26. Cash
26
CASH
S he is a problem. Monroe Blue is a big fucking problem in my life.
The problem isn’t her fault.
The problem is, she’s so aware and overly considerate about not being an imposition.
The problem is, she fits here.
The problem is, everyone adores her.
The problem is, I can’t stop wishing she were just a normal girl who showed up to spend time on the ranch instead of a temporary guest who’s due back in Los Angeles before leaving for the rest of her tour as an untouchable, world-famous superstar.
The problem is, I’m way more invested in her than I ever planned to be.
Hours later, we enter through the back door of the main house and walk into the kitchen. I spent the afternoon working cows while she watched, probably making me more productive than I’d ever been in my life with just her gaze on my skin.
I let her go ahead of me. I’ve rarely seen her wear jeans, but she’s got on a tight-fitting pair that were made to frame her ass. I’ve tried to scrub my brain of the time I cupped it in my hands in her hotel suite, but the memory is permanently implanted in my head. My control is slipping now that we’re back home, now that she’s not in danger. I’m thinking about her stalker and her safety a lot less, my mind infiltrated with the image and feel of her smooth skin.
“Well, hello there.” The shrill voice drags my gaze up to the smiling face of Kacie.
My steps falter. I haven’t seen or spoken to her since before I went on the tour as Monroe’s bodyguard. So much has happened since then, and Kacie hasn’t crossed my mind once. She’s standing at the stove, a metal spatula in her hand. Her long blonde hair cascades down her shoulders. She’s plain-looking, and she never wears any makeup, except mascara.
“Hi, I’m Monroe.” Monroe approaches her, hand outstretched.
Kacie looks down at it like she’s debating whether or not to slap it. A smile curls across her lips as she turns away. “Greasy hands. I wasn’t expecting so many guests! I’ll have to grab some more venison from the freezer.”
One of my dumbass brothers hired my ex-situationship.
A curse ghosts across my lips, but I manage to hold it in. Kacie had a massive jealousy problem. She was toxic in the worst way, insisting I only talk to her and then turning around and starting something up with her ex-boyfriend behind my back. I wasn’t too emotionally invested in her, but it stung in the way rejection and deceit always does.
Dolly strolls in, a pained smile plastered on her face. “Kacie is our temporary cook while Rosie is in the first trimester. The smell of any meat cooking makes her vomit. She honestly has to stay on the other side of the house or go outside during mealtimes. Holden is stressing that she’s not getting enough calories, but the doctor says she’s totally fine. Twin pregnancies are brutal with the influx of hormones.”
Kacie smiles at my sister. As far as I knew, they were never really close, but Kacie’s family owns a local restaurant. She was always a great cook.
“That must be so hard. I had no idea pregnancy could make it impossible to eat meat,” Monroe says, shaking her head.
“Same. I get why Holden has been so overly concerned, but she has the best care team.” Dolly smiles, reaching up for the dinner plates in a cabinet. “So, is the tour on hold for now? When will you go back?” she asks.
Kacie rolls her eyes, smirking to herself. I don’t know what her problem is, but I hope Monroe didn’t catch it. She already feels like an imposter here.
“I’m due back in three weeks. We’re starting the US leg in New York City, one of my favorite places.”
Dolly perks up, her eyes brightening. “Wow! That’s so much fun. I’ve never been, but it’s on my bucket list.” She takes the stack of plates over to the table. She sets them down in the middle.
“It’s an amazing city.”
“Where is the concert? ”
Monroe grins. “Madison Square Garden.”
Dolly sighs, leaning back against the counter. “Iconic. I can’t wait to see the videos on social media! Your wardrobe is always on fire.”
“You should come with us! It’s been my dream to sell out Madison Square Garden.”
Dolly’s jaw slacks open. “Oh wow. I don’t even know what to say.” She nervously twirls her hair around her fingers. “Are you sure there’s room for me?”
Monroe nods. “Of course! You can hang with my assistant and best friend, Ember.” She turns to me, a broad smile on her lips.
I try to return it, but it’s not quick enough. Her face falls.
Fuck.
It’s not that I don’t want Dolly to come with us. I’d love for my sister to experience the concert, the crowds, the energy of her dream destination city.
