Chapter 23
Jessie
Dusk settles on the Diamond Hart Ranch as we pull up to the main house for family dinner.
I start up the stairs with Trey on my heels. As I near the top, he pinches my ass.
An involuntary yelp escapes my lips. I turn to smack him on the shoulder. “Rule number nine!” I hiss as I continue to walk backwards.
He smirks. “No one can see us.”
I mumble insults under my breath, attempting to pinch him or pull his hair as we round the corner of the wrap-around porch.
Trey fights back, tickling my ribs with one hand while the other swats at my advances.
We’re both smiling and laughing as our fight continues until I almost fall backwards over a chair, and he reaches out to catch me, bringing the world around me back into focus—the world where Kacey stands by the screen door, watching us carefully.
Cody has turned from the grill, and Carson and Chet have paused their conversation in favor of watching our flirty fight.
Shit.
I clear my throat and take a step away from Trey. “Hey, guys.”
Chet and Carson are sitting in the Adirondack chairs, beers in hand, talking to Cody as he grills.
They practically look like twins in their matching Wrangler jeans and brown DHR-branded pearl snap shirts.
But Carson’s long, dirty blond hair stands out from Chet’s short-cut black hair. No one says a word.
What the fuck? Talk about awkward. It’s not like they can tell from watching us for fifteen seconds that we’re sleeping together. I’m just paranoid.
After that night in Arizona, the rest of the trip was a whirlwind of photoshoots, hiking, and sex.
A lot of sex. Then we came home and it got worse—or maybe not worse.
Can you call it worse if it’s the best sex you’ve ever had?
I swear Trey knows where every single one of my buttons are and when to push them.
I’m ripping the man’s clothes off every chance I get. But they don’t know that.
They can’t know that. Right?
The life-changing orgasms and the fact that we have somehow fallen into the bad habit of sleeping in the same bed every night does not help my teeny tiny crush I have on him. Trey is a cuddler; I am not. Yet every night I find myself falling asleep in his arms and sleeping better than I ever have.
“Hi.” Chet says it more like a question.
“Hey, kids. Anyone need a beer? We also now have hard cider in cans,” Cody offers before turning back to the grill. His salt and pepper hair stays mostly hidden under his straw cowboy hat.
“Rein is the official bartender at family dinner now. Cody taught her the difference between the cans, so please, be specific if you’d like a Coors, Michelob Ultra, or cider.
” Kacey shrugs like this is completely normal behavior for a dog.
Cody taught Rein to fetch beers out of the fridge last year, and it has since evolved into fetching all sorts of things, including but not limited to hoof picks, hand towels, and boots. One at a time, of course.
“Wow, she can read labels now?” I turn to Trey. “She’s officially smarter than you.”
“Ha. Very funny, but can she drive, too? I bet she’d be a better driver than you.”
“But did you die?”
“Honestly, I’m shocked you’re still alive. Driving or no,” Carson chimes in.
“Rude. Both of you. What’s for dinner?” I change the subject before Trey can tell the story of my impressive dune buggy adventures.
Cody gives us a run down on the menu, but I don’t get to hear him finish before Kacey grabs me by the elbow and pulls me inside the house. “We’ll check on the potatoes. Be right back!” The door slams shut behind us.
“Talk. Now,” she demands.
No fucking way. “I don’t kno—”
“Do not bother finishing that sentence. I am not an idiot. How long have you been sleeping together?”
I think my eyes just bugged out of my head. “How on earth do you know that? Do you read minds now?” I practically shout before remembering the guys are right outside. Knowing Trey, he’s straining to hear us. The freaking gossip.
“Yes, you got me. I’m a mind reader,” she drawls sarcastically. “Now spill it. Where and when? You can skip the ‘why,’ that part’s obvious.”
I narrow my eyes. “They burned women like you at the stake just a few hundred years ago.” She gives me a closed lip smile but doesn’t relent. “Okay, fine. Yes, we’re sleeping together, but it’s totally casual and over as soon as he leaves. No biggie.”
