Page 3 of Love Me Again

“Jesus, Josie.” His breath whooshed out on a pained oath. “Give me a second.”

It was starting to get through the red haze of anguished fury that he wasn’t just letting her win. She was actually causing some damage despite their size difference, both in height and amount of muscle.

Because he’d been hurt. Crushed by that giant bull while she’d just had to watch. Nearly two years ago. He should be better, but…

She stopped, breathing heavily as she moved off him. She now sat in the cold snow. She blinked at the tears that always seemed so close to the surface these days.

There’d been a time she would have died before she’d let anyone see her cry. Boy, did she miss those days. She also missed being the sane kind of person who didn’t cause a scene.

Because what she had just done… She didn’t even have words for it. She couldn’t look at him. Couldn’t even look at the woman. What kind of psychotic break was that? Embarrassment swam through her, twining with blame and shame and a million other horrible things.

She had just behaved…so, so ridiculously. And she felt more ridiculous being eyed by the blue-eyed pregnant woman.

Pregnant.

Her firsts curled into fists again, even as she struggled to breathe. God, she’d kill Boone Tyler if she could.

“What are you doing here, Jo?” he had the nerve to ask her. Calling her Jo.

Her mouth dropped open. He had been standing here pawing a pregnant woman and he dared ask why she was here?

“What am I doing here? What am I doing here?” She heard the way her voice had taken a higher decibel, dangerously close to a screech. She couldn’t make it stop. She launched to her feet, while Boone stayed sitting in the snow. “Maybe I’m here because as I’m trying to figure out my dad’s estate, I find that somehow the divorce isn’t final, and we’re still married, and the only way to track you down is to come to your family ranch and then I find you all cozy with a pregnant lady and⁠—”

“Married?” the pregnant woman squeaked—though she looked more fascinated than furious.

But Josie wasn’t about to pay too much attention to the woman. Not when he was just…the worst. The worst.

“Josie.”

The worst whose dark, low voice still did unfair things to the stupid soft heart of hers beating unevenly in her chest. Laughing here with this pregnant woman, who even with that big belly looked put together and gorgeous and so his type and⁠—

“This is my sister-in-law,” Boone ground out, a little dribble of blood trailing down the corner of his mouth, still sitting on the ground. “She’s married to my oldest brother. Who, lucky me, is on his way over.”

A tall man in a cowboy hat was indeed striding toward them at a steady clip, a concerned look on his face.

Somewhere, there was a resemblance. Around the eyes, in the shape of the mouth. He was a shade taller than Boone. Leaner. He didn’t have that brawler way about him or any kind of swagger, really, but she was not surprised to hear this was Boone’s brother.

Married to the pregnant woman.

Which meant said pregnancy involved him, not Boone and… Embarrassment didn’t even begin to cover what was sweeping through her now.

“Is everything all right?” the brother asked, immediately going to the pregnant woman and putting his arm around her shoulders.

“No, I don’t think it is,” the pregnant woman, the sister-in-law, murmured to him. “Boone, do you need help?”

He sat there in the snow, frowning. “No.”

But the brother moved over to him and offered a hand. Boone scowled at it, but eventually took it, wincing and struggling as he got to his feet.

Josie frowned herself. He should be better by now. Healed. He should be…

It didn’t matter. Not to her anyway.

This woman was not… Well, at least there was some positive here. Not because she cared if he went out and impregnated a hundred women, but because they were still married and it was all his fault.

“Apparently Boone has a wife,” the pregnant woman said, peering at Boone as though he’d grown a second head.

The brother stilled. Blinked. First at her, then at Boone, then at his pregnant wife. “I’m sorry. What?”