Page 17 of Spurred On

Porsche’s grin was a little too shit-eating for comfort. “Yup.”

“The woman your brother is dating?”

“Yup.” She shot a minxish smile around the circle. “Crystal met Ford at that party. I didn’t plan it or anything, but there you have it.”

“Why was Ford at one of Cody’s parties?” Hanna asked with a laugh. They all knew Ford. He’d rather pull out his two front teeth with a pair of pliers than attend a party at the Stud Ranch.

“He was protecting me, of course.” Porsche preened. She took great pride in tormenting her overprotective brother. It was amazing Ford still had his sanity, trying to keep a bead on Porsche’s wild ways. Of course, he had started going gray—a sexy salt-and-pepper sprinkling on his short-trimmed sideburns. A happenstance no doubt attributable to his younger sister.

“Oh look,” Amy said in something of a squeal. “One of the hotties has a kitten.” A chorus of coos rose and they all headed in that direction like filings to a magnet.

Sidney didn’t follow, but she did roll her eyes. That scene was so ooey-gooey-staged it made her pancreas hurt. Cody had even gone so far as to have a photographer there to snap pictures with the kitten-toting stripper and the guests. A line was already forming.

Brother. If it was going to be like this all weekend, she might want to carry around a bowl to throw up in.

“There you are.” An annoying, scintillating voice rippled around her like the kiss of a warm wind. She suppressed her shiver. “Have you been avoiding me?”

Sidney glanced over her shoulder and frowned at Cody. Damn, he was cute. So cute she had the sudden urge to smack him. “I haven’t been avoiding you.”

“Really? You got here and ran up to your room like a frightened rabbit.”

The reference made her skin prickle. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Aren’t you?”

“No.”

“Prove it.”

She glowered at him. “How?”

“Sit with me on the hayride.”

“That’s ridiculous. Why would I sit with you?”

He gave that heinous dimpled grin. “To prove you’re not afraid of me.” He cocked his head to the side and affected a patronizing moue. “Are you paying attention to this conversation?”

Oh God, he was so adorable it made her jaw ache.

“I’m paying attention just fine, diploid. But I’m here for my sister’s bachelorette party. So why would I sit with you?”

He frowned as if her logic confused him. Or ruined his plans.

If it did, so be it.

In fact, ruining his plans was an added bonus.

“You can’t spend every minute with her, or our strategy won’t work.” Oh yeah, he was grabbing at straws.

“And speaking of our strategy . . .” She skated a glance over the men assembled for the hayride. Most of them wore open flannel shirts. Many were oiled up. Some of them were glittering. “Which one is he?”

Cody blinked. “Huh?”

“Which one is he? What tempting hunk did you bring for Hanna?” Because none of them were all that tempting. And none of them were Hanna’s type. If he’d lied to her, or done some half-assed job—inviting some dumbass friend of his to take the role—she’d snatch him bald.

The thought of her fingers in his hair distracted her for a moment, but she searched for and found her melting resolve. “Is it him?” She pointed at a hottie with a ponytail, pretending to “ride” one of Tibby’s friends. “Or him?” Another dude rubbing up against Amy. “Oh him?” God no. Not the dude with the kitten . . . “Because none of them will do. They just won’t do.”

Honestly.She should have known better. Should have known better than to trust him. He was—