Page 44 of Paper Horses

“In that case, the intelligent storm that’s set to hit is a problem.”

“I hate you.”

“You don’t. Anyway, my pilot doesn’t want to fly into it.”

“Great. And given what the townsfolk say about the roads flooding, I’m guessing even when he can fly, there will be no driver to get me.”

“Townsfolk? Are you turning country on me, Liv?” I could hear the teasing tone through the phone, and it only made me want to strangle him more. “Now that I say that, you do have a little country twang starting.”

“I’m cutting you out of my will,” I said.

His laugh was so loud I had to hold the phone from my ear.

“Olivia.” Hudson’s commanding voice bellowed up the stairs and into the room.

“Is that Hudson?” Gabe asked between laughs. “And that threat about the will is not a deterrent, Liv. You need to come up with something better.”

“Fine, I’m not babysitting anymore.” But I knew I would. My nephew was growing on me. “And yes, it is, unfortunately.”

“Olivia, get down here before I come up and drag you down.”

I growled into the phone, and Gabe laughed again. “Wow, that sounds like it’s going well. I’ll break the news to Tori that you won’t babysit anymore. I’m sure Reid will be upset to hear he won’t get to irritate Auntie Liv.”

“Shut up. I really dislike you right now.”

“That’s better than hate. I’ll check in tomorrow and let you know when we can get you home.”

“Fine.”

“Liv,” he said, right before I hung up and, just as Hudson’s feet stomped up the stairs, “Try to relax and see the possibility in this. I wouldn’t have sent you there if I hadn’t seen it.”

He disconnected, and Hudson stalked into the room. I looked up at him, throwing my phone onto the bed beside me. He stopped at the doorway, looking between me and the phone.

“Who was that?”

My head tilted as I tried to figure out why his voice held a tone of envy.

“My boyfriend,” I shot back. The myriad of emotions that shifted across his features had me scrambling to correct myself. “It was my brother. I don’t have a boyfriend. I don’t know why I said that.” Or why I was worried that he thought I had one. But when the relief smoothed out his expression, I was glad I’d said it. “He doesn’t know when I can go home. Not with the storm coming.”

And right on cue, thunder vibrated the floor.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “That makes sense.”

“Why are you up here aside from grilling me about my calls?”

“To get your lazy ass outside.”

My teeth chomped down. “And what if it really had been a boyfriend?”

A flash of envy struck his eyes before he turned away. “Meet me at the barn.”

“What would you have done, Hudson?” It was a baseless question, one that I shouldn’t have pushed, but his reaction made me curious.

He stopped, his hand wrapping around the doorframe, the tendons in it thick and pronounced. “It doesn’t matter. You don’t have one.” He threw a glance over his shoulder. “Right?”

“But if I did…” Why was I pushing this?

“You’re not mine, Olivia. Not anymore.”