Brynn: Was it on the kitchen counter when Mama left? Oh god please say yes!
Monroe: Fine. Yes. We spent the night together.
Brynn: AHHHHHHHH!
Raven: Finally.
Billie: Details. Now.
Monroe: Absolutely not.
Billie: Bet he was good.
Bailey: Don’t answer that!
Raven: DEAD.
Billie: Cancel everything. We need brunch.
Brynn: Agreed, emergency mimosas.
Monroe: You’re all impossible.
Bailey: And you’re in love. Don’t fight this.
I toss my phone onto the dresser with a groan. “This is all your fault, Raven Dawson.”
The woman has the audacity to look offended. “Hey, don’t blame me. You’re the one whose look gave her away. You’re glowing in a way that says, ‘I just had the best sex of my life’.”
Just as Raven finishes her thought, we hear a loud groan in the doorway. Monty’s standing underneath the door dressed in his usual dark Wranglers, white t-shirt under a sherpa flannel jacket, and a pair of rugged cowboy boots that have seen better days. He’s swapped out his cowboy hat for an old Vanderbilt baseball cap, but he still looks every bit the brooding cowboy he is with his hands tucked in his pockets as he glares at Raven and me.
“I don’t want to hear either of you say those words again,” he grunts in his usual gravelly and brooding tone.
Raven’s cheeks heat, but she plays it off smoothly. The girl was born to flirt flawlessly. “What happened, Cowboy,” she coos, “can’t handle a little sex talk. Or does the word sex make you break out in hives?” She enunciates the word, making sure every letter is crisp, and it only seems to piss Monty off further.
I can’t help laughing at the look of disgust on my brother’s face. “What the hell, Monty, you don’t have to act like such a prude. I’m well aware you’ve slept your way around Colton County, preferring to keep all your escapades out of Crossroads.”
He glares in my direction, not denying it, but still annoyed. “Since you’re here,” I say now that I have the two of them in the same room. “I wanted to bring up the promise you made to me.”
“What promise?” he asks, suspicion written on his face as he looks between Raven and me.
“The one where you promised your favorite little sister you’d let her best friend stay at the ranch?” I try to be coy but fail and end up sounding childish. Regardless, he’s not impressed. The veins in his temple tighten, and I can visibly see him swallow whatever nasty retort he was about to throw our way.
“No,” he says matter-of-factly as he turns and exits.
“Monty,” I call out, chasing after him, but he’s too fast. In a matter of seconds, he’s down the stairs and approaching the front door. “Hold up, you big grump.”
He lets out a long, tired breath. “Monroe, I don’t want to argue with you.”
“Then don’t. Just agree to let Raven stay at the ranch. You know it's big enough that you won’t even have to see her. Give her my old room. It’s downstairs and out of your way. I promised her I’d help her find a place. Her leaving town isn’t an option.”
He turns to me and shrugs his shoulders as if that would solve this dilemma. “Why not?”
“For one, I like her very much. And secondly, she works for Bailey. I can’t let her lose her favorite employee.”
“Then have Beau take her in. He has a thing for strays.” A loud gasp sounds behind us, and we both turn to find Raven standing at the top of the stairs. Her mouth is gaping open, eyes wide as she glares at Monty, who’s just referred to her as a stray.
“Rae,” I call out apologetically, but she ignores me and heads back toward the nursery.
