“Where is my sister, Murphy?” Colt asked. “And why the hell is your face wet?”
“Right here!” Willow called.
Ash heard the pitter-patter of her bare feet behind him until she was standing at his side wearing the white T-shirt he’d been wearing at the tavern for their performance.
Colt’s eyes darkened as he glanced from Ash to his sister and then back at Ash.
“Come on, Colt,” Willow said playfully. “You saw me kiss him. What did you think we were sneaking out to do?”
Colt covered his ears and shook his head. “Baby sister. Baby sister. Baby sister,” he chanted.
Willow snorted, then grabbed her brother’s hands and yanked them away. “Your baby sister is almost thirty years old. She’s a grown-up who does grown-up things like havesex.”
Colt winced. “With the asshole who broke your heart?”
“Hey,” Eli interrupted. “He might be an asshole, but he’s still my brother.”
“Sorry,” Colt mumbled.
“Um…thanks?” Ash replied to both of them.
Willow threw up her hands. “It’s not like this is the first time we’ve slept together since I’ve been here. What did you think we were doing when we disappeared overnight to the campgrounds? What do you think we were doing on the tour bus four summers ago?”
“All right! All right!” Colt relented. “I know you’re an adult, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop wanting to protect you, okay?”
Willow grabbed Ash’s hand and threaded her fingers through his. “Your protection sounds an awful lot like judgment right now,” she said coolly.
Colt’s mouth fell open, but no words came out.
“You don’t have to defend me,” Ash told her. “He has a point.”
She looked at him and shook her head. “I’m not. I’m defendingme.” Then she turned her attention back to her brother. “Whether you agree or disagree with my choices, you need to respect them because they aremychoices. And that means no more of your big-brother chats with Ash when you think I’m not looking.”
Colt raised his brows. “You told her about that?” he asked Ash accusingly.
Willow laughed. “No!Youdid. Just now.”
Colt’s mouth fell open, and Ash bit back a grin.
“And no more looking at me like I kicked your puppy if the subject of me having sex ever comes up again.”
“You know what?” Eli said. “I think I’m just going to go and grab those guitars.” He spun back toward his truck without another word.
“He looks like he might need help,” Ash suggested, attempting a getaway even if it meant heading outside barefoot in his underwear. But Willow only squeezed his hand tighter.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she told him. “We’re settling this right here, right now.” She let go of Ash’s hand only to grab his wrist. She did the same with Colt, grabbing his right wrist. “Now shake hands and be friends.”
Ash had a sudden sense of déjà vu. Hadn’t she done the exact same thing with him and Boone? Willow had been instrumental in getting him to reestablish a relationship with his brothers, and now she was trying to smooth things over with him and Colt.
Ash grabbed Colt’s hand first, and Colt responded with his own firm grip, which he guessed was more competition than it was acquiescence.
“I care about her, Colt,” Ash told him. “I’m not going to hurt her.”
“I care about her more,” Colt replied.
Willow sighed, then placed her hand over theirs.“Then I’m one hell of a lucky girl to have you both in my corner. Time to shake on it, boys.”
And because underneath it all, Ash knew Colt Morgan would do anything for his sister, the other man nodded, and they both shook.
