“Why is it a problem that I care?” I asked as I sat in the oversized leather chair in front of thefireplace.
“Oh my GOD.” She threw her hands in the air. “You giant prairie himbo. The problem is she doesn’t know what to do with a good man who actually cares and doesn’t manipulate her.”
I stared. “A what?”
“Himbo,” she repeated. “It means hot, incompetent, and emotionally stupid.”
She shifted in her chair and tucked her feet up under her. “Why does Tessa attract men who can’t give her what she needs emotionally? This is her curse. This is cosmic cruelty.” Dani reached for her beer and took a sip. She frowned, looked at the mug, then took another sip. “This is good.”
I went to say thank you, but she started talking again. “At least you look like you could pull down trees with your aura alone. That’s better than the pipsqueak she was with. I think you have money too, maybe more money than she walked away from, but you don’t flaunt it.” She let her eyes gaze around the brewery.
She wasn’t wrong, I did have money, and no, I didn’t flaunt it all over creation. People around here know who I am; they don’t need reminders every time they see me. I liked to live a quiet life, spoil Maddy at every opportunity, even when her mother says to stop.
“What are you getting at here, Dani?”
She shifted on the chair again, set down her beer on the coffee table in front of her, and planted her feet on the floor, resting her elbows on her knees. “Listen to me, Wyatt Hargrove. Tessa is fragile right now. She’s mourning a man with whom she had a complicated relationship, extreme debt, and stupidity from every direction. She doesn’t need a cowboy knight in shining emotional armour complicating her life.”
“I’m not trying to complicate anything. I’m just trying to help.” My voice dropped, and I suddenly felt exhausted. My life had been turned upside down by Tessa showing up, andpart of me wasn’t upset about it, but I needed to stop fighting with her at every turn.
Her eyes narrowed. “Do you like her?”
I didn’t answer, just let my gaze drift to the windows.
Her jaw dropped. “OH MY GOD YOU DO.” Her voice was far too loud for indoor use.
I cleared my throat and looked around to see who was in the bar and if they were listening to this conversation. Thankfully, at this moment, it was basically empty. “It doesn’t matter what I feel. Tessa hates everything about me, and I won’t add to her stress load or complicate her life.”
“Oh, but it does. Because if you hurt her, I will destroy you.”
“Destroy me?” I asked and arched my brow.
“Yes. Emotionally. Spiritually. Physically, if necessary. I will make your cattle turn against you, and figure out how to spoil every keg of beer you have in this place.” She leaned back in her chair and stared me down, like she was offering a challenge to see how I was going to play this.
“That’s not rational, or possible.”
“And I will dye your horse’s tails pink in retaliation,” she added quickly. Now that she could do. I found her humorous, but I wasn’t about to let her know that.
I blinked. “That seems extreme,” I said flatly.
“Try me,” she said, cocking her head slightly to the side, deadly serious. I stared at her. She stared right back. Then she broke into a feral grin.
“You’re scared of me,” she said, an evil grin spreading across her face.
“I’m not scared of you,” I replied, unamused now.
“You are terrified.”
“I could pick you up and throw you in a beer vat with one arm,” I said, circling back to the earlier conversation.
“And I could ruin your entire life with one group chat.”
That shut me right up, because it was probably true.
She smirked. “That’s what I thought.”
I exhaled slowly. “What do you want from me, Dani?” I asked and placed my elbows on knees and leaned forward slightly.
She softened again. “Take care of her. But don’t let her know you are taking care of her. And don’t make her feel like she owes you anything. That’s the easiest way to get on Tessa’s bad side.”
