Easton’s grip was rough, his callouses pressing into the tender skin of my palm as Jake prayed. Tingles shot up my arm and that scent of his was dizzying. But I’d held up under more extreme situations than this. I would not let myself drool.
“Amen.”
The second the word echoed around the table, my hand was dropped like a hot coal.
Liddy gave my other hand a light squeeze, then let me go to drape a napkin in her lap.
I reached for my wine, sharing a look with Katherine across the table.
She lifted her glass in a sign of solidarity.
“So, Gemma.” Jake scooped a heap of mashed potatoes onto his plate as the rest of the food began the circle around the table. “Katherine told me you drove here from Boston. That’s quite a trip.”
“Technically, I drove from West Virginia, but yes, it was a long trip. I have to say, the best part was through Montana. I’d forgotten how beautiful it was here.”
“We sure are having a nice fall,” Liddy said, passing me a bowl of green beans. “How long are you planning to stay?”
“Not long,” Easton answered, before he drained the last swallow of his beer.
I shoved the bowl in his face. “Beans?”
He wrenched the dish from my grasp, grumbling something under his breath that earned him a scowl from Carol on his other side.
“How’d Rory do on the trail ride today?” JR asked Cash after the food had been passed around.
“Good. He’s a quick learner and the guests like him.”
“Maybe you should put him on the schedule,” JR told Easton.
Beside me, his teeth ground together audibly. “I know how to delegate my staff. It was my idea to send him along with Cash in the first place.”
The tension in the room grew thick. The plates and the food were of sudden interest as all eyes dropped except for Easton’s and JR’s.
My plate was overloaded with mashed potatoes, roast beef, gravy, beans and a roll. It seemed like the perfect time to shove a huge bite into my mouth and occupy myself with chewing.
Was something happening on the ranch? Were Easton and JR fighting? If I wasn’t sitting here, how would this conversation really have gone?
“Jake, I was hoping you could help me for a couple of weeks.” Katherine was brave enough to break the silence. “I’ve got a project and need your expertise.”
“I can probably do that.” He nodded, aiming his eyes to Easton. “That means you’ll need to handle the equipment and prepping the snowmobiles for winter.”
“I know.” He sighed. “I’ve got it covered.”
Why was I suddenly feeling bad for the guy who’d been a jackass to me this week? His shoulders were bunched and his back stiff. The frustration radiating off Easton’s body was palpable.
Part of me wanted to put my hand on his forearm and give him a reassuring smile. The other part remembered . . . jackass. Besides, whatever this family dynamic was, it was not my business.
“Gemma, we never did hear your answer to Mom’s question.” Cash sent his brother a smirk. “How long are you staying?”
“I’m not sure exactly. Maybe for a few weeks. Katherine said something about an empty guest bedroom at your place.”
Easton scoffed.
I ignored him.
But Carol wasn’t having it. “What is your problem tonight?”
“She’s not staying, Grandma.”
“That’s not really up to you, is it?” she snapped.
Easton put down his fork. “I’m not saying she can’t stay. I’m just saying she won’t.”
Really? Because to me, it sounded a lot like him telling me I couldn’t stay.
“And why not?” Katherine asked.
“She’s like the guests here, Kat. They love Montana for a week. But soon, she’ll be ready to get back to the city. Back to her manicures and massages and Starbucks. This isn’t the place for her.”
“And who the hell are you to dictate the place for me?” I twisted in my chair, meeting his glare with one of my own.
“I’m calling it like I see it.”
“Well, you’re wrong.”
“Yeah? You won’t last a month. Hell, you only made it a few days before you went running to Kat because you were bored.”
I guess Katherine had told him the reason for my sudden employment. When I glanced her way, she mouthed, “Sorry.”
“I like to be busy.”
“Sure,” he deadpanned.
I leaned in closer, sitting taller in my chair. “You truly are an asshole.”
The table snickered around us but I kept my eyes locked on Easton’s.
He leaned closer, his breath caressing my cheek as he taunted, “But am I wrong?”
“Yes.”
“Prove it.”
“By staying? No problem. That was already my plan.”
“Like I said. You won’t make it a month.”
“I bet she makes it past Christmas.” JR chuckled. “Just to prove you wrong, son.”
Easton gave his dad a scowl, then turned to the meal, shoveling a bite of potatoes in his mouth.
“I think it will be wonderful to have you here through the holidays,” Liddy said.
Wait. What? When had I agreed to stay for Christmas? That was over three months away.
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think Katherine and Cash want me living with them for three months. I’d love to stay for a few weeks, but months? I, uh . . .”
A slow, evil grin spread across Easton’s face as he chewed.
Bastard.
Katherine had offered me a guest room, but for three months? That wasn’t a guest. That was a roommate.
“Gemma will stay at the cabin,” Carol announced.
“Huh?” I was getting whiplash. “What cabin?”
“The one Jake and I built when we first moved here. It’s a little old and outdated but it’s all yours.”
Fantastic. Easton had all but dared me to stay, and now there were no excuses to why I couldn’t.
“The cabin it is.” My cheery voice betrayed my terror.
Easton’s smug grin dropped.
Good.
He’d baited me. He’d flustered me and now I was in Montana for three months because there was no way I was letting him win. Even if that meant crashing in an old cabin.
I’d show him.
Ugh.
What the hell had I just gotten myself into?
Chapter Seven
Gemma
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Katherine asked.
I shrugged and looked around the room. The place had running water and electricity, luxuries I didn’t take for granted. “It’s not that bad. I mean, it’s not my posh room at the lodge, but it’s a thousand times nicer than our tent at the junkyard.”
“True.”
“This will be great,” I promised. “It’s a nice cabin.”
“If you change your mind, you’re always welcome to our guest room.”
“Thanks.” I’d been living alone for a long time and actually preferred having this older cabin to myself than sharing someone’s space.
The last roommate I’d had was Katherine. We’d stayed together in the tent, then here when we’d been in the staff quarters.