He bit his tongue, but I knew there was more coming. I just wasn’t sure when it would hit.
“So, are you still living at the?—”
“Who drives a car with leather when they’re living on a ranch?” he blurted out.
“I’m not working on the ranch.”
“Right, but there’s mud and dirt and filthy things all over the place.”
“That’s all the same thing.”
“And you’re going to step in mud one of these days and get your car filthy.”
“Again, it’s a rental.”
“And that’s another thing. If you’re staying here for a while, why would you rent a car? That’s a huge expense. I mean, they usually have mileage limits, which you know you’ll go over because we’re a million miles from nowhere. If you wanted to go to the city to say…buy some clothes that didn’t make you look like a pretentious prick, you’d have to drive all the way to Missoula.”
“I don’t look like a pretentious prick.”
“That’s to be determined. Unless you’re not actually planning on staying that long,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re telling yourself that you’re going to stay out here for an undetermined amount of time, but in reality, you’re only going to stay a fewdays before you decide to go back to your fancy life. In which case, you would know deep down that a rental car is all you need.”
“I don’t know how long I’m staying,” I gritted out. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“No, you’ve got me there. Unless, of course, you’re here to rekindle a passionate affair with my sister. She’s got someone, by the way. She’s madly in love, and there’s no dragging her out of her house.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Of course, maybe you’re over Krista, but you want a shot at Lizzy. Not that I would blame you. She’s beautiful. She’s got a kind heart. She’s feisty and a little scary when she gets mad.”
I sighed heavily. “Is there a point to any of this?”
“Then again, she has a kid, and I’m not sure you’re put together enough to handle that kind of commitment.”
That was news to me. “She has a kid? Since when?”
“Last winter.”
“Is she married?”
He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Why? Are you considering stepping up to the plate?”
“Jesus, it’s just a question!”
“You’d better watch that mouth. You’re in God’s country right now.” He leaned forward and looked up at the sky through the windshield. “Never know when a bolt of lightning might streak across the sky and slam a bolt of fiery heat right through your heart for smiting his son.”
I’d forgotten how it was out here, how worked up people got about three things. God, country, and family. Well, they were pretty damn protective of their guns, too. So, four things. Fuck, I must have been insane to come back here.
“After we grab some breakfast, I need to run by the seafood restaurant and pick up my winnings.”
“Since when do we have a seafood restaurant?”
“Since a few years back.”
“And why would you need to pick up your winnings?”
Grinning, he winked at me. It was weird.
“Because the back room is really where all the action is.”