She scoffs. “No biggie? No biggie?” She throws her arms out, and honestly, I feel like she’s being a touch dramatic. “You two have been hot for each other for a year, and you’re creepily alike with your silent arguments and ability to turn any situation into chaos.”
“Hey. We are not chaos.”
She raises her brows.
“Okay, he’s chaos. But I’m fine.”
“Sure. Anyway, how long has this been going on?”
I pull out a barstool and plop down while she checks the potatoes in the oven. “Not long. It started in Arizona. But it’s temporary—we even made rules because we’re mature adults.”
She throws her head back laughing so loud I’m sure the guys can hear her. “Mature adults and whatever you two are cannot be the same thing. Let me guess: You wrote the rules on the fridge?”
My mouth falls open. “Witch!” I shout.
“Knox told me,” she rolls her eyes. “He took a picture of your Roommate Rules. So, now what? You have some kinky sex rules?”
“They are not sex rules. They’re roommates-with-benefits rules,” I huff, feeling defensive of my life choices. As great as the sex is, getting in bed with Trey Bennett is probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.
“Roommates-with-benefits? Sounds kinky, if you ask me.” She winks before her face turns more serious. “You’re sure about this? He’s our friend, and Gran loves him. Maybe it could be more than casual?”
“No. Absolutely not. We’re just having some fun until he leaves.” I tug on a loose thread of my cut-off shorts, affirming that’s the truth, and it has to stay that way.
“Alright. But we’re getting coffee soon. I have more questions.”
I mumble a non-committal response.
She purses her lips and grabs her drink but lets the subject drop for the evening. “Come on, let’s see what the guys are going on about now.” We can hear laughter through the door and the muffled sound of Trey’s voice.
Outside, Trey is in a chair with his body positioned like he’s sitting in a vehicle, bracing for impact, holding an imaginary oh-shit handle. His cowboy hat is off, blond hair tousled, like he’s already been animatedly telling this story.
“And then—I shit you not—she jumps this hill, going mock fuck, knowing nothing about what’s on the other side, and I could feel my soul leaving my body.
Meanwhile, I look over at her, and she has this maniacal grin on her face and lets out the most hysterical laugh I have ever heard in my life.
” He swipes his hand through his already-messy hair, pushing it out of his face.
He doesn’t notice I’ve stepped outside. “I thought once we survived the landing it would be okay, but of course not. She whips a doughnut so hard she rolls us. Literally rolled us completely over. The only thing saving my life was the roll cage. And what does she do? She laughs! Again! She should be studied, because it’s not normal behavior. ”
Chet’s eyes are wide, like he was actually there.
I don’t know how much Carson has had to drink, but he’s slumped in his chair, laughing so hard he has tears in his eyes.
I haven’t seen him laugh like that in years.
I won’t tell them, but it’s worth Trey wildly exaggerating the story to see Carson’s normally-subdued behavior this bright.
I think Cody is actually crying, shoulders shaking in silent laughter while he’s pinching the bridge of his nose. Rein sits at his feet, looking around, not sure what to think of these lunatics.
“You didn’t?” Kacey gasps, looking over at me, causing everyone to notice we’re back.
“That’s what a roll cage is for!” I defend myself, my eyes shooting daggers at Trey.
“Well, it sounds like you learned an important lesson we all learned years ago. Never, ever, let Jessie drive,” Carson tells Trey through laughter.
“Pish posh. He was perfectly safe. Plus, it was so much fun. You have to come next time.” I bounce on my toes.
“Sounds like that’s exactly what you did afterwards,” Kacey mumbles under her breath.
I elbow her in the ribs. “Multiple times, but I don’t think he wants that story,” I say low enough no one but she can hear me.
She scrunches her nose and grabs a chair.
“No one is perfectly safe in a vehicle with you,” Carson retorts, oblivious to our sidebar conversation.
“You’re the one who taught me to drive.”
“No, I attempted to teach you. You were the worst student on the face of the Earth.”
Chet laughs at that.
“How rude. I’m a great student.”
“The stories I could tell would haunt your dreams,” Carson tells Trey.
