Shit, he’s talking about the panic attack she had the night he got into a fight with Caterpillar.
“Dude, that’s not on you.”
“Still, it triggered her.” He shrugs.
I hum. “Can I ask what sparked that fight?”
“That asshole said some shit about Rain, and it set me off. I hate when some of the guys talk about the girls like they are a piece of meat, and usually I can tune it out and not let it get to me, but with Rain…” He shakes his head.
I hide my smile.
The only reason a guy gets bent out of shape about the way someone talks about a woman is if the woman is his.
“When I told him to knock it off, he doubled down. I swear to Christ he was egging me on, trying to get a rise out of me.”
“Well, he succeeded,” I muse.
Ridge smirks. “That he did. It felt good, though. It’s been a while since I’ve had to get my knuckles bloody. Probably won’t be the last either.”
I smirk at him. “You know what would solve that issue?”
“What?”
“Claiming her as your old lady,” I say nonchalantly.
Ridge tenses. “It’s not like that with us. She’s one of our brother’s daughters. She’s off limits and should be treated with respect. Not talked about like she’s ripe for the taking.”
“Are you sure that’s all?” I ask. “I mean no harm, just a serious question. What you say won’t leave here.”
He thinks over his answer before he speaks. “Yes. She’s a friend. That’s it. She’s too young for me.”
I snort. “Hate to break it to you, brother, but you really aren’t that much older than her.”
“It’s never going to happen,” he says, frowning.
I raise my hands in surrender. “Okay, if you say so. It was just an idea.”
He runs a hand over his face. “It’s fine. Shit, I can’t even blame you for jumping to that conclusion.”
“Why do you say that?”
He looks at me like I’m crazy. “Because we all know you’re only joining because of Aspen.”
“That’s not the only reason—part of it, but not it completely,” I tell him honestly. “At least not anymore.”
“I’ll give you credit. It’s fucking ballsy to walk in here as a known fed and try to prospect all to win a girl. She must mean something to you.”
She means everything to me. I don’t tell him that.
“Incoming,” I say as I see a car put on a blinker and turn onto our road.
We stand and wait for them to slow down.
“What are you doing here?” Ridge asks when Rain’s car comes to a stop.
“Picking up Maggie. She’s tagging along to Dad’s appointment with me today,” she tells us.
I look over at the passenger seat and wave at Mustang in the front seat.
