“Why do they call him that?” the other woman asked, clearly testing her.
“Probably because he doesn’t like socks.” As if Jean was going to be tripped up that easily.
Adriana Asebedo’s laughter floated through the air, making it impossible not to look back at her and Charlie. It didn’t sound like a fake giggle. This was husky and delighted, a full-throated burble of amusement. The knife twisted in Jean’s gut. Sleeping together was one thing, but making each other laugh? That was hard to forgive.
“You seem very interested in what’s happening back there.”
“Aren’t you?” Jean shot back, because she wasn’t the only one trying to sneak a peek.
Sure enough, the other woman gave a guilty flinch, followed by a wary look at Jean. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It was a transparent lie, but Jean opted not to call her on it. A truth standoff was apparently in both their interests. Maybe this chick didn’t want Adriana to find out Charlie had been running around on her, like the player he was.
“Don’t mess with him,” the other woman warned.
“Are you his bodyguard?” Jean asked, as if she didn’t know better.
“No, I’m his everything guard. And I don’t like it when people take advantage of him.”
Jean was surprised she didn’t crack her knuckles for extra menace. Maybe she didn’t need to, with a glare like that. “He’s a big boy. He can fight his own battles.”
“You don’t know him.”
There was no way to argue without exposing herself as a fraud. And besides, she had a point. Jean didn’t really know Charlie at all, did she?
On that depressing note, Emma Koenig joined them, reining in her horse to ride next to Charlie’s lady friend.
“I was hoping we could continue our conversation about the local flora, Margaret.”
So that was her name. Naturally, Charlie had never mentioned her.
There wasn’t room to ride three abreast, and since Jean had no desire to spend more time with Charlie’s mistressorthe girl his parents were pushing on him, she found herself riding next to Sergeant Cowboy.
“Love is hard,” he said, out of the blue.
“How did you know?” It was deflating to learn she hadn’t been playing it as cool as she thought.
“I’ve been around the sun a few times.” He fell silent, contemplating the trail ahead. “They do have powerful chemistry.”
Following the direction of his gaze, Jean realized he was referring to Emma and Margaret.
“I guess,” she said, almost disappointed he wasn’t talking about her romantic tribulations.
“Hard to fight that kind of thing.”
“Yeah.” Chemistry was a bitch, all right. It messed with your head and made you do ridiculous things. Believing in someone too good to be true. Chasing him halfway around the world. Rubbing your own heart over the cheese grater of his double life.
“Keep your chin up,” Sergeant Cowboy said.
“Because it gets easier?” Jean guessed.
“No. But it’s almost snack time.”
“I catch one of you deviants littering, you’ll be picking garbage out of the pine needles with your teeth,” Sergeant Cowboy said when they reached the clearing where a breakfast buffet was waiting.
Jean slid off her horse, landing hard. It was more of a controlled fall than the neat leg swing Emma had just executed, or Adriana Asebedo’s exuberant hop, but Jean’s priority was speed, not grace. She needed more coffee stat.
“I was going to help you,” Charlie said, sneaking up behind her.