Bold choice to threaten me with old stories. “Listen here, if we want to tell stories, how about the time I drove you home. You were drunk, had just turned thirty-three—”
“How about we don’t,” he clips, glaring at me.
Ha, I win.
Twenty minutes later, we’re at the table eating when Cody asks, “I heard Trey’s story, but what about you, Jessie? How was Arizona?”
“It was fun. Besides driving the dune buggy, I went on a hike one day, and we were put up in a super cute little remote Airbnb.”
“It even had a hot tub. That was my favorite part,” Trey cuts in.
I kick him in the shin under the table.
He grits his teeth.
Carson glances between us, but no one else notices.
“Well, I’m glad you had a good time. You deserve some time off. You work too many hours.”
I nod. I’m getting sick of hearing that, but they aren’t wrong. My phone vibrates multiple times, and I unlock it under the table and glance to see who it is.
Daryl
Heard you took a vacation with your fancy boyfriend.
Daryl
If he can afford a vacation, he can afford to toss some my way. It’s safer for everyone this way.
Daryl
Get me $5,000 from your rich boyfriend or you won’t like what happens next.
I lock my phone. That’s the most he’s ever asked for.
I don’t have that much to give him; I don’t even have half of that in the bank, and there is no way I’d ever go to Trey for it.
I’ll need to buy some time. Trey will be gone in just a few weeks—I only need to stall for a little while. I can do that.
Trey watches me from across the table. I guard my expression as I take a sip of water, calming my nerves, pretending nothing is wrong.
“You three still planning to come with me to Greeley?” Kacey looks between Trey, Carson, and me.
“Yep,” Trey and I echo each other.
“I don’t know. There is—”
“You’re going,” Kacey cuts Carson off matter-of-factly.
He gives her a sharp look but relents. Kacey is the only person who can get Carson off the ranch, and she knows it.
We eat our supper, and everyone talks about how things have been going on the ranch.
Kacey is pretty excited about this group of colts they’ve been training, and Chet’s rental cabin project is coming along.
As soon as we’re done, we clean up and move to the living room to watch the Vernal, Utah rodeo where Knox is riding tonight.
“Anyone need anything from the kitchen?” I stand from the couch to grab a refill before the bull riding starts.
“I’ll take another.” Chet raises his empty can.
“I’ll take a water, since I’m your DD,” Trey calls over the back of the couch.
“Carson, what about you?” I glance his way, seeing the empty tumbler in his hand. It always amazes me how he can switch from beer to whiskey with no repercussions. I would die a slow death tomorrow if I tried that.
“I’m going anyway; the whiskey’s too high for you to reach.”
“Kacey and I have been climbing our way up to the whiskey since we were sixteen.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Cody mumbles.
“Nonetheless, I’ll save you the trouble.” He follows me to the kitchen.
At the freezer, I take a huge ball of ice from its mold and hand it to Carson.
He drops it into his glass as he says, “Seems like things with the roommate are better.”
“Yeah, we’re figuring it out.”
“And by figuring it out you mean . . .?” He reaches into the top cabinet for the bottle of Pendleton Whiskey.
I lean against the counter, propping my hands on the edge. “We are not having this conversation.”
He wrinkles his nose. “I don’t want details. I’m just worried about you. I like the kid—don’t get me wrong—but he’s not the type to stick around.”
What the hell? Can everyone read minds now, or are we that obvious?
It’s not that I necessarily care that they know, but I could do without the open conversation about it.
I set the can of beer on the counter and look Carson right in the eye.
“Thank you for checking in, but I don’t need him to stick around.
Matter of fact, I’m counting on him taking off. ”
His eyes soften. “Jessie, I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. You and Kacey are the closest thing to siblings I’ve ever had. I can’t help but look out for both of you.”
Under his grumpy exterior, Carson is loyal to a fault and has a huge heart. I couldn’t ask for a better big-brother figure.
“Don’t worry. This is temporary.” I squeeze his bicep. “He’ll leave for rodeos and buckle bunnies in a few short weeks, and I’ll go back to my normal routine.” I just need to keep reminding myself of that.
Carson only nods, looking entirely unconvinced.