Finally, when he grew tired of listening to his brother bumping around, Cash went downstairs and stood in the kitchen doorway. All he could do was stare. Cal turned around raised an eyebrow at him. The anger surged in Cash’s chest. He wanted to rush over and punch his brother in the face. Cal popped the cap on a beer and smiled.
“How did it go?” Cash asked, not able to disguise the anger in his voice.
“It was amazing,” Cal gushed.
Hearing his brother’s excitement and seeing it in his eyes sent another rush of anger through Cash’s body. He wanted to run across the kitchen, grab the beer from his Cal’s hand, and smash it over his head. He’d never felt that way about his brother in his life, and it was so alarming that he didn’t know how to respond.
“What did you do?” Cash asked.
“We went to Squad Goals and had dinner. Then we went for a drive and looked at the view, listening to music.”
“Did you kiss her?” Cash demanded.
Cal frowned, shaking his head and looking away. Then he looked back at his brother. “That’s private.”
“That means yes,” Cash said.
“I told you, I’m not going to say anything about it.”
“Fine,” Cash said, rushing to the refrigerator. He pulled out a bottle of beer, popped the cap, and left the room, chugging the beer as fast as he could. Cash walked outside onto the porch, drinking his beer and fuming. He had to do something. He couldn’t bear how completely impotent and emasculated he was feeling.
He pulled the cell phone out of his pocket, and his finger hovered over the text icon. He needed to have his chance to be with River. There was no way he would be able to go on letting his brother take his chance at finding a happily ever after.
Finally, he sat down on the porch chair and texted her: I’d love to get a chance to take you out tomorrow. We have the day off. How does a picnic lunch sound?
He hit send, sighed, and set down his phone. Staring up at the stars twinkling in the night sky, he sipped his beer. He didn’t expect her to respond. River seemed like a shy, reserved girl. Expecting her to date two different men at the same time was asking a lot. But a few moments later, his phone pinged.
He picked it up, in utter shock, and found a message from River: I would love to have a picnic lunch with you tomorrow.
He wrote back: Awesome. I’ll meet you at noon at the bunkhouse.
River wrote: See you then.
Cash’s heart did a flip-flop. He felt so much better. He walked into the house, staring at the text message, and was so distracted that he slammed into his brother.
“What’s gotten into you?” Cal asked.
“I got a date with River tomorrow.”
It was Cal’s turn to frown. “Congratulations,” he said sarcastically.
“Thanks,” Cash said, passing his brother and trotting up the stairs. Just a few moments before, he’d felt as if his life was over. Suddenly, he felt as if his life had just begun.
Cash woke the next morning earlier than usual and pulled himself out of bed. He looked at his phone for the time and couldn’t believe he’d gotten up at five o’clock. He climbed out of bed, knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to get back to sleep. He was far too excited for that.
The twins had a gym in the basement of their house, so Cash put on his workout clothes and went downstairs. All he could think about was River’s face as she worked with her dog out in the field.
She was such a beautiful woman with a petite, curvy body that drove him wild. He couldn’t believe he was so lucky. At the same time, he couldn’t believe that he was so cursed. He’d always been loyal to his family and to his brother, but now there was so much conflict between them that he didn’t know what to do.
He entered the gym and stepped onto the treadmill. He started running, trying to burn off all the anxiety and confusion he felt. After his three-mile run, he got onto the weight machine and started pumping iron. When he was nearly done with his workout and covered in perspiration, Cal walked into the room in his sweatpants and tank top and looked down at him. Cash sat up on the weight machine, and their eyes locked.
“You’re up early,” Cal said.
“I was going to say the same thing about you.”
“Look, Cash. I don’t have any hard feelings. We both agreed that we would let River decide who she wants to be with.”
“You and I both know that it isn’t going to work.”
“What else are we supposed to do? We have no other options.”
“I know,” Cash said, wiping his sweaty forehead with his towel. “But it doesn’t make it any easier.”
He stood and passed his brother without another word. He heard Cal call his name from behind him, but he didn’t answer. He didn’t know how he was supposed to deal with all of this. There were no answers. The dating website hadn’t been helpful—it had only made it so that he felt at odds with his twin brother, the person who meant more to him than anyone else in the world. That wasn’t a good feeling.
He hopped into the shower and ran bodywash over his sore muscles. Then he got out, dried off, and ran to towel through his hair. It was only eight o’clock in the morning. He still had four hours until his lunch date with River. Even after the workout, he was feeling keyed up. Cash had been out with plenty of women before, but somehow, now that it was his mate, he felt flustered and unsure of himself. That was a problem he’d never had before in his entire thirty-year life.
He went downstairs and made himself a breakfast of eggs and bacon, hoping that he would be able to avoid his brother. The two of them lived together. He couldn’t imagine what would happen when River chose one of them and not the other. How will we live? Who will stay, and who will go? And what if she chooses neither of us?
As Cash was driving his truck over to the bunkhouse, he told himself he couldn’t be so fatalistic. He had to remain positive because the alternative would destroy him and his relationship with his brother and bring down the entire family. Even if the issue of River was bringing down his relationship with his twin, he couldn’t let it affect his other brothers or the ranch. They had to keep this between them and find a way to make it all work out, no matter what.
Cash had packed a picnic lunch in a basket—turkey sandwiches, chips, pickles, and cheesecake. He’d also packed a thermos with iced tea. He was going to take River to the wildlife preserve near the marsh. The screened-in gazebo down there was a perfect place for a picnic lunch date.
He hoped that he and River would get a chance to get to know each other, even though there were so many questions and so much was unsettled. He wanted to focus on her and having a nice time. The most important thing was getting to know her and trying to connect with her.
He pulled up in front of the bunkhouse, his heart pounding in his chest. His hands were sweaty as he gripped the steering wheel. He took several deep breaths, trying to clear his mind. He was about to get out and go to the front door when she stepped out and walked toward him. He gulped nervously.
She squinted in the sunshine and smiled, her pretty face lit by the warm summer sun. “You’re right on time.”
“So are you,” he said, feeling stupid and lost for words.
He got out of the car, went around the other side, and opened the passenger door for her. She slipped inside, and he got back into the driver’s seat. He turned his favorite music on with the volume low, and they listened as he drove down the back roads of the ranch. They drove up the hill and then down into the valley where the wildlife reserve had been dedicated to the local marsh birds. Cash parked the truck, and they got out. River looked around at the wetlands, taking in the beautiful view.