The real issue is that I’ve been foolishly hoping Monroe would cancel the entire fucking thing and stay here until the stalker was caught. Now, I have to worry about protecting my little sister and the superstar onstage.
Monroe chews her bottom lip, turning away from me.
This is fucking great.
Duke waltzes into the kitchen, muddy boots tracking all over the tiled floor and blood spattered across his chest.
“Hot damn, that dinner smells good. Kacie, baby, when’s the food gonna be ready?” He leans up against the countertop next to her.
Duke is the playboy out of all of us.
Kacie turns to him, rolling her eyes but leaning into him. “ I’ll let you know when it’s ready, pretty boy. Now, get out of my space.” She shoos him away.
He pinches her waist before backing off. He spins around to face Monroe.
“So, Miss Blue, when you start your American leg, are we all invited to see you up in the spotlight? What’s a guy gotta do to get a few backstage passes?” He grins, grabbing a grape out of a bowl on the island and tossing it up in the air before catching it in his mouth.
“You could come with Dolly to New York in three weeks. I’m playing Madison Square Garden.”
“Hell yeah, baby. Count me in. Can I bring Sam? He’s a good time.”
“Sure. Who’s Sam?”
Dolly’s face reddens. “Sam is not going to go all the way to New York. He’d hate it there.”
Duke scoffs. “Sam would love it. He’s got a thing for supermodels. He’s not an animal.”
Dolly rolls her eyes, cheeks still pink.
“I invited him to lunch, so I’ll ask him when he gets here.”
Dolly suddenly looks like a deer in headlights, eyes wide and mouth slacked open. She spins around and flees the kitchen. “Let me know if you need help, Kacie. I’ll be right back!”
Monroe peers after her, crossing her arms like she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Awkward silence envelops us for the next few minutes, the sizzling venison the only buffer. I want to tell Monroe I’m fine with her inviting my sister, especially if Duke comes to keep an eye on her, but I can’t say it in front of Kacie.
Kacie spins around, placing the cooked venison sausage on the bar top. She opens a pan on the stove to check the contents, eyes settling on me.
“Cash, did you hear that Maribell and Hunter got engaged?”
I pull out one of the eight barstools at the oversize island, offering it to Monroe. I take the one next to it.
“No, I didn’t hear that.”
“I think she’s pregnant.”
I stare at her, not responding.
She smiles. “I mean, why would they be rushing to the altar if it wasn’t a shotgun wedding? They got together after we started talking.”
She lifts a glass of water to her lips, eyes lasered on mine. Monroe stiffens. I know what Kacie is trying to do. I don’t bite. She chews her gum, filling the kitchen with little smacking noises.
She continues her gossiping shit talk about a girl she used to say was her best friend. “Far be it from me to speculate, but it sure seems like they are rushing .” Her tone of voice rises as she singsongs the last word.
Monroe is a statue next to me. I want to reach over and hold her hand, touch her leg, or cup the back of her neck. Instead, I interlace my fingers on the bar in front of me.
“Remember when we went down to your creek to go hog hunting and they disappeared for twenty minutes in the brush?” She laughs, shaking her head. “She was never very particular, I guess. ”
I have no idea what Monroe is thinking, except that I must date the worst kind of women who talk shit about their friends and make derogatory comments about a couple getting married for no apparent reason.
Dolly mercifully enters the kitchen, clearly having put on makeup and changed out of her baggy T-shirt into one of those tight, strapless tops that is way too fancy for dinner at home. Her dark hair is smooth and shiny.
“What’d you get all dolled up for?” Duke is right on her heels, freshly showered.
She huffs, rolling her eyes. “We have company, and I was sick of smelling like cow manure.” She smiles at Monroe, who is still withdrawn but manages a smile.
“I love it. Pink is your color,” she says.
A noise sounds from the entryway, like the front door opening.
“Ah shit, look what the cat dragged in.” Duke pulls a couple of beers out of the fridge and tosses one to me.
I catch it, popping the tab open before downing half of it in one swig. With all these women around, Lord knows I need it. Deciphering their body language and undertones in conversation is giving me a headache. My brother tosses another beer toward the hallway. Sam materializes, catching it with one hand.
