Page 36 of The Wrangler and the Tenderfoot

“Jennie Cardin.” Saying my fake last name reminded me I hadn’t told Reid my real name yet. Ugh, I had so much to tell him.

Behind her, the woman I was pretty sure was Sloane entered with a tray of deviled eggs and an expression that would have withered a less determined human. She was dressed for war in a black blouse, black slacks, and her hair slicked into an aggressively tight braid. She set the tray down, met my gaze, and nodded once. “Nice to meet you, Jennie. I’m Sloane.”

“Likewise,” I said, and tried not to flinch at the way she assessed me, layer by layer. Jesus, she was peeling me apart like an onion. The woman was made of ice.

Midge emerged from the kitchen like a general reviewing her troops. She wore her a stained apron over a flowery shirt and carried a casserole so hot the steam fogged her glasses. She plopped the dish down in front of Calder, pointed at me with a serving spoon, and barked, "You better be hungry."

“Always,” I said, which was true. I loved to eat.

Buck was already at the table, belt buckle catching the light, white hair going every direction it pleased. He caught my eye and grinned like we were old friends, because compared to everyone else in the room, we were. "Good to see you again, Jennie."

A burly man sat two chairs down, coffee cup in both hands, with the air of a very quiet man. Reid said, "Jace Monroe, this is Jennie Cardin." Jace looked up, gave me a nod that said he knew who I was and had made some sort of peace with it, and went back to his coffee.

The first fifteen minutes were controlled chaos. Midge loaded my plate before anyone else. Sloane poured water and tea. Ash spent most of it trying to get Buck to arm-wrestle her before the food was even served, which he declined with the patience of a man who had learned his lesson the hard way.

It was Midge who finally dragged me into the fray. She set down her fork, fixed me with a glare that could have scared a judge, and said, “So. You’re a good eater. Do they not feed you over there?”

I chewed, swallowed, and said, “They eat good, but I really don’t like being around them, so I snatch what I can and take off.”

She grinned, teeth bared. “You come here any time. I’ll feed you. Get some meat on those bones.”

Ash howled, delighted. “Yes, we need more women around here. I can show you how to work a ranch.”

I grinned. “That actually sounds amazing.”

About halfway through the main course, Tess turned to me.

“So,” she said softly. “What do you do when you’re not wrangling the Colemans? Any hobbies?”

“I like to walk,” I said. “Put in my headphones and just keep going until I’m somewhere I don’t recognize.”

She nodded, eyes softening. “That sounds nice. Maybe we can walk together one day. What do you listen to?”

“Podcasts,” I said. “Or old country. Sometimes a comedian.”

She smiled, for real this time. “Oh, I love listening to comedians stand up shows.”

Something in the room relaxed. Maybe the others hadn’t realized how tense it had been, but I’d felt it in the way Sloane kept adjusting her cuffs, the way Ash kept fidgeting, the way Calder clocked every breath. After that, the pace of dinner changed. Jace told a story about a horse with a taste for chewing tobacco. Buck recited a limerick so filthy I thought Midge would hit him, but she just topped off his tea and told him he needed new material. Sloane let her hair down, just a little, and figuratively, of course.

It was all going fine until the back door banged and two men came in through the kitchen, carrying enough field dust to coat the table.

The older one pulled his hat off before he cleared the threshold. "Sorry," he said, to the room rather than anyone specific. He found the empty chair nearest the door, settled in without ceremony, and reached for the bread.

Reid said, "Gray Renner, this is Jennie Cardin."

Gray looked up, met my eyes, and gave me one nod. That was all, but it was enough.

The younger one I was pretty sure was the Maddox younger brother. Eli. He came through behind Gray and didn’t apologize for anything.

He stopped when he spotted me, took in the full table, and said, "Didn't know we were having company."

Sloane arched a brow. “You’re late.”

He ignored her. Instead, he looked at me, eyes sharp. “You run out of people to spy on, or what?”

Calder didn’t move, but he said, “Eli. This is Jennie,” in a very warning tone of voice.

Eli’s lips curled. “What? Just asking.”