–the men return, all of them sweating up a storm and looking like the very last thing they want to do is prepare their own lunch.
Lucky for them, Alex and Cate saw the dining table covered in ingredients and suggested we all get to work so that the ‘hot and hungry men’ won’t have to wait to eat after all of their hard work.
It’s a while later once we’ve finished eating, that there’sanotherknock at the door.
Everyone at the table looks between each other. Alex holds up her hands. “Hey, at least this time you know it’s not us.”
“How ‘boutIget this one,” Will says, sliding his chair back and walking out of the room, returning soon after with Derrick Wilson following behind him.
