It’s after ten o’clock when my tires hit the ranch’s gravel drive.
The porch light is glowing, welcoming me home, and it feels good to see it after the long day.
And the very unexpected dinner.
I cut the engine and sit there for a second, staring at the house.
I shouldn’t be thinking about Porter Garrison.
I especially shouldn’t be sitting here, analyzing the way he looked at me across the table. But my brain refuses to cooperate because it’s all I’ve thought about since I left the hotel parking lot.
I shake my head and grab my bag from the passenger seat.
Good grief, Harleigh. It was just dinner with your boss. A business dinner.
That’s it.
Even though very little business was discussed.
I snort under my breath and climb out of the truck.
The gravel crunches under my boots as I walk toward the porch. The cool night breeze cuts through the thin fabric of my satin blouse.
The inside of the house is dark and quiet. I kick off my boots as soon as I step in the door and carry them upstairs so I don’t wake up Daddy or my grandparents. And I’m startled when I make it to my bedroom door because soft light is shining at the bottom and I hear muffled voices.
I swing it open to find Charli and Shelby lying across my bed in their pajamas, eating brownies and watching a movie.
I freeze.
“It’s about time you made it home, young lady,” Shelby chirps.
I narrow my eyes. “What are you two doing here?”
Charli dramatically checks the clock on my nightstand. “Well, we’ve been waiting for you,” she says, “for over two hours.”
Shelby nods. “And you ignored every single one of our texts.”
I kick the door shut behind me and drop my boots and bag on the chair in the corner.
“First of all,” I say, “my phone died, and the Chevy doesn’t have a USB port. Secondly, I texted Grandma before it died and told her I would be home late. And thirdly, I’m a big girl, and I haven’t had a curfew since I was seventeen.”
I plop down on the edge of the bed.
“What are you guys doing in my bed—in pajamas—anyway?”
“We’re having a sleepover,” Charli states.
I blink. “A what?”
“A sleepover,” Shelby repeats.
“With snacks,” Charli says.
“And wine,” Shelby adds.
“And gossip,” Charli finishes.
I cross my arms. “Where are your men?”
