“I’ve tried!” Cash defended. “It’s fuckin’ hard. She’s just so damn sweet.”
“All the more reason to break it off before you break her heart,” Maverick went on.
“Enough about me. We’re here for Hux and Quinn,” Cash replied, ending the conversation. “So, tell us about what you’re plannin’ for this place.”
They all seemed eager enough to listen as I talked. Surprisingly, the most vocal of the entire endeavor was Maverick. He’d never been a talker, but he seemed the most interested in the plans. But soon talk of the ranch turned back to Cash and women. Honestly, by that point, I didn't even mind. It was nice to have a moment just hanging with some friends.
Chapter forty-two
Finally Stop Dreaming
Quinn
Everything was going well.Thank God. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and people were excited about the auction coming up. My nerves were still a bit strung tight, though. I didn’t typically host the events I planned. Honestly, I hadn’t done that since Mom’s memorial. And Mom’s hadn’t been anywhere near as big as this.
There had to be, like, two hundred guests here—more than I’d thought would come. All wondering about my relationship with Hux, or what exactly this event was about. There were. So. Many. Questions.
I was so tired and my feet hurt. The boots Walker helped me pick out at Boot Barn were adorable, but it probably wasn’t my smartest move to wear them without breaking them in first.After excusing myself from the latest round of questions, I angled my way toward the bar, where Ollie worked.
Whit appeared next to me, as if sensing my need for a moment, like the perfect best friend she was. “I saw Ollie making this yummy looking drink,” she said. “Something sweet. It looked right up your alley.”
I smiled, my lips forming a wry grin. She knew me too well.
Whit snaked her arm around my elbow. “I think Ollie was a good choice. She seems to be doing well.”
“Yeah, I like her.” My gaze settled on her once more, noticing Cash saunter his way on up to the bar. The way he looked at Ollie…and the way she looked at him.Holy God. I was too far away to hear what he said to her, but I saw her offer him a feral smile that I think would send most men running.
It wasn’t surprising that Cash didn’t balk or cower, but instead leaned further across the bar. He seemed the type to see a girl like Ollie as a challenge.
“Looks like Cash might have met his match,” I mused, watching the two of them interact.
“Isn’t his girlfriend here?” Whit asked.
I thought of the pretty strawberry blonde he’d arrived with on his arm this evening. She was perky and sweet…too sweet for Cash. I’d only met him a couple times now, but he didn’t seem to be the settling down type. At least not with this girl.
“Yeah, she is,” I replied, spotting her talking to the two women who’d come with Cash’s friends, Ryder and Maverick—a gorgeous redhead and beautiful blonde. Cash’s girlfriend kept glancing at the bar, apparently aware that he was there, but when she saw Ollie and him talking, there wasn’t any anger or shock written on her lovely face. I wasn’t sure what the emotion was.
“This might sound mean of me, but I just don’t really see him and her together,” Whit said.
I glanced at Whit, offering her a guilty nod. “I know. Same here. She seems really sweet.”
“I think that’s the problem. Cash doesn’t strike me as a sweets guy.”
I glanced back at the bar to where him and Ollie still spoke. “You think he wants someone a bit more like Ollie?”
“I don’t think Cash knows or cares to know, for that matter, what he wants.”
“True.”
Cash and Ollie were still talking at the bar when we came up and interrupted them.
“Ladies,” Cash said, tipping his hat while offering us one of those million-dollar smiles of his. I wondered how many girls fell victim to it? Probably too many. “Y’all are lookin’ particularly pretty tonight.”
“Well, thank you. You’re looking particularly—“ I took in his pink and white paisley colored suit jacket, his white washed denim Wranglers, and expensive boots. He had such a vibrant, flamboyant style, but if anyone could get away with it, it would be him.
His grin pulled wider. “Handsome? Debonair?”
“Spell debonair,” Ollie snorted from behind the bar.
