I groaned. “Now you make me sound really boring.”
“She clearly doesn’t know you that well,” Gunner muttered, cocking an eyebrow.
Thankfully I was the only one who heard him because Nash and Wilder were arguing over the last cookie on the plate of homemade ones that Lily and Bertie had created.
Yet, Lily clearly had heard, though, because she was smirking at us both. ‘Okay?” She asked.
“Good thanks, Lily.” Gunner stretched his legs out and relaxed back in his seat. “Perfect in fact.”
God, he was cocky, but I was beginning to like it.
“Something you need to tell me?” Lily asked, looking between us.
“No,” I snapped. “Why would there be?”
“Yeah,” Gunner added. “What on earth can we possibly need to tell you?”
She narrowed her eyes on us, staring us down until we heard Bertie yelling for her from the lounge. Sighing, Lily stood up and pointed at us. “I will find out.”
“Meddlesome woman,” Gunner muttered as she walked away and then turned to me. “Ignoring my sister-in-law, are you sure that you have time for all of this?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” I swallowed back the moan of appreciation as he linked his hands behind his head, making his biceps bulge. “I want to help.”
“There are some other ways you could help.” His tone was suggestive as his tongue darted out to run along his lower lip.
“And what would they be?” My pulse was too fast. The butterflies in my stomach were flapping their wings too fast. My lungs were too tight.
“Well,” he leaned forward, stretching his arms across the table., “I was thinking?—”
“Gunner, did Deacon send that architect’s number over?”
I didn’t get to hear how else I could help Gunner, because his attention was taken with Nash. As the brothers continued to discuss development plans, wedding venues and kid’s camps I watched them. They were a family who loved each other deeply and I could see why Lily had been heartbroken to lose them. Maybe working alongside them, with Gunner, wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Chapter 21
F**kin’ Perfect – P!nk
Gunner
The last few days had been busy. We’d started calving late this year because of some bad weather in February. That meant that we still had heifers giving birth, so for the last week we’d all been up by three helping with the births. We’d lost one heifer which had been an awful experience. Thankfully, Rose, our vet, was able to save the calf and then Nash and I managed to get another heifer, who’d just had a calf two days before, to adopt it. Then there was Songbird and her foal. Songbird was doing great but the foal, Gypsy, was struggling to wean, still preferring her mother’s milk. It wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle but it was just more to do along with getting the documents and images together as evidence against the development. One good thing was that they hadn’t yet broken ground and I wondered if it was Sandra O’Neil who had managed to get us some thinking and planning time because of the details I’d sent to her.
Cassidy had been over last night. She came over after dinner to show us her first draft of the documentation. I was blown away by it, we all were. The wording, the way she’d bullet pointed each of our points of argument and then gave measured responses on how they should be addressed. It was perfect. Her visit had been fleeting, though, and as much as I wanted to make her stay so we could talk, she said she was meeting someone in Downtown Bar & Grill. And that had kept me awake most of the night.
“Who do you reckon Cassidy was meeting last night?” I asked Wilder, trying to act unaffected while I rode alongside him. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, and we were herding the cattle to the winter barn because there was worse weather on the way. I was normally tied up with the horses, but it had been a while since I’d been out working with the boys, so I’d joined in, needing the air and shit banter to help clear my head.
“Jack,” Wilder yelled, “you’ve got a runner.”
A steer had made a run for it, either spooked by the thundering feet of cattle and horses or just wanting some alone time.
As Wilder moved his horse, Alice Elcott (yep, Bertie had named the mare), to edge another possible runner back into the herd, he grinned at me. “You worried that she’s got herself a boyfriend?”
“No. Hup hup,” I yelled as some of the cattle started to dawdle. “Why would I care? Just interested.”
His smirk said everything because he knew me. I’d never cared what Cassidy was doing before, so he had to be wondering why I did now.
“You starting to get the feels, brother?”
Yep, I was right he was wondering. “No. Why would I be?”
