Jim chuckled. “I would have liked to see that. Too bad I was tied up at the county records office all afternoon, triple-checking that all outstanding liens on this property have been paid in full and that the MacAllens hold the only title to our land.”
“It pays to quadruple check,” Jameson said. “We can’t risk having any chinks in our armor.”
“Did you follow them?” Alex asked, hoping the question sounded more casual than it was.
Jameson shook his head. “If I tried, that darling sister of mine would have just found a way to make me regret it.” He let out a long breath. “It doesn’t feel good, being at Brenne’s mercy. She’s a wild card.”
Alex tried to hide his frown. He’d spent most of the day yesterday in Lubbock, not allowing himself to return to the vicinity of the MacAllen ranch for fear he’d go find the pair on their ride and do more damage than he already had.
She likely hates my guts already. There probably isn’t much worse I could do. He’d thought that more than once after waking up in his empty Lubbock apartment. He’d lasted through a shower and half a cup of coffee before he’d given up and driven back to Whiskey River.
Now he was standing around the back counter of the feed store, drinking lukewarm coffee from the thermos that sat there and discussing next steps regarding one Gavin Jeffries. “Evan is never going to live this down,” Jim muttered.
“He doesn’t have enough sense to spit downwind,” Jameson agreed. “Leading a wolf right into the sheep’s pen like that.”
“So what are we going to do?” Alex said, hoping to focus their energy on the future. “The IG advance team is here, headed up by Gavin Jeffries himself. It’s only a matter of time before they start buying up everything in sight. How are we going to stop them?”
“Everheart doesn’t think we have a snowball’s chance in hell of changing things,” Jameson growled. Alex kept silent on his apparent shift in affection for the municipal worker who kept them informed on IG’s progress.
“I don’t want to agree with her, but I don’t see a way out for us,” Jim said with a forlorn expression. “Just when I found my happiness, another rich asshole comes to take it away.”
“But we aren’t going to let him.” Jameson’s voice was firm. “We might not know how to change things now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t come up with a way. We just need more information. A way to get the drop on ole Gavin Jeffries.”
“And how does one get the drop on one of the most powerful men in the world?” Alex asked.
“I don’t know yet, but I will.” Jameson filled his voice with confidence, but Alex could tell it was confidence his best friend didn’t actually feel. “I’m going to keep tabs on him, see if anything pops up that we can use.”
“Keep tabs on him?” Alex asked. “Like, you’re going to stake out the old mill?”
“That’s not a half-bad idea,” Jim said, throwing his empty cup into the small trashcan under the counter. “One of us can watch the mill, and Johnnie can let us know if he’s been spotted around town. We can set up an informal dragnet of sorts, a community watch.”
“But the only person we’re watching is Gavin,” Alex pointed out.
“Right.” Jameson nodded.
“I don’t know if this is a great plan, guys,” Alex was forced to admit.
“You asked if I followed him and Brenne around yesterday,” Jameson countered. “We’re thinking along the same lines.”
Alex glanced at his watch. “I’m sorry I can’t join the community spying efforts today. I’ve got a house call out in West Whiskey.” He slapped Jameson on the back. “Let me know if you find anything.” He started toward the door, giving Old Gus behind the counter a wave.
Before departing, he turned back to call to his best friend. “And keep an eye on that sister of yours. Something tells me that Brenne plus Gavin adds up to trouble.”
Jim laughed. “If we don’t want our problems to multiply, we might want to divide the two of them.”
Jameson rolled his eyes. “If you knew only a fraction of the pain you two cause me, you’d subtract yourself from my sight.”
Alex left with a smile on his face. It lasted as long as the parking lot, where he caught sight of a poster advertising Whiskey River’s first annual “Roll Out The Red Carpet for Charity” event. Ryker and his volunteers must have plastered them up all over town, he realized when he saw several more hanging from telephone poles all down the block.
He’d almost managed to forget he had a hot date with his vet tech. How did I get myself into this mess? Out of the frying pan and into the nuclear blast.
At least he’d be out on a date with a woman that wasn’t his brother’s best friend and currently driving him mad with jealousy. Besides, Emma had probably just meant it as a figure of speech. They’d been friends for a few years now, and he’d never gotten that vibe from her.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” he mumbled to himself as he headed west in his clinic van. But his gut knew his brain was lying to him, and it refused to leave him alone. He pushed all thoughts of the charity event out of his mind and focused on the task at hand—forgetting to be jealous of Gavin Jeffries.
CHAPTER 16
BRENNE
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
Gavin readjusted the hat on his head, then ran his fingers along the brim. “I’m ready.”
Brenne gave the billionaire a long last look. He was dressed in pristine jeans that probably cost a fortune and an even more expensive brown leather jacket. The boots on his feet were intricately stitched and had never seen a day’s wear in their short lives. He was the cleanest cowboy she’d ever seen.
Not to mention he’s only been riding a horse for less than a week. This is a bad idea.
Despite her reservations, she sent him a smile. “Let’s go.” She dug her heels into Jezebel’s flank and the horse started forward. Craning her neck around, she watched as Gavin tried to get Comet moving. She finally had to circle back and convince him to add a little gusto to his motions. “Maybe we should get you back on Ginger,” she suggested.
“No,” Gavin said, continuing to struggle. He managed to finally convince the Cremello pinto that Brenne usually rode to move forward, although it was a bumpy start. They’d gone riding twice before, and Gavin had taken to it with a bizarre intensity that was both adorable and a bit unnerving. It was his idea to participate in the drive today, even though Brenne tried to persuade him otherwise.
“What have you got against Ginger?” Brenne asked him, half-jokingly, when they were finally moving down the trail.
“She’s like riding a bike with training wheels,” he replied, his focus entirely on his horse. “You’ve got to take them off sometime, and what better time than today?”
“Well, my brothers aren’t going to hang back while you try to convince Comet to follow your instructions,” Brenne pointed out. “What if I take you up the ridgeline trail instead? We can have a nice ride and not have to worry about getting dirty and sweaty.”