Stealing Hearts (Wild at Heart #1)

4. RHETT

4

RHETT

Jace smacks me on the back before he sits next to me at the kitchen table. “I got you.”

That can’t be good. “Don’t do… anything. At all,” I say under my breath as I watch Paige pour a glass of juice before sitting across from my brother.

I can’t get over her red hair and how light blue her eyes are now.

Or how goddamn feisty she is.

Or those fucking curves she’s never had before.

Thank God she put on some damn clothes. I mean, if you consider those short shorts clothes. The little brat buttoned two buttons on my flannel and tied it in front like she’s a Dallas cheerleader.

It’s fucking distracting.

I haven’t seen Paige since she started college. I’ve asked Maverick about her over the years since they went to the same college, but his answers were always the same. She’s fine. She’s good. She did some cool cheerleading shit at my last game.

For some reason, having her here makes me consider my old house. My eyes catch on the mud tracks by the doorway and the pile of toys exploding out of the basket in the living room. The dirty dishes I need to wash.

I scrub my face. Not sure why I care that my house needs a good cleaning. I haven’t wanted to impress a woman in years.

“So, Paige,” Jace says as he bites into a chorizo and cheese taco, “what’s the deal with your job? Will you be heading to Austin after your ankle gets better?”

Her shoulders droop. “Probably not. They’re not holding the position for me. I need rehab, but I can’t afford it because I don’t have insurance. While I was a student, it was covered, but I got injured the night I graduated.”

“What happened?”

She sighs. “I was out with my boyfriend, and his friends were drunk and acting like fools. One of them accidentally pushed me off the curb.”

“What the fuck?” I slam down my glass. “Why didn’t you call me to let me know you were hurt?”

Her eyebrows lift. “Why would I call you? We haven’t spoken in years.”

“Maybe if you’d picked up the phone when I called, that wouldn’t have been an issue.”

“ Maybe if you’d left a message instead of hanging up like a damn stalker, I would have.”

I grunt, and my brother chuckles.

Paige has avoided me at every turn since she told me Amber was cheating. It kinda broke my heart. At first, I thought she was seeing things that weren’t there. She was young, just a freshman in high school. I knew she had a crush on me back then, but I thought it was harmless. I figured she’d grow out of it.

Yeah, I was pissed when we had that conversation. I got even angrier when she didn’t come to my wedding. Not sure why I thought she’d come. Maybe because I loved her like a little sister and was hoping once she realized we were never gonna be an item, she’d get over it.

And then I was irate when I realized she was right—about everything. But I was too damn stupid to figure it out until years later.

Even now, I’m pissed at myself for not listening to her. Paige had the balls to tell me the truth about Amber, and I got upset with her. I’m a fucking dumbass.

I clear my throat. “I thought I’d see you at Danny’s funeral.”

She sucks in a breath, then blinks quickly. “I tried to go, but…” Her voice cracks, and every part of me wants to march to the other side of the table and pull her into my arms. Except that would probably only piss her off. “I got there at the end. After everyone left. I sat with Danny until the morning crew kicked me out. You know how much he hated the dark.”

Jesus Christ. “You sat in the cemetery all night?”

She nods, her big blue eyes watery. “Danny would’ve done it for me.”

Danny only got freaked out about the dark once he got sick. He said the long nights in the hospital gave him nightmares.

She sniffles, then whispers, “Thanks for the cookies. Cranberry and walnut have always been my favorite.”

Of course I know that. And yes, I made her cookies and left them in Danny’s hospital room. I had to get home to be with my boys, but Danny said I shouldn’t feel guilty because Paige was staying with him almost every night. I don’t know how this girl was juggling college and cheer and driving all those miles, but she pulled it off. Up to the very end.

That’s why when he made me swear to look after her, I told him I would and meant it. But she’s made that damn hard to do. Would it have killed her to pick up the phone even one time when I called?

After the funeral, I even drove to Charming and tried to track her down. I knew how close she and Danny were and figured she’d need the support. I wanted Paige to know I’d be there for her if she ever needed anything. But Mav didn’t know where she was living, and her friends were reluctant to give a stranger her address. It was frustrating as hell. I started to feel like a goddamn stalker, so I finally gave up.

Jace whistles. “You two have some history.”

Leave it to my brother to be dramatic. “This is a small town. Everyone has history. You have ‘history’ with more women than I can count.”

He laughs, then winks at Paige, which pisses me off. “Paige, I have a proposition for you.”

Good God, what’s he gonna do?

She perks up. “Do you know of a job in town? I have a degree in communications. Not sure what it’s good for, but maybe someone would care.”

Damn, she’s cute. Paige has always been adorable. Always been sweet and silly. But grown-up Paige? Fuck, I don’t have words. She’s beautiful in a way I can’t even describe. I haven’t laid eyes on her in years, and when I saw her sleeping in her damn car, I wanted to yank that vehicle apart, gear by gear.

When I carried her out, I didn’t really get a good look at her. Not until I set her down on the ground and realized she was only wearing a bra and underwear. Fucking hell, this woman has a body. Beautiful, lean legs, a ripped stomach, high round tits, and a stunning face.

To my great shame, my dick responded instantly.

Jace smacks me on the back again. “Yeah, it’s a job, in a sense.”

She looks between me and my brother. I have no idea where he’s going with this. Though… maybe I could use some help in the office.

But then he has to open his big, fat fucking mouth again. “Whatcha doing for the next six months or so? Because my brother here needs a wife.”