Chapter 31
KADE
A trickle of sweat runs down my spine and soaks into the band of my underwear as I load up the ATV with tools and wooden posts. It’s not even seven in the morning, and I can already tell that the storm last night hasn’t done much to break the heat.
The reminder of the storm brings back the memory of what happened with Chloe on her porch when I arrived.
I honestly didn’t go there expecting to have sex with her, but I couldn’t have stopped it even if I tried.
Something about what happened felt different, like a switch had been flipped between us.
It was intense and as close to making love as I’ve ever been.
Maybe it was telling her that I don’t want her to leave, or maybe it was the storm. Whatever it was, the second I looked in her eyes, I was done for.
I’m pissed that I had to leave so early this morning.
We have things to discuss, like how her meeting went with Maddie and what her staying might look like, but last night wasn’t the time.
After we got cleaned up, I took one look at her sleep-laden eyes and knew that any conversations we need to have would have to wait.
We climbed under the covers, and I held her until I had to drag myself out of bed to come to work.
Wyatt throws a post onto the bed of the truck, huffing out a breath as he glares at me. “Are you going to do some work today, or just stand about daydreaming all morning? First, you’re late, and now this.”
I bite back my grin because he’s been in a mood all morning, and as his little brother, it’s my job to find it amusing. “I already apologized for being late, Wy. Clearly you need to get laid if your mood is anything to go by. Is Lacey not treating you right?”
He ignores my barb at his masseuse and instead scowls at me as he says, “What I need is for you to pull your finger out and help instead of standing around thinking about a woman.”
I was thirty minutes late because I’d woken up with Chloe on my chest, and instead of moving her right away, I held her closer and listened to her even breathing. So sue me. He should be grateful I even made it here.
Wyatt storms off to pick up the last post, carrying it over before he throws it into the bed.
With Gray out of town, we’ve been tasked with riding out to one of the pastures that rarely gets used to fix a fenceline.
Next week, we’ll be moving cattle up there, so it needs to be secure.
It’s going to be a long, laborious morning.
I’ve barely slid into my seat before Wyatt presses his foot to the gas and we shoot forward. “Woah, Wy, try not to kill us,” I admonish, holding on to the bar above my head.
He grumbles something under his breath that I don’t quite catch but eases off the gas.
Despite the rain we had last night, the terrain isn’t too bad as we drive out. The land must have soaked it up in desperation given how hot this summer has been.
We sit in silence as Wyatt drives the ATV, and when we reach the pasture, I hop out, scanning the landscape as I open the gate. You can never be too sure about what you might come across the further you get from the yard.
Wyatt drives through, and once he’s parked, we get to work unloading the tools and digging out the first rotten post. We should be done by ten, seeing as it’s only a few fence posts and slats that need replacing.
We work in a comfortable quiet; the only sound around us is that of the post driver as we hammer in the wood.
When we’re nearly finished, I grab a bottle of water from the cooler on the ATV and down half of it before wiping the sweat from my brow.
“What are you doing when we’ve finished?” Wyatt comes to a stop in front of me, taking the bottle I hold out for him.
“I’m taking Chloe to Yellowstone.” And hopefully, on the drive out there, we can figure out what happens next with us. “She wants to take pictures.”
“Is she any good?”
Pride blooms in my chest, and I rock back on my heels as I grin at him. “Really fucking good.” A flash of memory from the night I took her to the rodeo appears in my mind. Her excitement was palpable as she flicked through the pictures, talking animatedly about each one.
I don’t bring up the fact that Maddie might have work for Chloe, especially given Wyatt’s disdain for anything to do with the Hart family. He’s already in a bad mood; I don’t need to make it worse.
He rolls his eyes, throwing his empty water bottle at my chest. “You’re in love, and it’s gross.”
My laughter echoes around us, loud and booming. “I can’t wait for you to fall for someone, Wy. Maybe it’ll even be a Hart. I’d pay to see that.”
His top lip rolls up in a sneer. “The day that happens, you’ll have to bring me out to this pasture and put me down. Ain’t no way I’d ever touch Maddie Hart.”
“I didn’t say it would be her.”
If there’s one thing I love, it’s teasing Wyatt about the Harts. He can’t stand them, and he takes the bait every single time.
“Fuck off, Kade.”
He storms off, my laughter chasing after him across the pasture.