“If you wouldn’t have been late this morning, then we would’ve finished earlier.”
“And if you would’ve told me that shit was rattling like that last week, we wouldn’t have had to do it in the rain.”
Grayson rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” he mutters, knowing I’m right.
Lightning cracks in the distance, and we leave. Once we’re inside my truck, I pull out my phone and text Bradley, one of the guys who works for me, to check in with him. Considering it’s pouring, I don’t expect a text back anytime soon, but I hope he and the other ranch hands are being safe. While I’d never admit that Grayson is right, I am actually annoyed I overslept because it really did fuck up our schedule.
Instead of immediately pulling away and heading to the B&B, I tell Grayson I want to wait a few minutes to see if the guys come back. He doesn’t care because he’s getting paid either way, so he pulls out his cell and scrolls through his phone. After thirty minutes, they ride up on horses and once they’re in the barn, I get a call from Bradley.
“Hey boss, first herd of cows are moved. What do ya want us to do now?”
“Thanks. Unsaddle the horses and I’ll call Alex. Don’t want you out there with all that lightning. Meet you at the B&B once y’all are done.”
“Yes, sir. See you there,” he tells me, and I end the call.
“See, now that’s what you call respect. He called me sir.” I crank the truck and glance at Grayson.
He rolls his eyes. “I’m not really into stroking your ego. It’s big enough.”
On the way there, Grayson does nothing but chat about Maize’s cooking, and it makes me even more hungry. We park on the side of the large house and walk up the steps of the porch. As soon as we enter, John shakes his head when he sees us dripping wet. We should’ve changed clothes, but my stomach is rumbling, and I didn’t want to wait.
I suck in a deep breath, and the hearty smell fills my nose. I can’t grab a plate fast enough. Grayson and I sit and immediately dig in. I look around, and laugh because there are more ranch hands than guests in the dining area. If Maize comes out and sees us eating up all her food, she’s gonna lose her shit. Honestly, though, she should be used to it by now. It’s been a longtime tradition among the workers, which was started by John, Jackson, and Alex themselves, not to mention it’s Grandma Bishop approved.
The next morning, I’m up before I get a text from Riley because I’m so damn nervous to be around Rowan. It’s time for us to drive to Houston to help her move all of the shit she’s accumulated while at college back home. The last time she was in town was spring break two months ago, and even then, we both worked, so I didn’t actually see her that much. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for her to be here permanently.
I meet him at the B&B, then we hook up the lowboy and get going. It’s a six-hour drive to the campus, and Riley calls Zoey almost every hour to check on her. It’s disgustingly cute.
After all the boxes are loaded, we immediately drive back. Rowan’s following us, and Riley notices the smug grin on my face. If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under.
We don’t stop to eat a proper lunch, just some shitty fast food to go because Riley wants to get home before dark.
“You know this ain’t gonna tame the beast,” I tell him, unwrapping and nearly devouring the burger within three bites. I can barely hear him scolding me for making a mess as I sip my Coke.
Though we’re not supposed to speed while hauling a trailer, Riley doesn’t follow the rules. He goes as fast as he wants and takes curves like a bat outta hell. Rowan’s boxes are sliding around, and I know if any of them fall off, she’ll kick someone’s ass. And for once, it won’t be mine.
We finally make it back to Eldorado, and Riley nearly flies down the long dirt road that leads to his parents' house. He parks, hops out, and already has a box in his hands by the time Rowan catches up with us and gets out of her car.
“Seriously? I’m telling Zoey how you were driving.” She throws Riley a glare with a hand on her curvy hip. Soon, the two of them are going back and forth as we carry the boxes. Rowan’s trying her hardest to ignore me, but each time I pass her, our eyes meet.
After thirty minutes, we’re still unloading. Her shit is heavy, as if she packed the boxes with bricks, so I peek inside one and see a few romance books and souvenirs from her college life. I walk into her bedroom she had when we were kids, and it brings me back in time. The walls are still purple, and some posters of her favorite boy bands are still hung. It’s like a time capsule of Rowan’s teenage years.
“I plan to have a life, thank you very much,” I hear her say.
“Yeah, hanging out with me,” I interrupt, hauling in an oversized box and dropping it.
“Hey! That could’ve been fragile!” She stands and gives me a scowl. She’s so cute when she’s mad.
“Relax, princess. I looked inside, and it wasn’t.” I flash her a shit-eating grin.
She pushes her finger into my chest, but I don’t move an inch. “Don’t look through my things, you weirdo!”
I chuckle as Riley interrupts our moment. “She literally just moved back. Can’t you two be adults and stop antagonizing one another?” he asks, then laughs.
“Between Diesel and me, there’s only one adult here,” she says, narrowing her eyes at me.
I press a palm to my chest. “Now that just hurts. You wound me.”
She rolls her eyes and pushes past me, all worked up.
“Alright, children. Let’s get this shit done so I can get back to my pregnant wife.” Riley scolds, following her. By the smile on his face, I can tell he’s thinking about Zoey. I take a few minutes to look around her room and remember coming in here when we were kids. Before she gets weirded out that I’m lingering, I leave and pass them as they continue bickering.
I look at the boxes and see one has clothes written on it in black Sharpie. If she was worried about me looking through her romance books and pictures, this will really get her fired up. Happily, I grab it, walk inside, then set it down.
“I went through this one too.” I smirk at Riley, knowing he’s going to be annoyed at our banter, but I don’t care. “You have a thing for red thongs, huh?” I tease Rowan.
“You ever gonna grow up?” she snaps at me.
Shaking my head, I shoot her a wink and grin. “Never, baby.”
Rowan heads outside, and we’re on her tail. As she bends over, I stare at her plump ass, imagining her completely naked and in my bed. Riley’s glaring at me, and I can tell he’s getting pissed, but I just can’t help it. For years, he’s warned me how off-limits his sister is, but it hasn’t stopped me from finding ways to antagonize him. They walk past me and continue their conversation, but I’m too busy laughing to care.
It takes nearly an hour for us to put all of Rowan’s stuff in her room. She gives her brother a hug and me a firm handshake accompanied by a glare.
I lean down and point at my cheek. “I’ll take a kiss and a thank you.”
“Will you turn back into a toad if I do?” She playfully slaps my arm, and a jolt of electricity streams through where she touched me.