AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Some are. They want to come and see me on a horse and stuff.”
Ben slaps his hands together. “And there it is. Emmett wants to show off.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Running Back,” I say, annoyed that none of them are taking me seriously.
“I wasn’t showing off, I was playing to win.” Ben rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, okay.”
My brother liked the attention, and at one point in his career, he liked it so much my dad had to fly out and straighten him out.
“Anyway, it sounds like it could be a good idea, Emmett, but right now, we have to get you up to speed on the ranch before we can entertain something new. Tell them where we are, and they can stay at The Getaway Lodge, go on a winery tour, or something.” Dad grabs our plates. “You can go about your nights now.” He stands.
“That’s it?” I ask.
Ben slides out of his chair, smacks Dad on the back, and grabs the doggie bag Dad made up for Gillian and his stepson, Clayton. “Gillian probably won’t see any of these. Thanks.”
“I put an extra one in there for Clayton. He’s growing.” Dad heads over to the sink to wash the dishes.
“And bonus, I get sex and another burger because Sadie is having an adverse reaction to beef these days.” Jude holds up his bag, trying to coax me into battle, but I’m not going to bite.
“Yeah, I can get sex if I want it and the burger. The best thing is that I don’t have to wake up next to them in the morning.” I pick up my bag. “Can we talk about the dude ranch some more?”
“That’s the difference between us—we want them there in the morning.” Ben smiles. “One day you’ll grow up.”
Ben pats me on the back and smiles at Jude as if he’s inviting him to join in on the fun. I hate that they throw their relationships in my face as though I’m jealous. I’m totally not. What I am is aggravated that everyone, including my dad, disregarded my idea about the dude ranch so easily.
When Jude doesn’t say anything, Ben says, “Don’t forget everyone, we’ll be inviting an extra person to Sunday dinner at my house.”
Everyone’s eyes shift to me because Ben’s been telling us for days that Gillian’s half sister, Briar, is coming back to Willowbrook.
“What?” I ask, as though they’re warning me off her for no reason.
Ben points at me. “Hands off. Seriously, she’s your sister.”
My dad ignores us, cleaning the dishes.
“Not sure you understand how it works, bro. Briar is definitely not my sister.”
“She’s living at Gillian’s until the house sells, and she’s here to teach yoga, so keep your focus on the ranch and away from the studio.” Ben eyes me as if I’m scared of him.
“From what I got at the softball games last fall, Briar doesn’t much care for our little brother. Isn’t that right, Little Noughton?” Jude clasps my shoulder.
He’s right. Briar has come back to Willowbrook a couple of times since then, and each time, she’s meaner than the last. I’m not sure what I did to piss her off.
“She’ll like me soon enough.” I wink at Ben, and he growls.
“Don’t lay one finger on her. It’s not only me but also Gillian you have to worry about.”
“Gilly Bean is as scary as a goldfish, and sorry to tell you this, but unless you plan on locking Briar in a basement, the men in Willowbrook will notice her. She’s all grown up.”
It’s the truth. Briar Adams is fucking hot, but I’m only saying this to piss Ben off and make him think I’m going to flirt with and maybe sleep with her. Which I would never do because who needs that kind of drama in their life? I can get laid elsewhere.
“Enough, boys. Go. I have things to do.” Dad shoos us out, soap suds dripping from his hand.
We each thank Dad for dinner.
“Guys, I’m serious about this dude ranch thing,” I say as we walk down the dirt road toward our houses that line up along the lake.