Unfortunately, my eyes drift over to notice my little sister’s reaction. She bats her eyelashes and leans back against the kitchen counter like she’s posing for a magazine cover.
Why the fuck is she acting like this? Surely, it’s not for Sam.
Sam Seymour has been Duke’s best friend since we were kids. He’s like a brother to us, hanging around the ranch while we were all wild teenagers because he was an only child, raised by his grandfather with no other family.
Monroe smiles, eyes drifting to meet mine. Reading her expression has always been fairly easy for me, but I’ve gotten to the point where I know exactly what she’s thinking.
Yeah, I guess my little sister has a crush. Let’s hope Duke doesn’t notice it.
She turns back to observe them, clearly fascinated by the family dynamics. She’s similar to Sam in that she doesn’t have any siblings and only one active parental figure—her manager. I make a mental note to ask her what happened to her biological parents, realizing it’s never come up. All she’s said is that they both abandoned her.
Duke ushers Sam over to us. “Have you met Blondie? She’s here until my brother can get his head out of his ass or three weeks, whichever happens sooner.”
My eyes say, I will fucking murder you and bury your body behind the barn , but my face reveals nothing.
Sam shakes Monroe’s hand. He’s always been a good-looking son of a bitch. He’d better not get any ideas about bonding with her about mutual loneliness and wealth. Sam is the sole heir to a massive, multimillion-dollar Texas ranch and countless entities across the state when his ailing grandfather kicks the bucket.
Monroe smiles up at him politely. “Nice to meet you. I’d love to hear what it was like, being raised next to such a close-knit family. I’ve never experienced anything like this.”
Sam shrugs. “You’ll get used to—well, all of them, except this fucker. He’s annoying as fuck.” He elbows Duke hard in the ribs.
My little brother relishes every chance he gets to fight, returning the jab with one of his own, much harder and straight into Sam’s gut.
Dolly gasps. Sam reaches back out, attempting to pull Duke into a headlock. He misses by a hair when Duke ducks out of the way. Monroe leans away from them, reaching back, desperately searching for me.
I grab her hand, squeezing it reassuringly as I lean forward to whisper in her ear, “They’re always like this.”
Sam manages to swipe Duke’s legs out from under him, and my brother goes down. Duke rolls over, springing back to his feet and posing for an attack.
I roll my eyes, wrapping my arm around Monroe’s shoulders. “They’re showing off for you.”
She glances back at me, wide-eyed.
“Take that shit outside, fuckers! This isn’t the damn stables,” I shout.
Holden and my father enter the kitchen together. Holden is the one who corrals the brothers and has since our mother died and Dad started drinking like a camel. Pops has calmed down on the drinking a lot, but he never tried taking his place as head of the family again.
He comes over to where Monroe and I are standing.
“This is Pops. Pops, meet Monroe.” I introduce them.
Pops grins, extending a wrinkled hand. “Hello there, missy. Nice to meet you.”
Monroe shakes his hand and smiles. “You too. Thank you for letting me stay at the ranch. ”
The conversation is cut off abruptly by the scuffling between Duke and Sam growing louder and more obnoxious.
Duke finally ends it before he stumbles to the fridge and grabs another few beers, tossing them to me, Sam, and Holden. Holden throws it right back.
“I’m not staying. Just came to get Rosie some food,” Holden says.
“Is she okay? Does she need me?” Dolly asks, eyes pinched with concern.
“Yeah, she’s all right. She wants to come out and socialize, but the venison is too strong. She said to let her know if we build a fire later. She just wants a grilled cheese.”
Holden pulls a pan out to start cooking his fiancée a sandwich. We all know better than to give him shit about it.
“Aw, you’re so sweet. A fire after dinner sounds nice.” Dolly’s gaze flits from Sam to mine.
Her eyes catch on to how close Monroe is to me since I haven’t let go of her hand. It wasn’t intentional. Holding her close like this feels like the most natural thing in the world. A smile crosses my sister’s lips as I slowly release Monroe.
“Dinner’s ready!” Kacie bellows.